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

[Cricketics]

go to games.. then super selector.. just like the way we playing Indo-pak super selector.. same way we r having Ranji selector.. varun set it up yesterday only..

[beetle]

Thanks chandan and varun.... Nehra is playing?

[MundaPakistani]

I do not think it is very good, Faisal. Indian Ranji Super League has 15 teams but even thats is too many. This doesn't encourage fierce competition and at least 5 or six of those 15 teams just fight for survival to avoid being relegated to the second rung. None of the sides have more than one or two decent players and some do not have even that. So I think there is plenty of room for development if only BCCI could turn its attention to domestic cricket too. !

thanks for the article Chandan. Seems like the whole structure will take time to improve. May be it's better to bring the young and talented cricketers straight in to the national team or the A team because the domestic cricket isn't going to help them much. That's why i am bit surprised that even though PAK have won the last 2 under 19 world cup yet none of those youngsters have been given a consistent chance at the international level.

[Chandan]

thanks for the article Chandan. Seems like the whole structure will take time to improve. May be it's better to bring the young and talented cricketers straight in to the national team or the A team because the domestic cricket isn't going to help them much. That's why i am bit surprised that even though PAK have won the last 2 under 19 world cup yet none of those youngsters have been given a consistent chance at the international level.

Actually they aren't good enough, Faisal. India-Pakistan have always been champions at the age levels but they are ultimately not good enough at the international level because the finishing school, our domestic cricket, is extremely poor. Players are unable to hone their skills to take it to a higher level whereas, Australians are average at the age group but due to the terrific system that they have and with correct guidance at various stages, they go forward while Indians and Pakistanis get lost unless they are exceptional talents! Quite a number of factors work here. India has 27 FC teams which makes it about 375 FC cricketers. Hardly 60-70 of them good and offer some competition to the better budding challenges. If there would be no challenges, how will the bud blossom? What'll be the rigours which helps him prepare for the tough field which is international cricket? How will he become a finished article to be able to offer something substantial to his country? Then, the pitches prepared for these matches aren't very good, the ground is not good enough to encourage good fielding,umpiring is poor, support staff is scant, there is no goal, no guidance and the path is equally hotch-potch!! So, if India aims to be the top team, it has to improve its FC structure first.

[Chandan]

I think Arjun yadav is shiv lal's son.

Didn't you read that article in the first page, Radhika? Anyway, here are the final two teams of group A: MAHARASHTRA Venugopal Rao will lead Maharashtra in the absence of Sairaj Bahutule Maharashtra has one of the most professional set-ups in Indian domestic cricket; with central contracts for players, a shrewd and previously successful coach in Chandrakant Pandit, a clear vision of developing home-grown players with the assistance of professional imports, and a yearning to play at smaller centres. It is a misfortune though, that they face the tough task of starting the Ranji Trophy with 10 uncapped players in their squad. Ten new faces in Maharashtra squad Maharashtra's squad for their first Ranji Trophy match, against Tamil Nadu, features 10 uncapped players and a new captain, Venugopal Rao, who played for Andhra during the 2006-07 season. They find themselves in this predicament partly because of the exodus to the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and partly because Sairaj Bahutule and Hrishikesh Kanitkar are not match-fit. The team and the captain, according to Pandurang Salgaonkar, the chairman of selectors, are chosen only for one match. Bahutule, their captain last season, had to undergo shoulder surgery while Kanitkar had an operation on the knee. The Maharashtra selectors were not sure of their match fitness and they will make further decisions only after the first match.Apart from the two, S Sriram and Dheeraj Jadhav have moved to the ICL, leaving them with a depleted side. Venugopal Rao, the Andhra captain last season, has moved to Maharashtra and has been named the captain for the first match. It hasn't yet been decided who will lead the side when Bahutule is back. Rao will be the batsman that Maharashtra will look up to, with only Yogesh Takawale and Harshad Khadiwale having any experience at this level - that too for one season. Maharashtra have been following the policy of blooding homegrown youngsters, along with senior professional imports over the last two-three years. Rao, who has played 16 ODIs for India, will be expected to bolster the inexperienced batting line-up. The bowling attack will be led by Munaf Patel and Shrikant Mundhe, who played for India Red in the recently concluded Challenger Trophy. They will look for inspirational bowling from Munaf Patel, who will be eager to earn a recall to the national squad. Yogesh Takawale, who played as a batsman last season and scored 351 runs at 50.14, will replace Satyajit Satbhai's as wicketkeeper. Venugopal Rao and Munaf Patel will be the senior pros for Maharashtra this season They will be coached by Chandrakant Pandit, fresh from a successful stint as India A coach on their tour to Zimbabwe and Kenya. Complete Maharashtra Squad:Venugopal Rao (capt), Munaf Patel, Dhruv Mohan, Yogesh Takawale (wk), Harshad Khadiwale, Salil Agarkar, Kedar Jadhav, Shrikant Mundhe, Digamber Waghmare, Swapnil Gugale, Ashish Suryavanshi, Vishant More, Samad Fallah, Vishal Bhilare, Sayyed Wahid. What they did last season They would have wanted more than the seven points they scored from six games, especially after they had posed a threat to big teams in 2005-06, securing an outright win against Mumbai along the way. Their 2006-07 campaign started with a dull draw against Hyderabad, but in the next match, they walloped Rajasthan by an innings and 250 runs in Ratnagiri. Then, in a high-scoring draw, they ended up 98 short of Punjab's first-innings total of 550. They were on the wrong side of a draw once again when Bengal bowled them out for 215 and scored 325. In their penultimate match they let Gujarat score 369, and the maximum they could get was two points, which they did by putting up 450 runs. In their final match, Maharashtra were defeated by Mumbai, who extracted revenge for last season by defeating them by an innings and 154 runs to ensure a clear semi-final path. Kanitkar ended up with 503 runs at 71.85 and Sriram scored 424 at 70.66. Takawale was the surprise package with 351 runs in seven innings. Men to watch Munaf and Rao will obviously have to shoulder most of the responsibility at the start of the season. Once Bahutule and Kanitkar are fit, they should make a fairly competitive unit. Takawale, who played as a batsman only, will be the keeper this season as Satyajit Satbhai has been dropped after an ordinary season. HIMACHAL PRADESH Himachal Pradesh made their way up to the Ranji Super League after they beat Railways by seven wickets on the final day of their Plate League semi-final in Dharamsala. Then they brushed aside Orissa, who also qualified to the next division, by nine wickets in the final. The winning formula was simple - everyone contributed. The top order batsmen all scored runs and the bowlers, led by talented left-arm spinner Vishal Bhatia, did enough to ensure HP didn't lose a game last season. Former India offspinner Sarandeep Singh's move from Punjab to HP proved successful as his 28 wickets and useful runs down the order indicate. Young players such as wicketkeeper Maninder Bisla, Paras Dogra and Manish Gupta were crucial last season, but the competition will be much tougher this year. How these youngster adapt, and how they are led by the seniors, will determine HP's fortunes. Complete HP Squad What they did last season HP topped the Plate League Group B table with 13 points as a result of two wins and three draws. They opened the season with a 342-run win over Jharkhand, based on an all-round effort. Sarandeep led a spirited fightback with a five-for after they had conceded the first-innings lead to Orissa in the next game at Dharamshala, but it proved to have come a bit too late in the day. In the next game, a draw against Tripura at home again, a Bhatia-inspired HP moved to the top of the Group B table and followed it with a thumping win over Jammu & Kashmir by an imposing innings and 75 runs at Jammu. With that win, they ended joint leaders with Orissa in Group B. They expectedly earned two points from the drawn encounter in Delhi, but were unable to force a result on the final day. Nevertheless, they were in the semi-finals, where they beat Railways by seven wickets. HP cruised to the Plate Group title after they kept Orissa to 317, put up 477 in their first innings, and shot Orissa out for 216, before rattling off 58 in 9.4 overs. Dogra was HP's best batsman with 528 runs at 48, with two hundreds, while Bhatia was the highest wicket-taker in the Plate League, with 38 scalps. Men to watch The 25-year-old Bhatia would look to carry on with his form. His contributions last season were key to HP's doing so well; his 6 for 71 helped dismiss Orissa and a further six-wicket haul a week later mopped up Tripura's tail as HP moved to the top of the Group B table. His eight wickets set up a big win over Railways and a fourth six-wicket haul helped spin HP to the title win. Sandeep Sharma, the experienced captain, enjoyed a successful 2006-07 season with the bat and will be expected to do the same this season, as the stakes get higher.

[beetle]

>>>Didn't you read that article in the first page, Radhika? aiyoo!:embaressed_smile: I should spend less time on the "ek anaar do bimaar thread":tounge_smile: Waisay maine baad mein pad kar kal raat ko team submit bhi kar di hai.....:D

[Chandan]

Ok. So here are the final 3 teams in group B. I hope people will have a fair idea of the teams and competition after reading about all the 15 teams!:D UTTAR PRADESH Champions one season and fighting relegation the next, over the last two seasons, Uttar Pradesh gave Pakistan a run for their money in terms of unpredictability. What's in store this season? A tournament that they start without their key pace bowlers: Shalabh Srivastava who has moved to ICL, and RP Singh and Praveen Kumar, who are a part of the Indian team as of now. Ashish Winston Zaidi, their manager this season and the canny pro with the ball, retired last season and there is a void left in the bowling department. Mohammad Kaif will lead a new-look Uttar Pradesh team in the Ranji Trophy and Suresh Raina will be the vice-captain. UP go into the season without left-arm seamer Shalabh Srivastava, Ali Murtaza and Avinash Yadav, who have all joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Srivastava has been a consistent performer for UP over the last few years. Moreover, the experienced trio of Rizwan Shamshad, Ashish Winston Zaidi and Gyanendra Pandey retired from first-class season last season. Pandey will coach the side this season, and Zaidi will be the team manager. Left-hand batsman Shivakant Shukla, left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta, and wicketkeeper Amir Khan, who were all tipped to join Railways this season, have chosen to stay behind and are all selected. There is a freshness to the batting line-up, with captain Mohammad Kaif and vice-captain Suresh Raina leading a young line-up. Gyanendra Pandey, their coach this season, and Rizwan Shamshad, the middle-order veterans, also retired last season. Tanmay Srivastava, who has impressed with India Under-19, Ravikant Shukla, former India U-19 captain, and Shivakant Shukla are exciting young prospects for them. The bowling in the absence of RP Singh and Praveen Kumar, both representing India, and Srivastava, is without a spearhead. The spin department looks good with Piyush Chawla and left-arm orthodox Praveen Gupta, but the bowling still is a fickle unit. If Kumar and Chawla are available to play, they look a respectable attack, but without them it should be a struggle for them. For Piyush Chawla, the first few matches will be crucial as he would look to draw his way back to the Indian team. They play only one game at home this season, which could be a blessing in disguise because most of the wickets in UP encourage draws. Complete UP squad : Mohammad Kaif (capt), Shivakant Shukla, Ravikant Shukla, Tanmay Srivastava, Piyush Chawla, Amir Khan (wk), Rohit Prakash, Rahat Ilahi, Ratnesh Mishra, Praveen Gupta, Suraj Pratap Singh, Sudeep Tyagi, Tahir Abbas Reserves: Parvindar Singh, Anshul Kapoor, Raj Singh and Abhishek Tiwari What they did last season Neither their batsmen nor their bowlers ever hit their straps last season, struggling to put up big, sufficient-to-bat-once totals with the bat, or running through the opposition with the ball. After a first-innings lead against Saurashtra, a points-less draw and an outright loss, the low point came in the away match against Haryana when they were bowled out for 71. Following that innings defeat, they just about hung on for two points against Tamil Nadu, who after having fallen behind in the first innings, set UP 129 to win in 25 overs. A positive start was followed by a collapse and at seven-down, Rohit Prakash and Shivakant batted out 7.3 overs to ensure a draw. After being outplayed by Baroda, they had only four points from six games and were one false step from emulating Railways by getting relegated in their title defence. In their last match, they put up an inspired show in beating Andhra by an innings and staving off what would have been a humiliating descent to Plate League. Men to watch Kaif will know a big season with the bat will do him no harm and so will Raina. Two seasons ago, along with Kumar and Shalabh, they were the main architects of UP's revival from a hopeless situation mid-season. Shalabh is out, Kumar may or not be available - the same can be said of Raina and Chawla. And with other seniors retired, this is the season for any of the young brigade to stand up and make his presence felt. Tanmay, Ravikant and Shivakant will want to take up more responsibility this season. ORISSA Ever since they were relegated to the Plate League in 2002-03, they had made it to the semi-finals of the Plate League each year, but somehow never crossed that barrier. Last season though, they reversed the trend by defeating Assam to enter the final and earn a right to play in the Super League in the 2007-08 season. Veterans Debasis Mohanty and Shiv Sunder Das are the two most recognisable faces in the team, whose performances usually revolve around the two. Das and Niranjan Behera, who played the Challenger Trophy this season, are the two main batsmen in the top order. Captain Pravanjan Mullick, who can double up as a handy medium-pace bowler, provides the stability to the middle order. Mohanty got enough help last season from new-ball partner Sukanta Khatua and offspinner Sanjay Satpathy. Behera and Mullick with their part-time stuff give the bowling line-up an efficient look. Complete Orissa Squad What they did last season Their reversal in the semi-final was the pinnacle of their performance, especially Mohanty's nine-wicket haul. After he had reduced Assam to 235 in the first innings, he saw his side fall short by two runs. But in the second innings, with figures of 4 for 43, he bowled Assam out for 120, setting up an easy target. They couldn't keep up the intensity in the final and lost to Himachal Pradesh by nine wickets. The other highlight for Orissa came in their last league match when Das hit the first triple-century in the Ranji Trophy since 2000-01. They also gained a first-innings lead in each of their matches, and an innings win against Tripura to boot. Men to watch Das and Mohanty will obviously be the ones to carry them in the big league. But Behera showed a lot of promise last season. His 509 runs at 50.90, the sixth-highest aggregate in the Plate League, were instrumental in Orissa's ascent to the Super League. With the big boys in the Twenty20 matches, he sneaked into the top-10 in both the batting and bowling charts. Khatua, in his second season, got 16 wickets at 15.12 last season and could be one to watch out for this season too. BARODA Fierce inter-club rivalry, good infrastructure - there are seven cricket grounds in one city - and flow of talent, has seen Baroda become a solid Ranji team. Their semi-final appearance last season was their second in a row. And they managed this despite Irfan Pathan's selection to the India squad and Zaheer Khan's to Mumbai. But their bowling attack for this season has been depleted after losing seamer Rakesh Patel to the ICL. This means that Irfan Pathan Snr will have to shoulder more responsibilities in the fast-bowling department. Yusuf Pathan and Rajesh Pawar, the spinners, got higher honours - Pawar was selected to the Test squad on the tour to Bangladesh, while Yusuf played in the final of the ICC World Twenty20. Their batting line-up last season was led by senior batsmen Jacob Martin and Connor Williams. Baroda are yet to announce their squad because they play their first match only in the second round, which is a good 15 days away. They will be coached by Paras Mhambrey, who has previously coached Bengal to two successive Ranji Trophy finals. What they did last season Along with Bengal, they were the most consistent teams in the Ranji Trophy last season. They led their group going into the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, they had Mumbai down at 0 for 5, but somehow let them off the hook. Their campaign last season started off with a bang when they bowled Karnataka out for 85 on the first morning and won the match by seven wickets. They followed it up with a clinical dismantling of Saurashtra by an innings and 19 runs. They folded for 244 in Delhi and conceded a first-innings lead. They were in danger of playing out an average season after an exceptional start, after narrowly missing a first-innings lead against Andhra. Two solid performances followed and after outright wins over Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, they sat on top the points table with four wins, which was more than any other team. Then came an outright loss to Tamil Nadu against the run of play, which took away the momentum going into the semi-finals against Mumbai, where a first-innings collapse for 142 hurt them even though they bowled them out for 145 in the second. Men to watch Pawar, the fourth-highest wicket-taker last season with 36 wickets, is the key member of the team with his left-arm spinners expected to have an impact. Among the batsmen, apart from Williams and Martin, Baroda will look for a good season from Pinal Shah, the wicketkeeper-batsman, who had an average season with the bat last year but is an aggressive middle-order batsman.

[Chandan]

So the most anticipated Ranji match is to beging tomorrow. KARNATAKA-MUMBAI RANJI TROPHY: The following news is from Karnataka's point of view. Focus on Rahul Dravid, KumbleMumbai, Nov 2 (PTI) The former India skipper, omitted from Indian team for the first two ties against Pakistan in the upcoming five-match rubber, will play under another stalwart Anil Kumble to give their state team a look of class... Rahul Dravid gets a great chance to rediscover his golden touch with the bat when he turns out for Karnataka in their lung-opening Elite Division Group A Ranji Trophy tie against holders Mumbai starting here tomorrow. The former India skipper, omitted from the Indian one-day team for the first two ties against arch foes Pakistan in the upcoming five-match rubber, will play under another stalwart Anil Kumble to give their state team a look of class against the 37-time winners and hosts in the four-day league tie. The first class game at the Wankhede Stadium is the ideal stage for Dravid, who had a lean time with the bat in the seven-match ODI series against Australia which concluded on October 17, to get among the runs ahead of the tough battles ahead in the season, including the three-Test rubber against Pakistan which follows after the conclusion of the ODI series. The last time "The Wall" had turned out for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy was at Rajkot for last season's league clash against Saurashtra. Also keen to get into the groove for the Test series along with Dravid would be Kumble, who would be playing his first Ranji tie for Karnataka in two seasons and his opening competitive long-duration tie after returning home from England at the end of the Test series in August. The ace leg spinner has turned out for the All Star team in the Sixes event at Hong Kong, but had played little else since India's last Test rubber. The visitors would be banking a lot on this duo, as well as on another seasoned and ex-India campaigner Sunil Joshi, with back-up from the younger lot to get off to a good start against Mumbai. "The youngsters in the team can learn a lot by sharing the dressing room with Rahul and Anil whose perseverence is to be appreciatated. They are still going strong after such a long career," the Level III coach said. Kumble said ahead of the tie that Karnataka would like to make a winning start to the tie. Recalling Karnataka's surge into the semis last season with a young team, Kumble said it was important for the team to get a good start to their campaign. "I am looking forward to this game. It will be nice to get things going in the first game itself". "The important factor is to ensure Karnataka gets off to a good start. We did well last season getting to the semi finals with the kind of team we had," he said. The visitors have a very good spin attack in Kumble, left arm Joshi and off spinner C Raghy and the key to Mumbai's fortunes might lie in how they tackle the Karnataka trio on a wicket that Bharadwaj expected to offer turn and break as the match progressed. The hosts too want to start with a gallop unlike last yea when they were without a point to their credit after three away games. "This time we want to start well and we have an advantage playing at home. It's also a great thing that our players woul be up against Rahul and Anil as a good show against them would give them a lot of confidence going forward," Mumbai coach Praveen Amre said. Mumbai too have in their ranks two India ODI discards, Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar, who will be keen to get among the wickets along with pacer Avishkar Salvi who looked set for a career at the highest level till a shoulder injury prior to the last visit to Australia stymied his progress. The result of the battle between Agarkar, who reserves his best in longer duration games for Mumbai, and Dravid would be an important factor in the course of the match. Wasim Jaffer would be another player from the hosts' ranks who would view the tie and the subsequent ones as tune-ups for the Test series against Pakistan. The Test opener batted at number three in Mumbai's clash with Karachi Urban team of Pakistan in the Nissar Trophy tie, but will open in the Ranji tie with Sahil Kukreja, according to Amre. "Ajinkya Rahane, who opened in Karachi, will come in at number three," the Mumbai coach said, adding the choice of the last man in the final eleven tomorrow lies between an extra batsman and a seamer. Teams (from) Mumbai: Amol Muzumdar (Capt), Ajit Agarkar (vice capt), Wasim Jaffer, Sahil Kukreja, Ajinkya Rahane, Prashant Naik, Abhishek Nair, Ramesh Powar, Vinayak Samant (wk), Avishkar Salvi, Rajesh Verma, Iqbal Abdulla, Karnataka: Anil Kumble (Capt), Rahul Dravid, Barrington Rowland, K B Pawan, K Yere Goud (vice-capt.), C Raghu, V S Thilak Naidu, B Akhil, Sunil Joshi, R Vinay Kumar, N C Aiyappa, Sudhindra Shinde, Devraj Patil, K P Appanna and S Dhananjay. Umpires: K Hariharan and A Chaudhary (both Delhi). Match Referee: Raju Mukherjee (Bengal). Newly appointed Karnataka coach and ex-ODI player Vijay Bharadwaj today said the presence of the star duo would certainly be a big plus for his team against an opposition of the calibre of Mumbai. ----------------------------------------------- Now the news from Mumbai point of view: http://www.expressindia.com/news/cricket/fulliestory.php?content_id=234123 Mumbai scanning Dravid’s weak spots mumbai, october 30: From the time Rahul Dravid was named in the Karnataka squad for the season-opening Ranji Trophy game against Mumbai, there has been an air of nervous anticipation at Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai coach Praveen Amre knows that Dravid will be keen to make an impact in his first game, starting November 3, after being sidelined from the national squad, but he says that he is working on a plan to stump the premier batsman in the rival camp. “We have been trying to get the recent footage of Dravid’s innings to study how he has been losing his wicket. We will sit with our bowlers and work out a plan,” says Amre. The former Test player adds that the job wouldn’t be easy. “Probably the only advantage we have is Dravid is not in form right now,” he says. But looking at the bigger picture, Amre is of the view that the likes of Dravid and Anil Kumble — who will be leading Karnataka—playing domestic cricket is great for the game in general. “By merely watching players like Dravid and Kumble there is a lot to learn for youngsters. Just imagine the likes of Ajinkya Rahane playing Kumble or Iqbal Abdulla getting an opportunity to bowl to Dravid. This match will be a learning experience for the youngsters,” says Amre. The Mumbai coach is of the view that his players have an edge over their rivals since they have got vital match practice before their first Ranji game. “We played the Mohd Nissar Trophy first and later Irani Trophy so the players in good shape,” he said. Interestingly, like Dravid there are two seniors in the Mumbai squad who are planning a comeback. Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar, both dropped from the national side, will be keen to come good. Ironically, these bowlers will have vital roles to play when Amre works out a plan to stop Dravid after sitting with the team’s video analyst. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let us hope that Dravid, Kumble, Jaffer, Agarkar, Powar--everyone gets into his groove in tomorrow's match. In my opinion, it'll be just a walk in the park for Karnataka because I just can't imagine young Mumbai batsmen standing up to Kumble's bowling!

[Cricketics]

hope karnataka bat first tomorrow..

[Dravid]

team submmitted.. watch out

[apocalypse]

powar is spinning Karnataka's Batsman... Delhi will play Kundan Lal tomorrow I think... son of Madan Lal...

[apocalypse]

Neo sports today dint show anything. They are showing India vs Pakistan old matches

[apocalypse]

Powar trying hard for comeback

Mumbai's bowlers, led by Ramesh Powar, dominated the opening day of the Ranji season after Karnataka won an important toss and chose to bat on a turning wicket. Ajit Agarkar prised out the Karnataka openers cheaply before Powar removed Rahul Dravid, who led a mini recovery act. Powar then ran through the tail to leave Karnataka struggling at 189 for 9. B Akhil led a rearguard effort with a gritty unbeaten 119-ball 53, an innings whose importance will be known after Mumbai bat on this wearing track. The first session featured some fine seam bowling from Agarkar, but Powar dominated the next two. He had delivered the sucker punch ten minutes before lunch when he removed Dravid with a flighted delivery that spun and bounced to produce an edge off a jab. Karnataka's defences had been breached and it would have been even worse had the short-leg fielder, Sahil Kukreja, held on to sharp chance offered by C Raghu in the same over. Undaunted, Powar struck almost immediately after lunch. Slip, silly point, short leg and backward short leg watched in glee as Powar began to tease the batsmen with variations in flight and turn. In the fourth over he deceived Yere Goud with a lovely flighted delivery that dipped rapidly on the lunging batsman and spun to leave him desperately swishing in the air. The runs came in a trickle in the post-lunch session - 58 runs in 34 overs - as the batsmen struggled to come to terms with the turning ball. Raghu, with a patient 138-ball 31, fought hard while Akhil showed rare glimpses of aggression as he drove and cut the spinners on a few occasions. Using his height, he stretched well forward to drive Powar and Iqbal Abdulla, the 17-year-old left-arm spinner making his Ranji debut. He even attempted a couple of reverse-sweeps against Powar as he began to run out of partners. Abdulla got sharp bounce, with Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper, collecting some deliveries in front of his face. All indications were that Anil Kumble would have plenty to look forward to later in the game. Powar certainly enjoyed the wicket. In the last session, he grabbed three wickets in four overs as the tail succumbed pushing and prodding. Sunil Joshi was struck on the pad while stretching forward, Kumble stabbed a turning delivery and Vinay Kumar jabbed at a floater. The first hour of the day belonged to Agarkar, who kept the ball full, got late movement and strangled the batsman. Barring an elegant cover drive from Dravid, hardly any shot pierced the infield as Agarkar ended his first spell with figures of 8-3-9-2. He was on the job right from the start, teasing the outside edge with his second ball before striking two balls later when Barrington Rowland, on nought, lunged at a good-length delivery that shaped away. That brought in Dravid, with another semi-crisis to tackle. The first ball was patted to the off side and he soon got off the mark with a dab to cover. Dravid played cautiously, constantly looking to get forward to kill the movement but the same could not be said of the other batsmen. KB Pawan, brought in for Robin Uthappa, was edgy throughout his 31-ball stay. He was caught at the crease, unsure of his off stump and was constantly pushing tentatively away from his body. Agarkar beat him repeatedly but what would have pleased Pravin Amre, Mumbai's coach, the most, was the effort from Rajesh Verma. Verma was rewarded for his five-for ("a pleasant surprise" according to Amre) in the Irani Trophy with a place in the playing XI. He repaid that faith with a fine spell, bowling just marginally short of good length and cutting the ball both ways with a whippy action. He beat Pawan three times in his first over and continued to harass him subsequently. Dravid was cautious against Verma and Agarkar but was beaten only three times: the first prompted an lbw appeal as Agarkar brought one in to rap him high on the pads; the second missed the outside edge as Verma cut it away; and the third, half an hour before the break, saw Dravid play a rare stroke away from the body off Agarkar. The rest met the middle of the bat as Dravid proceeded to settle the nerves in the dressing room. Spin was introduced in the 17th over, and Dravid immediately hit Powar for successive fours, an elegant off drive followed by a cut against the turn, while Raghu, who grew in confidence as the innings progressed, dabbed the ball around in the gaps to rotate the strike. The first signs of alarming spin came off the fifth ball of the 23rd over. Powar got it to turn sharply and bounce, forcing a surprised Dravid to hurriedly pull out of an intended cut. Soon Powar took over to have a stranglehold over Karnataka.

[ludhianvi]

Powar get Dravid for 40 :tounge_smile:

[MundaPakistani]

Actually they aren't good enough' date= Faisal. India-Pakistan have always been champions at the age levels but they are ultimately not good enough at the international level because the finishing school, our domestic cricket, is extremely poor. Players are unable to hone their skills to take it to a higher level whereas, Australians are average at the age group but due to the terrific system that they have and with correct guidance at various stages, they go forward while Indians and Pakistanis get lost unless they are exceptional talents! Quite a number of factors work here. India has 27 FC teams which makes it about 375 FC cricketers. Hardly 60-70 of them good and offer some competition to the better budding challenges. If there would be no challenges, how will the bud blossom? What'll be the rigours which helps him prepare for the tough field which is international cricket? How will he become a finished article to be able to offer something substantial to his country? Then, the pitches prepared for these matches aren't very good, the ground is not good enough to encourage good fielding,umpiring is poor, support staff is scant, there is no goal, no guidance and the path is equally hotch-potch!! So, if India aims to be the top team, it has to improve its FC structure first.

well how are you going to know that if you don't give them a chance? You remember this thread about P Chawla? http://indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?t=1912&highlight=chawla As soon as they brought him in to the team he started picking wickets and in ODIs he looked a far better option than the likes of Powar, Harbhajan, Kartik etc. Now if the selectors don't have patience then it isn't the youngster's fault. Similarly in PAK we had Salman Butt coming to international cricket with hardly any 1st class experience and immediately scored a match winning ton in IND then had a very good tour of AUS where he was up against the bowling attack of Warne, Mcgrath, Gilliespe etc yet was dropped after exactly ONE bad test match at Chandigarh in 05. U Gul was another one who had barely played any 1st class cricket yet had no problem adjusting to the highest level. I can give you a lot more examples, it is just that you need to be brave enough to give the youngsters a chance. You got to at least keep them in the squad even when they aren't performing too well because sending them back to domestic cricket will not make them better.

[Chandan]

You got to at least keep them in the squad even when they aren't performing too well because sending them back to domestic cricket will not make them better.

This is what I'm worried about. Why should the experience in domestic cricket make them better than just sitting idle on the sidelines? Because the domestic cricket is not good enough. It might give birth to an 18 year old talent but you just can't be sure how much talent that youngster will be able to convert into performance because they're not finished articles by the time they burst onto the international scene! And that is a huge problem. Anyway, here is DAY 1 of the FIRST ROUND of Ranji trophy super league: KARNATAKA VS MUMBAI Karnataka 189 for 9 (Akhil 53*, Aiyappa 1*, Powar 5-69) v Mumbai Mumbai's bowlers, led by Ramesh Powar, dominated the opening day of the Ranji season after Karnataka won an important toss and chose to bat on a turning wicket. Ajit Agarkar prised out the Karnataka openers cheaply before Powar removed Rahul Dravid, who led a mini recovery act. Powar then ran through the tail to leave Karnataka struggling at 189 for 9. B Akhil led a rearguard effort with a gritty unbeaten 119-ball 53, an innings whose importance will be known after Mumbai bat on this wearing track. The first session featured some fine seam bowling from Agarkar, but Powar dominated the next two. He had delivered the sucker punch ten minutes before lunch when he removed Dravid with a flighted delivery that spun and bounced to produce an edge off a jab. Karnataka's defences had been breached and it would have been even worse had the short-leg fielder, Sahil Kukreja, held on to sharp chance offered by C Raghu in the same over. Undaunted, Powar struck almost immediately after lunch. Slip, silly point, short leg and backward short leg watched in glee as Powar began to tease the batsmen with variations in flight and turn. In the fourth over he deceived Yere Goud with a lovely flighted delivery that dipped rapidly on the lunging batsman and spun to leave him desperately swishing in the air. The runs came in a trickle in the post-lunch session - 58 runs in 34 overs - as the batsmen struggled to come to terms with the turning ball. Raghu, with a patient 138-ball 31, fought hard while Akhil showed rare glimpses of aggression as he drove and cut the spinners on a few occasions. Using his height, he stretched well forward to drive Powar and Iqbal Abdulla, the 17-year-old left-arm spinner making his Ranji debut. He even attempted a couple of reverse-sweeps against Powar as he began to run out of partners. Abdulla got sharp bounce, with Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper, collecting some deliveries in front of his face. All indications were that Anil Kumble would have plenty to look forward to later in the game. Powar certainly enjoyed the wicket. In the last session, he grabbed three wickets in four overs as the tail succumbed pushing and prodding. Sunil Joshi was struck on the pad while stretching forward, Kumble stabbed a turning delivery and Vinay Kumar jabbed at a floater. The first hour of the day belonged to Agarkar, who kept the ball full, got late movement and strangled the batsman. Barring an elegant cover drive from Dravid, hardly any shot pierced the infield as Agarkar ended his first spell with figures of 8-3-9-2. He was on the job right from the start, teasing the outside edge with his second ball before striking two balls later when Barrington Rowland, on nought, lunged at a good-length delivery that shaped away. That brought in Dravid, with another semi-crisis to tackle. The first ball was patted to the off side and he soon got off the mark with a dab to cover. Dravid played cautiously, constantly looking to get forward to kill the movement but the same could not be said of the other batsmen. KB Pawan, brought in for Robin Uthappa, was edgy throughout his 31-ball stay. He was caught at the crease, unsure of his off stump and was constantly pushing tentatively away from his body. Agarkar beat him repeatedly but what would have pleased Pravin Amre, Mumbai's coach, the most, was the effort from Rajesh Verma. Verma was rewarded for his five-for ("a pleasant surprise" according to Amre) in the Irani Trophy with a place in the playing XI. He repaid that faith with a fine spell, bowling just marginally short of good length and cutting the ball both ways with a whippy action. He beat Pawan three times in his first over and continued to harass him subsequently. Dravid was cautious against Verma and Agarkar but was beaten only three times: the first prompted an lbw appeal as Agarkar brought one in to rap him high on the pads; the second missed the outside edge as Verma cut it away; and the third, half an hour before the break, saw Dravid play a rare stroke away from the body off Agarkar. The rest met the middle of the bat as Dravid proceeded to settle the nerves in the dressing room. Spin was introduced in the 17th over, and Dravid immediately hit Powar for successive fours, an elegant off drive followed by a cut against the turn, while Raghu, who grew in confidence as the innings progressed, dabbed the ball around in the gaps to rotate the strike. The first signs of alarming spin came off the fifth ball of the 23rd over. Powar got it to turn sharply and bounce, forcing a surprised Dravid to hurriedly pull out of an intended cut. Soon Powar took over to have a stranglehold over Karnataka. SCORECARD Karnataka bank on Kumble and Joshi The first day belonged to Mumbai but they would be wary of the spin threat looming large in the form of Anil Kumble and Sunil Joshi on a wearing track. The pitch, as expected, offered big turn and bounce straightaway but Mumbai can take heart from the fact that it has been slow spin on offer, a factor which has not the made wicket unplayable yet. Karnataka struggled to come to terms with the turning ball, scoring at just 2.08 runs per over, but Pravin Amre, Mumbai's coach, wanted his team to take calculated risks on this track. "I would be happy if my boys score at least one run more than them per over. I am not saying we should go and slog out there but you need to remain positive." Mumbai have had the luxury of some match practice, courtesy the Mohammad Nissar Trophy and the Irani Trophy game, and Amre invested faith in his top six in the batting line-up to do the job. "If four of them can string useful scores and partnerships we can get ahead in this game." For Karnataka, much depends on their veteran spin duo. Thilak Naidu, who stitched a useful partnership with B Akhil in Karnataka's rearguard effort last evening, was confident that Kumble and Joshi would have a huge role to play. "Yes, the wicket is turning slowly but a couple of wickets with the new ball and then Kumble and Joshi can bring us back into the game. We would have liked to score 250 on this track but we are not worried much. We have the bowlers to do the job." Vijay Bharadwaj, Karnataka's coach, was disappointed with his batsman, but remained hopeful that his bowlers would do the job for them. Both the Mumbai spinners got significant assistance from the track - Powar turned it a long way while the 17-year-old debutant Iqbal Abdulla got sharp bounce - and one can expect Kumble to get some disconcerting lift. "The pitch is beginning to break up and I see it cracking up soon," Bharadwaj said. "It should be an interesting tussle. It could be even over in three days for all you know." One other factor that led to Mumbai's domination was their fielding. They took their catches with Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper, the clear leader, catching and stumping with alacrity. Karnataka will have to do much the same if they are to stop Mumbai from running away with the game. --------------------------------------------- I can see Kumble having Mumbai for breakfast on the last day. But the match is interesting at the moment as Mumbai didn't lose any wickets to the new ball and it seems that all the work will have to done by the spinners after Karnataka were wrapped up for 195 this morning.

[chanakya]

mumbai going pretty well here.

[Chandan]

Other matches: DAY 1, ROUND 1 UP vs ORISSA : Scorecard Sudeep Tyagi, Uttar Pradesh's 20-year-old right-arm medium-pacer, made a sensational first-class debut, taking 6 for 46 to bundle out Orissa for 216 within the first two sessions in Cuttack. Orissa had a disastrous start, Tyagi striking three times in his third and fourth overs to reduce them to 8 for 3. Shiv Sunder Das, the former India opener, and Pinninti Jayachandra led a brief recovery with an 86-run fifth-wicket partnership but Piyush Chawla removed Jayachandra in his first over for 55. Jayachandra ran only three of his runs, scoring the rest in boundaries. Tyagi came back to get the important wicket of Das for a patient 75 and, once he was out, the rest folded easily. In reply UP made a shaky start too before Shivakant Shukla and Suresh Raina lifted them from a precarious 35 for 3 to end the day at 84 for 3, still 122 in arrears. Raina scored a quick unbeaten 27 off 32 balls. TN vs MAHARASHTRA : Scorecard Harshad Khadiwale, the Maharashtra opener playing his sixth first-class match, scored his maiden century to lead Maharashtra to a comfortable 261 for 4 in Chennai. Along with Vishal Bhilare, Khadiwale got Maharashtra off to a slow but solid start - they put on 68 for the first wicket in 22.3 overs. Another similar partnership followed between Khadiwale and Kedar Jadhav, but Maharashtra lost two quick wickets to be reduced from 142 for 1 to 155 for 3. Khadiwale was then joined by Yogesh Takawale, the wicketkeeper-batsman who had a good last season, and the scoring rate increased as Takawale batted with plenty of intent. They put on 106 for the fourth wicket in 26.3 overs, but Khadiwale got out off the last ball of the day. Takwale's unbeaten 52 came off 68 balls, 38 of them coming in fours and sixes. ANDHRA vs PUNJAB : Scorecard Himal Watekar, Andhra's right-hand opener, scored a maiden first-class century to rescue Andhra after a Gagandeep Singh blitz had left them reeling at 19 for 3 in Amritsar. Andhra lost two quick wickets towards the end of the day's play to finish at 294 for 6. Watekar got out half an hour before stumps for 137. Watekar was ably supported by captain MSK Prasad, who scored a patient 127-ball 51. Watekar and Prasad put on 142 runs for the fourth wicket, as Gagandeep found no support from an inexperienced attack. He pulled his hamstring when he came back for his third spell of the day, but Karan Goel, who completed the unfinished over, trapped Watekar lbw in his second over. SAURASHTRA vs HP: Scorecard Almost every Saurashtra batsman got a start, but none went on to get a big score as they ended the first day at 262 for 6 in Dharamsala, after choosing to bat first. Cheteshwar Pujara topscored with 64 as four other batsmen passed 20, but wickets kept falling regularly. The highest partnership came for the third wicket - 86 runs between Pujara and Kanaiya Vaghela, who scored an extremely watchful 40 off 190 balls. For Himachal Pradesh, left-arm opening bowler Ashok Thakur took three wickets, including the crucial one of Pujara, and former India offspinner Sarandeep Singh chipped in with two.

[Mr. Wicket]

I can see Kumble having Mumbai for breakfast on the last day. But the match is interesting at the moment as Mumbai didn't lose any wickets to the new ball and it seems that all the work will have to done by the spinners after Karnataka were wrapped up for 195 this morning.

The way Bombay are going, they will probably pile up a huge lead so that Powar and Abdulla can have Karnataka for breakfast (oh, the jokes that could have been made if only Uthappa was playing) on the last day.

[Chandan]

Salil, Let Kumble, Joshi and Appanna get into a groove. Then we'll see who has whom for breakfast!:D I'm not any team's supporter as such, and Mumbai is one of my faviourite teams, but I want Kumble to do well. I really hope he does. If a rookie Abdullah can get sharp bounce, Kumble will get even more disconcerting bounce. So it is going to be a wonderful match. I'm still backing Karnataka to win this one!