Ranji Trophy, Super league, 2007-08 [Ranji SS available]

[bharat297]

Dravid notches up back to back hundreds ... he is aching for that spot back. The fire still burns :two_thumbs_up:

[beetle]

I am first ...I am first... Ladies and gentlemen ....I am first......:yay::yay::yay:

[varun]

:hysterical::hysterical: :adore:

[chanakya]

CONGRATS :D I am LAST :(((((((

[apocalypse]

I am first ...I am first... Ladies and gentlemen ....I am first......:yay::yay::yay:

congrats

[beetle]

Thank you ...thank you ,one and all !!:hatsoff: Aaj raat ki chandi...kal jaane kya hoga.....

[apocalypse]

kal bhi accha hi hoga

[Chandan]

Sorry for not posting the Day one's scores. Looks like everyone else was busy with the ODI series victory too. Anyway here is the round-up: Round Two, Day one: Karnataka 271 for 4 (Dravid 121, Raghu 58, Pawan 56) against Himachal Pradesh Scorecard Rahul Dravid scored another century in the Ranji Trophy game against Himachal Pradesh © Cricinfo Ltd As he did at the Wankhede Stadium last week, Rahul Dravid stamped his class on the Ranji Trophy with another century. This time his team was not trailing and the opposition, Himachal Pradesh, was weaker but the temperament was the same on a slow and dry Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch. Dravid's innings was flanked by two contrasting half-centuries, from opener KB Pawan and C Raghu, and at the end of the day Karnataka had 271 for 4 on the board. For the first 31 minutes of Karnataka's innings Dravid sat in the far right corner of the dressing room, eyes fixed on the proceedings in the centre. The younger players sat a few rows away, chatting among themselves as Dravid shared a few words with Anil Kumble, the captain, and the coach Vijay Bhardwaj. As soon as Barrington Rowland slashed a poor drive into the wicketkeeper's gloves in the eighth over, Dravid got up, gathered his helmet and gloves, and strode out. Having played much of his first-class cricket at his home venue, Dravid knew this surface, even though it's been relaid. The feet moved, the head was still, the weight balanced. The distinct sound of ball middled on bat reverberated around the empty stadium and Dravid was away. Not once was he beaten all day, and the one instance he got into his shot early, against Ashok Thakur, the left-arm medium-pacer, he shook his head and walked to square leg. Dravid's first four boundaries, all against the quicker bowlers, were back-foot elegance: with the first he rolled the wrists late and hard to cut through gully, and with the next three he shifted the weight to push through the covers. He was especially good off his pads, shuffling across to off and tucking the spinners into the gap at short fine leg and square leg. What stood out was his mood to dominate. He made the major contribution to the 50-run second-wicket stand with Pawan, and raised it with a six over long-on off Sarandeep Singh, the former India offspinner. Eight minutes before lunch Dravid brought up his half-century with a second six, again off Sarandeep, over the same boundary. On the last ball of what he thought was the final over before the interval he slammed a four over mid-on, tucked his bat under his left arm, and headed straight for the dressing room. The umpires had one more over in mind, though, and soon Karnataka's hundred was raised. During the break Dravid was visibly relaxed, talking to his team-mates and spending a few moments with his family. Break over, he went out and resumed his role, slamming another six over long-on, this time off left-arm spinner Vishal Bhatia. Pawan, who reprised his first-innings fifty against Mumbai with a measured 56, hit a fine straight drive off Thakur and brought up his fifty with a cover-drive for four. It took 155 balls and Pawan received a congratulatory pat on the back from his senior partner. How much Karnataka's youngsters have to gain by batting with Dravid is palpable. Against the run of play, Pawan received one outside off from Bhatia that sat up. Pawan initially went back but, as he tried to withdraw an angled bat, he played on to his off stump. He scored 56 from 167 balls in 207 minutes, and helped add 131 with Dravid. Sarandeep returned for a second spell - his first saw ten overs for 38 - and should have had Raghu caught but short leg failed to clutch on to a low chance off the pads. Next ball, Raghu got to the pitch and drove four through the covers. He was far more aggressive than Pawan and the singles began to come at a fair clip. Dravid's third six came over his favoured long-on, Sarandeep the bowler to suffer. He moved from 95 to 99 with a pleasing cover drive and at 2.32 on a pleasant afternoon, Dravid reached his second hundred in as many innings, off just 161 balls. It was almost too easy - he knelt down and paddled one from middle and leg to fine leg, ran two, and raised his bat. Dravid's fourth six wasn't timed to perfection - it seemed he was eyeing extra cover rather than left of mid-on - but had enough on it to carry it over the boundary. Arguably his two best shots came in the next two balls: Bhatia pitched fractionally short on the stumps and both times Dravid just went back and pushed boundaries perfectly between midwicket and mid-on. He was out soon after, beaten by a shooter from medium-pacer Vikramjit Malik, who had persevered all day. It pitched marginally outside off and kept very low to sneak under the bat and knock back off stump. For 180 balls and 251 minutes Dravid was a rock, playing good ball and bad with consummate ease, but the poorest of deliveries had him cleaned up. It was a pity there were no more than 50 people there to watch. During an extensive pre-match net session yesterday, Dravid said Karnataka wanted to bat just once and, judging by the platform he's helped build, that may just be the case on an under-prepared track certain to help the spinners as this match progresses. Bengal 262 for 2 (Das 117*, Majumdar 103) v Baroda Scorecard Daniel Manohar held Hyderabad's top-order together with his eighth first-class hundred © Cricinfo Ltd Bengal's opening pair made the most of winning the toss to pile the agony on Baroda at the Moti Bagh ground in Vadodara. Anustup Majumdar, in only his third first-class match, recorded his maiden hundred while the relatively experienced Arindam Das matched him in a fine 221-run stand. The duo made the most of Baroda's greenhorn new-ball attack and struck 33 fours between them in a sensible partnership. Majumdar was run-out shortly after reaching his century but Das was undefeated at the end of the day. Hyderabad 286 for 7 (Manohar 119, Teja 55) v Punjab Scorecard Daniel Manohar cracked his eighth first-class hundred to give Hyderabad a solid start in Mohali but Punjab's spinners fought back by grabbing five wickets between them. Having been inserted on a surface that usually assists the seamers first up, Hyderabad were propped up by a 128-run opening stand between Manohar and Ravi Teja. Hyderabad, though, somewhat lost their way from there. VVS Laxman fell for 38, an innings that included eight fours, and the middle order struggled against the left-arm spin of Ankur Kakkar and the offspin of Karan Goel. Both were economical, conceding less than three runs an over, and brought Punjab back into the contest towards the end of the day. Maharashtra 155 for 3 (Khadiwale 57) lead Rajasthan 105 (Munaf 4-54) by 50 runs Scorecard Rajasthan unravelled for the second time in as many games, collapsing for 105 against Maharashtra in Jaipur. Having been shot out for 85 against Delhi, Rajasthan's batsmen continued the trend with only three managing double figures. Munaf Patel's four-wicket burst rattled the top order before Harshad Khadiwale, the medium-pacer, and Sairaj Bahutule, the veteran legspinner, ran through the tail. Bahutule, who claimed three wickets in just 2.4 overs, reached an important milestone: he now has 550 wickets in first-class cricket. Khadiwale, a centurion in the first round, carried on his good form to allow Maharashtra to lead by 50 runs at the end of the day. Uttar Pradesh 269 for 8 (Ravikant 77*, Vijay Kumar 4-64) v Andhra Scorecard Uttar Pradesh rode on handy contributions from most batsmen but Andhra stayed in the hunt on a see-saw first day in Anantpur. Electing to field first, Andhra dismissed the UP openers early but a string of partnerships kept thwarting them through the day.Andhra bowlers dominated proceedings restricting Uttar Pradesh to 269 for eight on day one of their Super League Ranji match at the Anantapur Sports Village here on Thursday. Middle order batsman Ravikant Shukla (77 batting, 10x4, 1x6) kept the U.P. innings together. Put into bat, U.P.’s top order perished to some indiscreet shots and the team was reduced to 126 for five with Vijaya Kumar (four for 64) effecting maximum damage. Opener Rohit Prakash, who was dropped by A.S.K. Varma at gully off Kalyan Krishna, failed to capitalise on chance. Shivkant fell to a surprise delivery from Vijay Kumar which lifted awkwardly. Kaif’s vigil At 47 for two, the onus to stabilise the innings was on skipper Kaif and Tanmay Srivastava. Kaif enthralled the motley crowd with a couple of well-timed boundaries but his 102-minute vigil came to an end when he slashed an outgoing delivery from Vijaya Kumar. Tanmay, who exhibited fine temperament, kept the scoreboard ticking but lost his wicket going for an unproductive heave. Suresh Raina too could not stay for long as failed to tackle a well-directed short-pitch delivery from Vijaya Kumar. Ravikanth found an able partner in Amir Khan. Together they posted 70 for the sixth wicket. Piyush Chawla, exhibited his brilliance with a classic straight drive off Kalyan Krishna, but soon fell for a miscued hook shot. Keen on wrapping up the innings, Andhra skipper M.S.K. Prasad used as many as eight bowlers but Ravikanth succeeded in thwarting all attempts. Ravikant Shukla held the lower order together with a doughty 56 but neither Mohammad Kaif (34) nor Suresh Raina (13) could make much of an impact. P Vijay Kumar, the medium-pacer from Andhra, kept them in the match with an impressive four-wicket haul. Delhi 244 (Manhas 62, Jobanputra 5-73) v Saurashtra Scorecard SOLID INNINGS: Delhi will have the experienced Mithun Manhas to thank for as he pulled it out of the doldrums. Here he drives Saurasthra’s R.A. Jadeja. Mithun Manhas led a shaky Delhi batting effort, one which never found much momentum against an attack led by medium-pacer Sandeep Jobanputra. Left-arm seamer Sandeep Jobunputra, in his third season, dented the Delhi batting line up with his sustained line on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy Elite league match here on Thursday. Saurashtra prospered from a good toss to reduce Delhi to 244 in its first innings as the home team thanked the experienced Mithun Manhas for hauling it out of an embarrassing situation. Delhi was struggling at 82 for four when Manhas and Rajat Bhatia produced an 80-run partnership. Batting was tough, given the fact that Jobunputra (five for 73) and seamer Kanaiya Vaghela (two for 27) rocked the batsmen with their disciplined bowling. “We expected some tough stuff from the bowlers. The pitch was prepared with the aim to get a result and I was not surprised with the manner in which the bowlers called the shots,†confessed Delhi skipper Manhas, who hit a responsible 62 off 130 balls with ten fours. Little more application Coach Vijay Dahiya observed the Delhi batting could have done better with a little more application. “It is up to the bowlers now to exploit the conditions,†he said. It was bowlers’ day at the Roshanara ground. Jobunputra tested the batsmen and snared them with his movement. He was quite nippy in comparison to Vaghela but the Saurashtra pace pair rattled the Delhi camp with some telling strikes. But for Bhatia and Puneet Bisht offering resistance, Delhi would have struggled to reach 200. Manhas displayed exemplary commitment. He was willing to graft, give the bowlers respect but not at the cost of missing runs. His drives had the punch of a seasoned campaigner and it was an innings in keeping with his reputation. He is known to excel when the situation demands. Saurashtra had a satisfying day on the field, considering that they chose to bowl first in an away game. Jobanputra, pocketed his fourth five-wicket haul and was well backed up by medium-pacer Kanaiya Vaghela (2 for 27). Entering at 47 for 2, Manhas produced a patient knock, consuming 130 balls for a gritty 62. Shikhar Dhawan and Rajat Bhatia couldn't convert their 30s into big ones and Delhi limped to 244 at the end of the day. Mumbai 20 for no loss trail Tamil Nadu 206 (Karthik 76, Srinivasan 66, Powar 4-55) by 186 runs Scorecard ORGANISED KNOCK: Tamil Nadu’s R. Srinivasan used the cut shot to good effect against the Mumbai medium-pacers Fifties from Dinesh Karthik and Rajhamany Srinivasan, the latter playing his third first-class match, rescued Tamil Nadu in Chennai but it was Mumbai's bowlers who claimed most of the honours. Except for the odd pocket of resistance, Tamil Nadu’s batting had little to show by way of application on the first day of the second-round Ranji Trophy Super League match against Mumbai. On a slow ICL-Guru Nanak ground pitch that showed evidence of inconsistent bounce, the home side was dismissed for 206 in 77 overs after winning the toss. Dinesh Karthik top-scored with 76 and R. Srinivasan remained unbeaten on a carefully compiled 66, his third half-century in as many First Class matches, but no one else crossed 19. Mumbai responded with 20 for no loss in 11 overs — a period of play that saw opener Sahil Kukreja being reprieved. V. Yomahesh drew an edge from Kukreja (on 10), but the ball didn’t stick in Karthik’s right glove. Earlier, off-spinner Ramesh Powar finished with four for 55 from 19 overs, but it was his run out of M. Vijay that changed Thursday’s complexion. Vijay had put on 47 with Karthik, who opened instead of S. Anirudha to accommodate five bowlers, when he fell victim to a mix up. Unthreatening Mumbai’s new-ball bowlers, Ajit Agarkar and Aavishkar Salvi, were beginning to look distinctly unthreatening when the visiting side was thrown a bone. Salvi then effected a vital double strike in the space of three deliveries after the drinks break. From around the wicket, the 26-year-old trapped the left-handed R. Prasanna on the move. A ball that held up and kept low foiled Badrinath’s forcing stroke off the back-foot, disturbing the off-stump off the inside edge. Medium-pacer Abhishek Nayar then had K. Shri Vasudeva Das caught behind to leave Tamil Nadu on 62 for four. Karthik and Srinivasan added 57 the only half-century partnership of the innings before the former was adjudged leg-before off an attempted sweep, having advanced down the track. Karthik’s knock (108b, 12x4, 1x6) wasn’t without its rough edges, but it had several moments of exceptional skill. Twice he pulled Agarkar, and once he drove Salvi straight. It was a back-cut off his stumps, however, that best captured the mood of the innings: audacious, but always keeping the bowlers interested. Srinivasan’s stay Srinivasan’s stay (166b, 10x4) stood out for its organisation. He sweated on the cut against the medium-pacers, moving into position with a back-and-across shuffle; anything on his legs, he worked to on. Spinners Powar and Iqbal Abdulla (left-arm slow) were driven through the covers. But, Powar’s flight and consequent trajectory above the batsman’s eye-line proved too much for Tamil Nadu’s lower order. Aavishkar Salvi, playing his first Ranji game of the season, set the tone with a couple of early wickets before Ramesh Powar, omitted from India's Test squad against Pakistan, got stuck into the tail with a four-wicket haul. Karthik's energetic half-century, with 12 fours and a six, was in contrast to Srinivasan's stodgy effort, one that used up 229 minutes. Mumbai's openers got through 11 overs without losing a wicket.

[apocalypse]

A big score was expected out of VVS but yet again he was out early

[Chandan]

A big score was expected out of VVS but yet again he was out early

VVS is leaving me mightily worried! If he is playing this badly in Ranji, what'll he do in tests where the standard of pace bowlers as well as spinners will be very high?? Of course Yuvraj is waiting to get into the team even after a tuny slip from him!

[apocalypse]

VVS is leaving me mightily worried! If he is playing this badly in Ranji, what'll he do in tests where the standard of pace bowlers as well as spinners will be very high?? Of course Yuvraj is waiting to get into the team even after a tuny slip from him!

with this rate his selection to final 11 hangs in balance

[PaiN_KiLLeR]

well done Dravid and KKD VVS is barely holding onto his place .... and with yuvi batting so well i dont how long he will last in the test team..

[Dravid]

a chick leading ss... what has icf come too :S :hahaha: j/k :P

[Chandan]

At Lunch, Day 2: Mumbai : 119/2, Jaffer 50* Saurastra: 82/3, Pujara dismissed on 11, Ishant Sharma 2/10 Andhra : 48/1, Chawla 1/1 Maharashta : 265/6, Pankaj Singh 3/78 Punjab :31/1, Ojha 1/0 Bengal : 370 allout, YK Pathan 5/83 Karnataka 410/6

[chanakya]

YK Pathan older bro of Pathan ?? He bowls spin right?

[beetle]

I am back to second spot!:bowwow:

[Tapioca]

Sreekumar Nair hits 304* as Kerala declare at 566/6 v Services

[Chandan]

Abhishek Nayar hits a 85 balls ton for Mumbai. This guy is worth watching for. He might be chosen for our one team, after he improves a little more!

[Feed]

Mumbai take first-innings lead with Nayar century A counter-attacking 105 by Abhishek Nayar, a knock characteristic of holders Mumbai, saw the visitors finish their first innings with a lead of 111 against Tamil Nadu in Chennai. At stumps on day two, Tamil Nadu trailed by 81 runs, having lost the wicket of M Vijay. More...

[apocalypse]

Day 2 Round Up Baroda 129 for 3 trail Bengal 370 (Das 117, Majumdar 103) by 241 runs Scorecard Baroda finished on 129 for 3, after Bengal added only 108 to their overnight score of 262 for 2 on a slow day's cricket at the Moti Bagh Stadium. Bengal had been given a superb start with their openers scoring centuries, but Baroda pulled things back expertly, converting 221 for no loss to 370 all out. Yusuf Pathan, Irfan's brother, was the pick of the bowlers, with 5 for 83 from his 35.1 overs of offspin. When Baroda batted it gave Bengal's spinners a chance to play a role, and they did, with Sourashish Lahiri and Murtaza Lodhgar sharing the three wickets to fall. Punjab 216 for 4 (Goel 75, Dharmani 52*) trail Hyderabad 379 (Manohar 119, Teja 55) by 163 runs Scorecard Punjab replied in measured fashion to Hyderabad's 379, reaching 216 for 4 thanks mainly to a 75 from Karan Goel and an unbeaten 52 from Pankaj Dharmani, the captain. Hyderabad did well to push their score to 379 from an overnight 310, with the last three wickets adding 69 on the second morning. A string of contributions from the top order, with every batsman getting a start and putting at least 20 on the board, meant that Punjab were still in with a strong chance of overhauling Hyderabad's first-innings score and securing a lead. Rajasthan 105 (Munaf 4-54) and 160 for 3 trail Maharashtra 287 (Venugopala Rao 80, Khadiwale 57) by 22 runs Scorecard After being skittled out for 106 in their first innings Rajasthan staged a comeback, bowling Maharashtra out for 287 and then reaching 160 for 3 in their second dig, trailing by 22 runs with two days to go. It's difficult to comeback from being bowled out for just over 100 on the first day, but Rajasthan, through Pankaj Singh, the tall fast bowler, did this to a degree despite an innings of 80 from Venugopal Rao, Maharashtra's new captain. Rajasthan's batsmen were more disciplined in the second innings, pushing the score to 160 for 3. Andhra 201 for 2 (LNP Reddy 88*, Varma 61) trail Uttar Pradesh 298 (Ravikant 99*, Vijay Kumar 4-75) by 97 runs Scorecard Ravikant Shukla ran out of partners and was left stranded on 99 as Uttar Pradesh were knocked over for 298 by Andhra. In response Andhra reached a healthy 201 for 2, with LNP Reddy doing the bulk of the scoring, racking up an unbeaten 88 at the top of the order. ASK Varma, who came in at one-drop, helped himself to 61, adding 124 for the second wicket. Andhra need 98 more to take the first-innings lead. You had to feel for Shukla, who had added 22 runs to his overnight score of 99 before G Shankara Rao picked up the last two Uttar Pradesh wickets to leave Shukla high and dry. Saurashtra 175 for 7 (Kotak 77, Bhatia 3-9) trail Delhi 244 (Manhas 62, Jobanputra 5-73) by 69 runs Scorecard Sitanshu Kotak spared Saurashtra the blushes but they failed to drive home the advantage of bowling Delhi out for 244, slipping to 175 for 7. Kotak, the doughty left-hand batsman, top scored with 77, but there was barely a significant contribution from any of his team-mates. Rajat Bhatia, the medium pacer from Delhi, was the most successful of the bowlers, picking up 3 for 9 from 13 overs - that included seven maidens - at an amazing economy-rate of 0.69. Saurashtra are now in serious danger of handing the initiative they once held straight back to Delhi. Himachal Pradesh 117 for 4 trail Karnataka 452 for 9 dec (Dravid 121, Naidu 105, Bhatia 6-129) Scorecard A stroke-filled century from wicketkeeper-batsman Thilak Naidu, on top of a polished hundred from Rahul Dravid propelled Karnataka to a more-than-healthy 452 for 9 declared against Himachal Pradesh. Naidu consumed only 137 balls for his 105, and hit 16 fours and a six on his way there. Karnataka's four front-line bowlers then combined perfectly, picking up a wicket apiece as Himachal ended the second day on 117 for 4, with Manish Gupta, the opener, top scoring with 42. Tamil Nadu 206 (Karthik 76, Srinivasan 66, Powar 4-55) and 30 for 1 trail Mumbai 316 (Nayar 105) by 81 runs Scorecard After a batting failure on the first day, Tamil Nadu conceded the advantage, and with it the crucial first-innings lead, in their match against Mumbai. For a time it looked as though Mumbai might falter in reply to 206, but Abhishek Nayar cracked 105 at No. 6 to take his team well past Tamil Nadu's score. Mumbai were eventually bowled out for 317, a first-innings lead of 111, but they made the most of a good day, winkling out the wicket of M Vijay, the opening batsman before Tamil Nadu closed on 30 for 1. It was Ramesh Powar, who picked up four wickets in the first innings, who got the breakthrough, having Vijay caught behind.