Chandan Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 ROUND VII, DAY 1 Ranji Trophy Super League, 7th round, 1st day Rajasthan vs Delhi, at Jaipur, Day 1 Quarter-final contender made to battle hard Cricinfo staff December 18, 2008 Rajasthan 197 for 2 (Saxena 71, Kuldeep Singh 71*) v Delhi Scorecard Vineet Saxena scored 71 as Delhi's bowlers failed to take advantage after choosing to field in Jaipur © Getty Images An inspired performance from Delhi's bowlers against Saurashtra had revived their chances of a quarter-final place, but they struggled to pick wickets after deciding to field against the already-relegated Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Parvinder Awana, the key performer in the win over Saurashtra, struck an early blow, removing Vinod Chanawaria in the eighth over. However, Rajasthan's batting did not cave in as in their previous games, with Vineet Saxena and Kuldeep Singh adding 138 for the second wicket. Saxena, Rajasthan's leading run-getter in the tournament, got support from Kuldeep, playing his first game this season. It was not until the 62nd over that the partnership was broken, when Saxena was run out for 71. Kuldeep stayed till stumps to finish on the same score, adding an unbroken 40 in 22 overs with Venugopal Rao, the Rajasthan captain. Another POV IN A scenario in which skill, determination and "destiny", as the players love to call it, would have to come together in perfect harmony for Delhi to sneak through the backdoor to the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, the defending champions once again couldn't keep their end of the deal. The only certainty with Delhi is uncertainty. After winning two back-to-back matches against Orissa and Saurashtra and going into the final league match against Rajasthan with only a point separating them from Saurashtra, Delhi had got its much-needed second wind. But in their noble endeavour, Delhi forgot one thing, that destiny is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be seized and plucked from thin air. But where Delhi fumbled, the 29-year-old Kuldeep Singh succeeded. His is a remarkable story, as he made a comeback to Rajasthan's days' squad after a seemingly eternal wait of five years - he last played against Bengal in 2003. Hardened by the wait, Kuldeep played with remarkable discipline and fortitude, finishing the day unbeaten on 71 that helped Rajasthan to a respectable 197 for two at stumps after Delhi inserted Rajasthan under a duvet of thick clouds. Some would say Kuldeep Singh was lucky to be dropped twice so that he remained unbeaten on 71 when bad light stopped play on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy Super league match between Delhi and Rajasthan. Debutant Kapil Yadav dropped a sitter, and Delhi wicket-keeper Punit Bisht then dropped a difficult chance to get the Rajasthan opener out, both off the bowling of leg-spinner Chetnya Nanda. Kuldeep, though, has had to wait for more than two years to play his 10th Ranji match, and one thing that can’t be doubted is his patience. So combining both luck and patience with plenty of application, he frustrated the visitors in his 334-minute unbeaten stay at the crease. But while Kuldeep was the rock for Rajasthan, Vineet Saxena was the scissor who cut through Delhi's bowlers by scoring a fluent 71. The pair came together at 19 for one and stitched together an invaluable 138-run partnership before a rare miscommunication in calling cut short Saxena's classy effort. Opener Vineet Saxena had left after having played an identical innings of 71 runs. Together, the two put on 138 runs for the second wicket after Vinod Chanwaria had been dismissed early. Delhi chose to field first, hoping to dismiss the struggling Rajasthan batting order cheaply, and go for the win that would put them in with a chance to qualify for the knockout rounds. But the move didn’t pay any dividends as the hosts were content in playing within their limitations. Rajasthan kept at it for 84 overs on Thursday, scoring only 197 runs for the loss of two wickets. This slow-paced approach might have bored the fans and irritated the Delhi team, but it was the only way forward for the hosts, whose batting unit is yet to compile a big score this season. For Delhi, it was a day of frustration as the bowlers, led by the tireless Awana, put in a disciplined performance but were hardly threatening - partly due to the slowish nature of the track and partly due to lackluster fielding at crucial moments. Delhi players can also feel aggrieved at the umpires. However, things had seemed bright for the visitors in the morning session as Awana started from where he had left in Rajkot. Sinewy and strong, Awana's root of success is undoubtedly discipline. It is apparent in the way he prepares to bowl, measuring his run-up meticulously, planting his fingers carefully on the seam, before setting off in a languid manner to hit full stride. In his first spell, he bowled with the frugality of a local shop merchant, giving away just six runs in his first nine overs. His later spells too were tight, if not as menacing. Debutant Kapil Yadav kept things simple while bowling but snaffled Kuldeep's easy catch when he was on 55. It might prove costly, but write Delhi off at your own peril, uncertainty is their thing, after all! Delhi are not out of the equation yet, though they have only themselves blame for the position they find themselves in. First, they couldn’t make further inroads after Parvinder Awana had dismissed Chanwaria in the first hour of play. And then, when the opportunity came their way, they fluffed it. There were also quite a few play-and-misses from the batsmen right through out the day, with edges not carrying to the slip fielders. The only time Delhi got lucky was when a well-set Saxena was run out because of a bad mix-up with Kuldeep. To cap the bad day for Delhi, a few close leg before appeals was turned down by umpires BS Bhatti and Rajiv Risodkar. Hyderabad vs Saurashtra, at Rajkot, Day 1 Hyderabad 112 for 6 (Teja 35, B Jadeja 6-27) trail Saurashtra 133 (Jogiyani 38, Ashwin Yadav 3-19, Shanker 3-28) by 21 runs Scorecard Delhi will be keeping a keen eye on the progress of Saurashtra, who lead them by one point in Group A, in their match against Hyderabad. It was a torrid start for the hosts and last season's semi-finalists in Rajkot, but a six-wicket haul from left-armer Balkrishna Jadeja kept them in the reckoning to take the first-innings lead. Saurashtra's decision to bat seemed to backfire instantly, with opener Bhushan Chauhan dismissed off the fourth ball of the game. The second wicket added 32, but Hyderabad struck back with quick strikes to leave Saurashtra reeling at 61 for 7. Sagar Jogiyani, the Saurashtra wicketkeeper, ensured his team went past 100. He added 35 with No. 9 Kamlesh Makvana, 20 for the ninth wicket with Sandeep Jobanputra, and was the last man out with the score on 133. Jogiyani top scored with 38, with three fours and a six. Ravi Teja started confidently for Hyderabad, but wickets fell in a heap at the other end. Jadeja struck regularly to reduce the visitors to 57 for 5; the last of those dismissals was Teja, who made 35. None of the other Saurashtra bowlers, though, was able to break through, and Jadeja got his sixth when he trapped Abhinav Kumar lbw. However, an unbroken 34-run stand between Syed Quadri and MP Arjun took Hyderabad to 112 for 6 at stumps. Saurashtra would hope to dismiss the remaining batsmen as quickly as possible. Another POV A rough day for batsmen Special Correspondent Rajkot: Balkrishna Jadeja (six for 27) was in full cry at the Race Course ground here where 16 wickets tumbled on the first day of the Ranji Trophy Super League match between Saurashtra and Hyderabad. For a change, the famously high-scoring venue saw an intense contest between the bat and the ball and after the visitor’s seamers and spinners first skittled out the home for 133, only to suffer similarly, falling to 112 for six at stumps. After the Hyderabad openers had rattled up 30 in seven overs, Jadeja single-handedly ensured that his team remained in the fight. Play began under overcast conditions and Hyderabad’s new-ball bowler S.B. Shoaib got rid of Bhushan Chauhan early with a delivery that gained height and moved away. Skipper Jaydev Shah promoted himself, essayed a few flashy shots and offered a chance at short slip before diverting Shoiab on to this leg stump. Ashwin Yadav’s smart use of the seam drew Chirag Pathak and Ravindra Jadeja into false shots on a sluggish pitch and he then trapped Rakesh Dhruv leg before. Once an opener, Sagar Jogiyani understood the nature of the pitch and spent an hour and seven minutes to make a useful 38, playing the ball late. Even Cheteshwar Pujara struggled to come to grips with the conditions on a miserable day for batsmen, struggling for timing before a direct hit from Mohammad Shakeer sent him back. Baroda vs Andhra , at Vadodara, Day 1 Baroda 201 for 1 (Parab 108*, Bilakhia 65*) v Andhra Scorecard Baroda need a win to have any chance of qualifying from Group B, and their top-order batsmen set a solid platform for the team to build on. Surprisingly, they adopted a rather slow approach in their push for victory at the Moti Bagh Stadium, putting on 201 in 90 overs. Opting to bat, Baroda's openers, captain Connor Williams and Satyajit Parab, put on 65 in 36.5 overs. Williams scored 20 off 114 balls before he became the first wicket for debutant TA Rao. There were no further breakthroughs in the day for Andhra, who need a win to give themselves a chance of avoiding relegation. Parab hit 12 fours in his 271-ball 108, adding an unbroken 136 with Azharuddin Bilakhia, who made 65 off 159 deliveries. Another POV Satyajit Parab slams century Principal Correspondent VADODARA: Opener Satyajit Parab’s unbeaten 108 (271b, 373m, 12x4) and his unbroken 136-run second-wicket partnership with Azhar Bilakhia (65 runs, 159b, 218m, 6x4) were the highlights of the first day’s play of the super league Elite Group ‘B’ match against Andhra at Motibaug here on Thursday. Parab, who scored his first century of the season, was a picture of concentration. Along with Bilakhia he tormented the toothless Andhra attack in the last two sessions. Parab, with his meticulous footwork and loads of confidence, seldom hesitated to cut loose on the wayward deliveries. Parab, on 90, smacked Vijay Kumar for a four through cover in the 83rd over and in the next reached the magical figure by elegantly flicking Kalyan Krishna through square leg much to the jubilation of his teammates. Admirable batting Andhra took the new ball after the completion of 80 overs but both Parab and Azhar tackled the medium pacers admirably amidst fading light. Opting to bat, Baroda was off to sedate start with openers skipper Connor Williams and Parab preferring caution to aggression. At lunch Baroda registered 65 runs in 36 overs with less than two runs per over. The pre-lunch session saw the Andhra bowlers failing to capitalise on the morning conditions. Medium pacers Kaylan Krishna, Vijay Kumar and debutant Achutha Rao succeeded in beating the batsmen at regular intervals but the much-needed breakthrough eluded them. Andhra skipper Gnaneswara Rao introduced spin in the 21st over but both the part-time offie Watekar and leggie M. Suresh proved ineffective. Andhra tasted the only success of the day in the first over after lunch when Connor Williams slashed an away-gong delivery from Achutha Rao to be caught in the slip cordon. Then Bilakhia joined Parab and together they dominated the proceedings. Tamil Nadu vs Railways at Chennai, Day 1 Tamil Nadu 295 for 4 (Mukund 129*, Karthik 113) v Railways Scorecard Railways, too, need a win to boost the chances of a quarter-final spot, but they had a tough first day against Group B leaders Tamil Nadu in Chennai. An impressive start saw them reduce the hosts, who chose to bat, to 9 for 2, but centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik, the captain, eased Tamil Nadu to a comfortable position at the end of the first day. Mukund and Karthik shared a 210-run partnership. Karthik scored 113, with 15 fours, before he was lbw to offspinner Kulamani Parida. S Vidyut was dismissed cheaply by Parida, but Mukund and Suresh Kumar took Tamil Nadu to 295 for 4 in 90 overs. Mukund was unbeaten on 129, with 14 fours and a six in his 242-ball innings. Another POV Abhinav, Karthik score centuries Sports Reporter IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY: Tamil Nadu’s Dinesh Karthik (left) and Abhinav Mukund were involved in a double century partnership against Railways. Chennai: Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik put on 210 runs for the third wicket to propel Tamil Nadu to 295 for four at the end of day one of its final Ranji Trophy Super League Group match against Railways at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Thursday. Both batsmen made their third century for the season. Abhinav stayed a whole day at the crease for the second time this season, a phenomenal achievement for an 18-year-old. On 88, he reached 1,000 Ranji Trophy runs in his 11th game. Compact defence The left-handed opener was unobtrusive for most part, frequently placing the ball a few feet short of mid-on or cover to give Karthik the strike. His defence, against a Railways attack that lacked penetration, was compact. He spent more than an hour in the nineties, and brought up his hundred, fittingly, with a single to the onside. He stroked fourteen 4s, the best of them a hold-the-pose straight drive, and a sweetly-timed six over midwicket off Murali Kartik. When Dinesh Karthik joined Abhinav, Tamil Nadu was on a dicey nine for two. K.B. Arun Karthik had top-edged a backfoot punch off Anureet to Prosenjit Das, who took it low tumbling left from second slip, and in the very next over, the fourth of the morning, R. Prasanna had played half forward with an angled blade — the left-hander’s new ball no-no — to edge Sabir Ali to the keeper. After enduring an uncertain first 10 minutes — Abhinav squirting to gully an Anureet delivery that moved away late, Karthik surviving a loud lbw appeal after Sanjib Sanyal ducked one in — the partnership bloomed. Karthik brought up his first boundary, leaning back to cut Sabir behind point, and straight-drove Sanyal with unfettered forward stride and high elbow, both of which would continually torment the Railways fielders thereafter. Good knock Resuming on 58 after lunch, Tamil Nadu’s skipper cantered on, stroking three 4s in one Anureet over — a cover drive and two liquid-wristed on drives, before rocking back to punch Kulamani Parida in front of point to bring up his second successive Ranji hundred. He fell leg before at 113, struck on the back pad after he inexplicably left a Parida off-break alone. Parida could have had Karthik on 88, but the Railways skipper Sanjay Bangar missed a chest-high chance at slip after Karthik top-edged a slash. Railways’s fielding was shoddy throughout and gave Tamil Nadu its second early Christmas gift two overs from stumps, V. Cheluvaraj dropping Abhinav on 127, a sitter at first slip off a visibly appalled Anureet. Gujarat vs Orissa at Bhuvaneshwar, Day 1 Gujarat 5 for 0 trail Orissa 162 (Niranjan Behera 49, Parmar 6-53) by 157 runs Scorecard A six-wicket haul from offspinner Mohnish Parmar gave Gujarat the advantage on the first day of the Group A encounter against Orissa in Bhubaneswar. Despite the absence of two key batsmen Shiv Sunder Das and Bikas Pati, Orissa began steadily after choosing to bat. Paresh Patel and debutant Natraj Behera shared a 32-run opening stand before Behera was dismissed by medium-pacer Amit Singh, who came into this game with a 11-wicket haul in his previous match. Patel and Niranjan Behera then consolidated with a 44-run stand in 24.3 overs. After Patel fell for 31, Orissa lost stand-in captain Pinninti Jayachandra to Parmar. Behera and Pravanjan Mullick slowly ticked to score past 100, but Behera's dismissal for 49 triggered a collapse. Mullick, who faced 79 balls for his 17, was trapped in front by Parmar asOrissa's last seven wickets fell in the space of 31 runs, with none of their final six batsmen going past 9. Siddharth Trivedi took 2 for 31 off his 19 overs, while Parmar had 6 for 53 off 29. Another POV Orissa crumble before Gujarat bowling attack in Ranji Trophy Bhubaneswar , Dec 18 Orissa batsmen crumbled under piercing attack by Gujarat bowlers to be restricted at 162 in their first innings in first day of the Ranji Trophy&aposs Elite Division match at the East Coast Railway stadium here today. Seven Orissa batsmen failed to reach the double digit, while two of them could not open their account in the face of Gujarati bowling led by Mohnish Parmar who bagged six wickets off 53 runs. Electing to bat first, Orissa struggled from the very beginning although opener Paresh Patel made a gutsy 31 that contained five boundaries. But the score remained abysmally slow as he stuck around for 141 minutes facing 100 balls. Niranjan Bbehera missed a half-century by one run as he was sent back to the pavilion after scoring 49 with the help of three boundaries off 189 balls. He remained at the crease for 221 minutes. Though Orissa had gathered 77 runs for two wickets at lunch, the hosts lost quick wickets thereafter as the middle order batsmen failed to withstand the menacing bowling attack marked by precision and accuracy. They were all out for 162. Mohnish Parmar captured six wickets conceding 53 runs as the 29 overs he bowled contained eight maidens. Parmar now has 28 wickets this season, five behind teammate Siddharth Trivedi. Siddharth Trivedi claimed two wickets, while Ishwar Choudhury and Amit Singh got one each. Beginning their first innings, Gujarat were five for no loss with Rajesh Tabiyar(1) and Priyank Panchal(2) at the crease at close of play. Mumbai vs Punjab, at Mumbai , Day 1 Mumbai 90 for 1 (Rahane 53*, Samant 35*) trail Punjab 202 (Kakkar 67, Shaikh 4-50) by 112 runs Scorecard Shaikh and Rahane put Mumbai in control The Bulletin by Nagraj Gollapudi at the Brabourne Stadium December 18, 2008 Ajinkya Rahane's quickfire half-century destroyed any hopes of a fightback Punjab might have entertained after Wasim Jaffer's early exit, as Mumbai ended the first day in control at the Brabourne Stadium. Rahane's unbeaten 53 and his unbroken second-wicket stand of 86 with Vinayak Samant, batting on 35, consolidated Mumbai's position after Rahil Shaikh's best innings figures restricted Punjab to 202. Rahil Shaikh picked up a four-wicket innings haul in his second game as Mumbai restricted Punjab to 202 Punjab came out aggressively in defence of their total. Amanpreet Singh attacked the channel in and around off stump consistently. He made an immediate impact, inducing an edge from Jaffer, picked easily by Pankaj Dharmani at first slip. Vinayak Samant was tentative in his role as a makeshift opener and Punjab sniffed a chance to make further inroads. But Rahane, the tournament's leading run-getter, continued his splendid form and asserted himself brilliantly. He got off the blocks with a fluent cover drive against Gagandeep Singh and followed it with a back-foot punch that found its way past mid-off. Despite being younger to Samant by 16 years, Rahane understood he was the senior with the bat. A naturally attacking batsman, Rahane did not mind taking chances. Amanpreet continued probing an off stump line and nearly had his second success when an edge from Rahane fell a yard short of Uday Kaul behind the stumps. A half-hearted steer had failed to carry to slips the delivery before that. But the diminutive Rahane, who has scored four hundreds this season, was not going to hold back and brought up his fifty with a brilliant cover drive off a half volley from Gagandeep. Earlier a valuable 95-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Ankur Kakkar and Uday Kaul saved Punjab. Dharmani's decision to bat first failed miserably, with Mumbai's pace attack taking four quick wickets in the first hour. Making full use of the slight grass left on the pitch, the Mumbai fast-bowling trio of Rajesh Verma, Usman Malvi and Shaikh moved the ball appreciably in the air in addition to sticking to a tight line, forcing the batsmen to play. The left-armer Shaikh, playing only his second game, earned a wicket off his third ball. He got enough lift off the pitch and Ravi Inder Singh's attempted cut only resulted in a top-edge. Shaikh was the second bowler to pick a wicket in his first over after Malvi's late inswinger had trapped Karan Goel for a duck in the day's second over. Punjab looked in danger after the senior pair of Dharmani and Sunny Sohal departed quickly. Dharmani's exit was dubious, a straight one from Shaikh hitting the tall Punjab captain above the knee. Sohal, Punjab's mainstay in their campaign so far, looked composed for a while, but Malvi breached his strong defence with a delivery that curved into him and knocked the bails off. However, the pair of Kakkar and Kaul arrested the slide by middling the ball and picking the easy single to begin win. Later, once they had realised the fast bowlers were tired, the duo played shots with freedom - Kakkar assumed the role of the aggressor while Kaul played the anchor. Shortly before lunch Kakkar unleashed himself on Shaikh with four boundaries in an over - a steer, cut, square drive and pull - to restore some parity. He pushed the accelerator immediately into the second session, playing the cut and pull with disdain off short deliveries from Malvi. Two drives through cover got him to his third half-century of the tournament. Unfortunately Kaul, who had shown ample patience at the other end, suffered a momentary lapse in concentration and paid dearly. Trying to clip Abhishek Nayar's angled delivery from around the stumps to the on side, he offered an easy edge behind. Kakkar, too, followed shortly, poking lamely at straighter one from Shaikh. Chandan Madan's 29 then helped Punjab past 200. Karnataka vs Maharashtra at Bangalore, Day 1 Maharashtra 35 for 1 (Khadiwale 23*) trail Karnataka 252 (Gautam 108, Fallah 4-47, Agharkar 3-87) by 217 runs Scorecard Karnataka falter despite Gautam ton Robin Uthappa started confidently, but perished to a false stroke © Nishant Ratnakar/Bangalore Mirror CM Gautam hit a fine maiden hundred but a late collapse saw Karnataka bowled out for 252 in their first innings at the RSI Ground in Bangalore. The last five wickets fell for eight runs as Maharashtra stormed back to prevent the game from running away from them. They now have a fight on their hands against the Karnataka spinners, on a turning track and lost one wicket in the 41 minutes they played before stumps, Rohan Bhosale cleaned up by part-time offspinner C Raghu in the last over of the day. Karnataka were set up by a wonderfully composed knock from Gautam. He started with an extra-cover drive off Mun Mangela but hit his stride against the spinners. One might have expected a gritty, tentative innings from a man playing his second game but he batted fluently, leaning well forward to the spinners, playing with the turn and, when the ball jumped and turned, pushing the bat inside the line and letting the ball spin past him. Not once did he push at the ball hard. He skipped down the track to lift Enamul Haque jnr, the left-arm spinner from Bangladesh, for a nonchalant six over long-off, his first attacking stroke against spin. He then cut, swept and reverse-swept Salil Agharkar, the best Maharashtra spinner on view. A desperate Agharkar switched to over the wicket and a 6-3 on-side field once Gautam moved into 80s. Gautam still tried to reverse sweep, connected once and missed once before he opted for the conventional sweep with success. He reached his hundred with a cut to deep point and celebrated in style. Robin Uthappa flattered to deceive with a 57-ball 36. He batted in the V and timed the ball sweetly against the seamers before being undone by Agarkar. He later said he had told Gautam they should bat with the spin but forgot his own advice; he stretched out to drive Agarkar straight but the ball gripped and spun past him to leave him stranded down the track. Gautam received solid support from the diminutive Deepak Chougule, playing his second game of the season. He pulled Agarkar for two fours and rotated the strike well with some fine running between the wickets. However, he fell while trying to steal a single, caught out by a direct hit from substitute Sangram Atitkar at backward point. Karnataka were on 223 for 5 then and were soon 244 for 6 when Gautam was caught in front, trying to turn Samad Fallah, the left-arm seamer, to the on side. All hell broke loose. While South Africa fell in a heap in the Test Down Under, Karnataka did their own choke act at the same time. Five wickets fell for eight runs in 8.4 overs as Fallah and Haque shared the wickets. Akhil started the rot first ball after tea, when he chipped a dolly to short cover and the rest surrendered meekly. Link to comment
Sachinism Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Enamul Haque jnr plays for Maharashtra what the hell Link to comment
Show_stopper Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I heard this guy Shaikh has some pace?? Yew..looks supremely unfit to say the least. Link to comment
Chandan Posted December 20, 2008 Author Share Posted December 20, 2008 ROUND VII, DAY 2 Ranji Trophy Super League, 7th round, 2nd day Rajasthan vs Delhi, at Jaipur, Day 2 Delhi 117 for 0 (Dhawan 58*, Chopra 50*) trail Rajasthan 295 (Kuldeep Singh 77, Saxena 71, Awana 3-40, Sangwan 3-76) by 178 runs Scorecard After a lacklustre performance on the first day, Delhi bounced back strongly on the second and look poised to take the first-innings lead against Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Overnight on 197 for 2, Rajasthan could only add 100 to that score, and Delhi's openers raced to 117 by stumps. Kuldeep Singh, resuming on 71, was run out on 77 by Yogesh Nagar, setting off Rajasthan's slide. Venugopal Rao (30) was soon caught off Parvinder Awana. There was a 37-run stand between Robin Bist (38) and Rajesh Bishnoi (21), but legspinner Chetanya Nanda broke the partnership. The last six Rajasthan wickets fell for 35 runs, with left-armer Pradeep Sangwan striking thrice. Delhi made a confident start in reply, with both their openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Aakash Chopra, pushing on to half-centuries. If Saurashtra win, Delhi will need to win their game with a bonus point. In that case, they will need to get a big first-innings lead as quickly as possible on Saturday, and give themselves enough time to dismiss Rajasthan in the second innings. Another POV Clinical Delhi bounce back : Batsmen call the shots After a listless display on the opening day of their must-win Ranji Trophy encounter against Rajasthan, Delhi needed to make things happen on Friday to stay in the hunt for a place in the quarter-finals. They did that emphatically, but at the end of a good day in office, they were still tuned into proceedings in Rajkot. The comeback was swift, lethal and exact. And by the time Rajasthan realized that the edifice they had built with such patience and determination on Day One was crumbling, the horse had bolted. It all begun, as all crises do, by a small moment of hesitation and carelessness on the protagonist’s part. Rajasthan had started the day at 197 for two, and were looking good to post a big first-innings total. The folly of one man is the fortune of another and that is what exactly happened. Kuldeep Singh, who had bit the bullet on Thursday to score a resolute unbeaten 71, suddenly decided that it was time to shed the tortoise skin and assume the hare’s. And so, in the fourth over of the day, he set off for a non-existent single after tapping the ball to covers, only to see Yogesh Nagar throw down the stumps with a direct hit. Tight matches often hinge on moments like this, and to their credit, Delhi were vigilantly waiting for indiscretion like this to turn the tables. And when Venugopal Rao fell to Parvinder Awana for 30, panic was running riot. The defending champions, sensing the frayed nerves, tightened the noose and soon the probing bowling and cheeky chirruping from the coterie of close catchers saw an innings that had begun with so much promise for Rajasthan, brutally cut short at 296, with Pradeep Sangwan grabbing three quick wickets. Whatever hopes Rajasthan had of wresting the initiative back was quickly snuffed out by Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan, who not only put on an unbeaten opening partnership of 117 rich in high-quality strokeplay, but also did it in 30 overs, at nearly four an over, something that might be vital if they have to pull off an outright win. Chopra was unbeaten on 50 and Shikhar on 58 when bad light brought play to a premature end 16 overs short. Dhawan was at his attacking best, unleashing his destructive drives time and again. He seemed assured and spiffy at the crease, throwing his wrists with gay abandon on the loose stuff. He had one reprieve at 34 when the ‘keeper dropped him off Vikrant Yadav. Chopra was a little watchful, shouldering arms to anything dicey He hunched immaculately . into defensive posture against the moving ball like a boxer avoiding a flurry of jabs but was soon in his element as the shine wore off, driving and punching with aplomb. But Delhi would do well not to rest on their laurels, as they saw what became of Rajasthan once wickets fell in quick succession. As things stand, apart from needing a victory themselves, Delhi require Saurashtra to drop points against Hyderabad. In that game, Hyderabad, chasing 177 for a win, were precariously placed at 14 for two. If Saurashtra do pick up five points, Delhi will need to win with a bonus point to have a chance of qualifying. “All depends on what happens in Rajkot. If Saurashtra lose, we’ll play for the first-innings lead. If they win, we have to go all out for a win,” Delhi skipper Aakash Chopra said. Now with time on their hands, Delhi can plot and plan whether to go all out for a win or settle down for a first-innings lead — a decision that hinges on the result of the Rajkot match between Saurashtra and Hyderabad, which should be in by Saturday evening. Well-begun is only half done. Hyderabad vs Saurashtra, at Rajkot, Day 2 Hyderabad 140 (Teja 35, Quadri 32, BN Jadeja 6-29, RA Jadeja 3-57) and 14 for 2 need 163 runs to beat Saurashtra 133 and 183 (Pathak 33, RA Jadeja 31, Shinde 4-13, Teja 3-33) Scorecard Hyderabad make Saurashtra sweat A third-day finish is on the cards at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground in Rajkot. Hyderabad need 163 runs with eight wickets left in their second innings, but Saurashtra will fancy their chances in what has so far been a low-scoring affair. As on the first day, 16 wickets fell on the second: Hyderabad began the day at 112 for 6 in their first innings, and closed the day at 7 for 2 in their second. In between they were bundled out for 140, a seven-run first-innings lead, and kept Saurashtra to 183, resulting in a fourth-innings chase of 177. Syed Quadri and MP Arjun, Hyderabad's overnight batsmen, were dismissed quickly on the second morning, but Shoaib Ahmed took his side into the lead with his 16. Balkrishna Jadeja, who took all six wickets of Hyderabad's that fell on the first day, failed to add to his career-best figures. Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets to wrap up the innings, and was involved in the run-out of Ashwin Yadav. Saurashtra's openers got off to a steady start, adding 49 in 15.2 overs. Ravi Teja, who top in Hyderabad's first innings, removed both Bhushan Chauhan and Chirag Pathak to leave them at 77 for 3. Cheteshwar Pujara, Saurashtra's leading batsman, and Ravindra Jadeja got starts, but both failed to build on them. From 109 for 3, Saurashtra slid to 138 for 7, and some resistance from the lower order took them to 183. Off-break bowler Amol Shinde finished with 4 for 13 in the innings, his maiden four-wicket haul. Hyderabad lost their openers in the seven overs before stumps. Having dismissed Hyderabad for 140 in the first innings, the hosts will back themselves for a win on Saturday, which should cement their place in the quarter-finals unless Delhi pull off something spectacular in Jaipur. Another POV Spinners rule the roost at Rajkot Special Correspondent Rajkot: A ring of close in fielders, including the old fashioned leg trap of a forward and backward short leg provided, much needed strength to the spinners at the Race Course here on Friday. Sixteen wickets went down on the second day — including a baker’s dozen to the spinners — of the Ranji Trophy super league tie between Saurashtra and Hyderabad. The latter, set a target of 177 on a fast declining surface, finished the day at 14 for two in its second essay. After its batting debacle on the first day, the two Jadejas in the home side, Balkrishna and Ravindra ran through the Hyderabad batting line-up and restricted its lead to just seven runs. The two were involved in all the dismissals in the Hyderabad first innings; Balkrishna snapping up six wickets with Ravindra taking three and then throwing down the stumps to run out Ashwin Yadav. Reckless However, the batting top order in Chirag Pathak, Bhushan Chauhan and Jaydev Shah were reckless while the situation demanded caution. It was only due to some lusty blows from Sagar Jogiyani, Rakesh Dhruv and Kamlesh Makwana, that Saurashtra’s score swelled to 183. Baroda vs Andhra , at Vadodara, Day 2 Andhra 77 (IK Pathan 7-35) and 6 for 0 trail Baroda 400 (Parab 130, Bilakhia 73, Shah 72, Solanki 64, TA Rao 5-66, Suresh 3-98) by 317 runs Scorecard Irfan Pathan took career-best figures of 7 for 35 as Andhra were shot out for 77 in Vadodara Unless Andhra make a miraculous - and highly improbable - turnaround, relegation seems imminent for the bottom-placed team in Group B. Replying to Baroda's 400, they were shot out for 77, thanks to Irfan Pathan's career-best 7 for 35, and will begin the third day needing a further 317 runs to make Baroda bat again. Baroda need a win to have any chance of making it to the quarter-finals, and they put themselves in a strong position to gain a bonus point as well. Resuming on 201 for 1, they pushed to 400. Satyajit Parab added 22 to his overnight 108, and Azharuddin Bilakhia too failed to stay at the crease for long. With the other batsmen not contributing much, it was half-centuries from Pinal Shah and Rakesh Solanki that took Baroda to 400. The last five wickets fell for 47 runs. For Andhra, debutant TA Rao took a five-wicket haul, while M Suresh scalped three. If Baroda would have disappointed with not converting their first-day 201 for 1 to a bigger total, Irfan ensured they finished the day on an absolute high, single-handedly running through the opposition, whose first innings lasted 20 overs. AG Pradeep did not bat due to an injury. Another POV Irfan Pathan sends Andhra packing Principal Correspondent VADODARA: Irfan Pathan (seven for 35), making his comeback into Baroda team after a hamstring injury, set the Motibaug Stadium aflame with his splendid performance to bundle Andhra out for a paltry 77 in the first innings on the second day of the Andhra-Baroda super league elite group ‘B’ match here on Friday. Andhra, following on, was six for no loss. Earlier, Baroda, resuming at 201 for one, went on score 400. Andhra batsmen looked all at sea as fiery Irfan Pathan ran through the line up right from the first ball. Opener Hemal Watekar played across to a beauty of a delivery pitched in the block-hole and saw his wickets shattered. In the India international’s third over, Prabhu Kiran fell attempting an extravagant stroke. Pathan trapped L.N. Prasad Reddy in front in his fourth over and then delivered a body blow with a twin strike in the eighth over, snapping up M. Suresh and Manoj Sai. Middle order batsmen A.G. Pradeep did not bat as he had dislocated his shoulder while fielding. Earlier, Baroda’s overnight batsman Azharuddin Bilakhia (73, 176b, 7x4) failed to tackle a raising delivery off Kalyan Krishna and was caught behind. Centurion Satyajit Parab (130, 292b, 15x4) played a half-hearted cover drive off Atchutha Rao, straight into the hands of Gnaneswara Rao. And with Shatrunjay Gaekwad and Yusuf Pathan departing early, Baroda was 303 for five at lunch. The post lunch session witnessed enterprising knocks by Rakesh Solanki (64) and Pinal Shah (72), before the Baroda innings ended. In the process, Achutha Rao (five for 66) became the sixth bowler to claim five wickets on debut for Andhra. Tamil Nadu vs Railways at Chennai, Day 2 Railways 78 for 1 (Cheluvaraj 50*) trail Tamil Nadu 475 for 6 dec (Mukund 162, Karthik 113, Ashwin 103*) by 397 runs Scorecard With Karnataka placed favourably against Maharashtra, Railways' hopes of a quarter-final place look increasingly bleak after Tamil Nadu raked up an imposing 475 for 6 declared. The hosts began the day in Chennai at 295 for 4, and their tally was boosted by offspinner R Ashwin's maiden first-class century. Ashwin became the third centurion in the innings after Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik scored ton on Thursday. He added 87 for the sixth wicket with Mukund, who was eventually dismissed for 162, which included 18 fours and a six. Ashwin hit 15 fours in his 103, and shared an unbroken 83-run partnership with C Ganapathy, who scored 31 off 94 balls. Tamil Nadu declared soon after Ashwin got his century. Railways made a slow start to their innings, and lost Prasanjit Das for 7, the team total was 12 then after eight overs. V Cheluvaraj, playing his second game, made an unbeaten 50 as Railways played out the day without further loss. Yere Goud gave him company, taking 63 balls for his 12 not out. Another POV Memorable day for Ashwin Sports Reporter IN FULL FLOW: Tamil Nadu’s R. Ashwin lit up the M.A. Chidambaram stadium with his maiden ton. Chennai: R. Ashwin lit up day two of the Ranji Trophy Super League match between Tamil Nadu and Railways at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium with his maiden first class hundred. Tamil Nadu declared some forty five minutes before tea at 475 for six, after Ashwin brought up the landmark. In reply, a cover-drive-laden unbeaten half century from V. Cheluvaraj took Railways to 78 for one at close, after Palani Amarnath had removed his opening partner Prasanjit Das in the eighth over. Responsible bat Ashwin’s batting returns before this match, two fifties and an average of just over 21, had shown him to be a responsible lower-order bat but no more. But his presence at number seven indicated that his team thought more of him. From the moment he off-drove Sabir Ali for four with barely an inch of follow through, two overs after marking his guard, the 22-year-old must have sensed that he could affirm that belief. With Abhinav Mukund enjoying at the other end the returns from the patience he had invested on day one, the pair scored nearly a boundary every over in the hour and a half they combined for. In between taking walked singles to third man, Abhinav square-drove Sabir Ali, late cut Bangar, and slashed Anureet Singh off the back foot to bring up 150. On 161, facing his 299th ball, the lefty ran down yards to Murali Kartik and missed with his heave. Cheluvaraj was adjudged by the third umpire to have taken the bails off after Abhinav had regained the crease. But he fell soon after, top edging a slog off part-time offie Dipak Yadav into Anureet’s hands at point. Both teams observed a minute’s silence before play began, as a mark of respect for former TNCA office-bearer T.R. Kannan who died on Thursday. Gujarat vs Orissa at Bhuvaneshwar, Day 2 Gujarat 210 for 3 (PA Patel 127*, Panchal 59) lead Orissa 162 by 48 runs Scorecard While Delhi and Saurashtra battle for a quarter-final place, Gujarat have virtually booked their spot from Group A. If Gujarat lose this game, Delhi and Saurashtra have a chance to catch up with them, but they adopted a cautious approach to put themselves in a strong position against Orissa. After dismissing the hosts for 162 on the first day, Gujarat crawled to 210 for 3 in 92 overs by stumps on the second. Parthiv Patel, the Gujarat captain, led from the front with an unbeaten 127 after Gujarat lost two quick wickets on the second morning. It was a patient 280-ball knock from Parthiv, who got support from Priyank Panchal. They added 164 for the third wicket. Panchal scored 59 off 205 deliveries. Bhavik Thaker, though, outdid the others in slowly building an innings: he hit one four in his unbeaten 59-ball innings. With the first-innings lead, Gujarat have three points in the bag, and only a loss can dampen their quarter-final prospects. Another POV Parthiv cracks ton to boost Gujarat Bhubaneswar: An unbeaten 127 by skipper Parthiv Patel propelled Gujarat's tally from a shaky start to an impressive 210 for three in its first innings on the second day of its Ranji Trophy Elite Group tie against Orissa here on Friday. Resuming from their overnight score of five for no loss, the guests lost the wicket of Rajesh Tabiyar who was run out before any addition to the team's run tally. The visitors lost another early wicket when their score was nine as Niraj Patel was lbw off Debasis Mohanty for three. However, Gujarat not only recovered from the initial jolt but also surged ahead steadily displaying extraordinary skill and patience to surpass a paltry 162 runs by the hosts. Taking full control of the game, Parthiv Patel showing exemplary persevarence piled up run after run scoring a century. His run gathering spree did not stop as he went on to amass 127 that contained nine boundaries and was still in the middle at close of the day's play. Parthiv's spellbinding show lasted 349 minutes as he faced 280 balls. He was assisted by Priyank Panchal who scored a useful 59 that included three hits to the fence before being caught by wicketkeeper Haldhar Das off Paresh Patel. At the end of the day's play, Parthiv (127) and Bhavik Thakar (4) were at crease. Mumbai vs Punjab, at Mumbai , Day 2 Punjab 202 & 18 for 0 trail Mumbai 436 for 9 declared (Muzumdar 113, Rohit 85, Rahane 80, Samant 65, Nayar 61, Kakkar 3-93) by 216 runs Scorecard Muzumdar ton strengthens Mumbai's advantage The Bulletin by Nagraj Gollapudi at the Brabourne Stadium December 19, 2008 Mumbai continued to dictate terms for the second straight day at the Brabourne Stadium, with Amol Muzumdar and Rohit Sharma's handsome knocks taking the game further away from Punjab. Muzumdar scored his first hundred of the season, and his 132-run fourth-wicket stand with Rohit was the main highlight of a day on which Punjab failed to make any impression. Amol Muzumdar scored his first century of the season At stumps, Punjab's opening pair of Sunny Sohal and Karan Goel played with caution the four overs of spin from Ramesh Powar and Ankit Chavan, who are bound to play a bigger role on Saturday as Mumbai try to seal the match. Ajinkya Rahane, who had cracked a stroke-filled half-century the previous evening, once again started off on a brisk note, punishing the loose balls from Gagandeep Singh and Amanpreet Singh. However, half an hour into the morning, Rahane was adjudged leg-before after he tried to push an offcutter from Gagandeep for a single into the vacant midwicket region. It was a big wicket because Rahane, the tournament highest run-getter this year, was key to Mumbai's chances to score an innings victory. In walked Muzumdar with the weight of expectations on his slim shoulders: his unconvincing form (two fifties in six previous games) had added to the pressure on the top order. But, today, Muzumdar seemed to have exorcised his ghosts finally. He took charge straightaway with two magnificent drives past cover, both fours, against the well-flighted legbreaks of Sarabjit Ladda. Nimble on the feet, Muzumdar was quick to move forward as well as draw back if the bowler tried to attack him. Making use of the width on offer and the gaps in the field, especially behind the wicket, Muzumdar utilised the cut and the paddle- sweep frequently as he marched to his third half-century of the season before lunch. He was joined by Rohit once Vinayak Samant, the other overnight batsman, departed soon after reaching his fifty. In a moment of misjudgment, Samant stayed back to a delivery from left-arm spinner Ankur Kakkar; the ball jumped off the pitch and turned away to bowl him. Rohit started on an extravagant note with two full-blooded fours: the first over Kakkar's head, followed by one clubbed over mid-off. When Ladda offered him width, Rohit accepted with glee, slashing the legspinner past point for another four. By lunch, Mumbai were set to post an imposing lead having gone past Punjab's score. With the pitch completely dry, the ball gripped the surface and provided the comfort of an extra moment for the batsman to decide his shot. The only way Punjab could have expected to strike back was by tossing the ball up or pinning the batsmen down - something neither of their three spinners - Ladda, Varun Khanna and Kakkar - managed consistently. It only helped Mumbai dominate. Rohit brought up his half-century in a swift manner, charging Gagandeep for an easy on-drive for four. Two balls later, a solid front-foot punch raced away to the sightscreen behind the bowler. Playing with gusto, he stood his ground once again to punch it past the straight boundary to end the over. Rohit looked ominous as he neared his second century of the season, but a lofted attempt to clear the boundary landed in the hands of Ravi Inder Singh at mid-off. But Punjab's misery was far from over, with Muzumdar, enjoying the Rohit show from the other end, closing in on the century with consecutive sweeps against Kakkar. Having cut Kakkar in front of square for another four, an emotional Muzumdar celebrated his maiden ton this season with a leap and a punch in the air. He was doubly happy as his parents were at the ground to witness his big moment. Then as a gesture to thanks his team-mates, he simultaneously doffed his cap and bowed towards the Mumbai dressing room. At the other end, Abhishek Nayar, playing his first game of the season, crushed Punjab's spirits further with an attacking half-century as he stitched a valuable partnership with Muzumdar for the fifth wicket. Though Muzumdar failed to carry on, trapped plumb going for a prod against Khanna, he had done enough to help Mumbai take the game out of Punjab's reach. Karnataka vs Maharashtra at Bangalore, Day 2 Karnataka 252 and 131 for 5 (Akhil 30*, ) lead Maharashtra 210 (Khadiwale 70, Shilamkar 39, , Appanna 4-40, Joshi 4-62) by 173 runs Scorecard Maharashtra fight but advantage Karnataka Harshad Khadiwale battled valiantly for 70 runs but Karnataka, led by Sunil Joshi, seized the advantage © Nishant Ratnakar/Bangalore Mirror Fourteen wickets fell on a spinners' day as Karnataka surged to a healthy 173-run lead with five wickets remaining in their second innings at the RSI Ground in Bangalore. Sunil Joshi harassed Maharashtra'a top order and KP Appanna cleaned up the tail to give their batsmen a chance to take the game away from the visitors. Anything over 225 in the fourth innings is going to be tough on this pitch and the match appears to be heading for a third-day finish. There were a couple of brave charges from Maharashtra during the day - a 69-run partnership between Harshad Khadiwale and Kedar Jadhav and a 44-run stand between Deepak Shilamkar and Rohit Motwani - to create some momentum and raise hopes but Maharashtra were in free fall against the spinners. Jadhav and Khadiwale batted with purpose and with a plan. Jadhav, who was dropped first-ball by Deepak Chougule off Joshi in the slips, employed the slog-sweep to good effect. He picked two boundaries with that shot and, when Joshi altered the line to outside off, he square-drove pleasingly to pick a few runs. Joshi did trouble him on a couple of occasions when the ball jumped and reared up chest-high but that would have been expected on this pitch. If Jadhav swept, Khadiwale chose to cover-drive with the turn against the left-arm spinners. He cover-drove KP Appanna - who wasn't effective till he came later to wipe out the tail - repeatedly and also deployed the sweep on occasions. He also picked quite a few singles with dabs here and there to keep the score ticking and followed up a lovely inside-out cover drive with a swept four to bring up his fifty and the team's hundred. He was dropped on 53 by a diving C Gautam at silly point. Maharashtra were at 127 for 3 when Jadhav fell, trapped in front by C Raghu, and Joshi swung in immediately to clean up Ganesh Gaekwad with a ripper that pitched on middle and leg and hit off stump. He lured Khadiwale with turn and bounce to offer a catch that was held brilliantly by Raghu, who flung low to his left to hold it. Joshi had been operating unsuccessfully for 12 overs from the Pavilion End before he struck gold in his first over after switching to the Club House End. Three wickets fell in the space of 12 runs before Shilamkar and Motwani attempted to revive the innings. Shilamkar was the aggressor, hitting a breezy 39 in the partnership. Shilamkar too followed the general Maharashtra plan: Sweep when you can and cut if they bowl short. The tactic fetched him quick runs but he fell while pushing Appanna to silly point. Motwani continued to remain resolute in defence but the rest collapsed. The last four wickets fell for three runs as Appanna ran riot. Knowing it would be only time before they pop one to the close-in men, Karnataka tried to be positive in their second innings. KB Pawan started with a straight-driven boundary off the first ball of the innings from Samad Fallah and Maharashtra, unsurprisingly, had the left-arm spinner Salil Agharkar share the new ball. Pawan swept him for a boundary but fell to the offspinner Ganesh Gaekwad, failing to clear mid-on. And Uthappa, who had resisted the urge to reverse-sweep in the first innings, tried it fatally against Agharkar. The first-innings centurion Gautam looked comfortable in his short stay of 26 runs. He cut Agarkar to the point boundary, lifted Enamul Haque jnr over long-off in a repeat of his first-innings six and cover-drove Gaekwad to the boundary off the first ball post tea. However, Gaekwad had him caught at silly point and went on to claim Thilak Naidu with a one that turned and bounced sharply to take the glove and lob to backward short-leg. Karnataka were at 92 for 5 but recovered courtesy an unbroken 39-run partnership between B Akhil and Raghu. The tall Akhil, who scored 30 runs, was the first batsman who repeatedly stepped down the track to keep the spinners at bay. He started off with a fierce sweep over square leg and started skipping down to either play a forcing shot or a defensive stroke. If the last five can add another 40-50 runs on Saturday, Karnataka could well book a berth in the quarter-finals. Link to comment
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Chandan Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 ROUND VII, DAY 3 Ranji Trophy Super League, 7th round, 3rd day Rajasthan vs Delhi, at Jaipur, Day 3 Delhi 505 for 5 (Chopra 210, Dhawan 118, Kohli 83) lead Rajasthan 295 by 210 runs Scorecard Defending champions Delhi knocked out Delhi dominated proceedings at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, but the defending champions will perhaps regret losing four wickets after going past the 400-mark with one batsman out. Even if Delhi win this game by an innings or ten wickets - gaining six points to catch up with Saurashtra and equalling them on three wins - they do not stand a chance to match them on the quotient - the runs per wicket scored by a team divided by the runs per wicket conceded. Resuming on 117 for 0, Delhi's openers were only separated after they had piled on 280. Shikhar Dhawan fell for 118, but Virat Kohli continued the run-fest along with Aakash Chopra, who went on to score a double-century. The two took the score past 400, but Kohli failed to go on to a hundred. His dismissal triggered a collapse - given the run-scoring before it - with four wickets falling in the space of 49 runs. Rajat Bhatia and Yogesh Nagar took Delhi past 500 before stumps. Chopra, despite the double ton, was disappointed with missing out on a quarter-final berth. "We are disappointed as we could not make the quarterfinals. Matches against Mumbai, Gujarat and Hyderabad hurt us," he told the Hindu. Aakash Chopra scored a double-century, but the Delhi captain would be disappointed that his team have not made it to the quarter-finals Vijay Dahiya, the Delhi coach, however, backed his players and wanted them to maintain the focus for this match. "It's difficult to remain motivated after knowing that we are not reaching the quarters," he said. "Still we would try for a win." Another POV End of the road for Delhi The irony couldn’t have been more macabre. For the whole of this season, Delhi had pined for a batting display that would befit the status of defending champions, a tag that has apparently hindered more than it has spurred Delhi on. The statistics were damning —six matches and not a single century from any batsman. No wonder coach Vijay Dahiya was so emphatic in blaming the batsmen for the stuttering campaign prior to Delhi’s last Ranji Trophy league game against Rajasthan. However, the day the batsmen — led by the irrepressible Aakash Chopra who played an innings of stand-up brilliance to notch up his fifth double-century (210) in first-class cricket — came to the party to notch an imposing 505 for five at stumps on Day Three in reply to Rajasthan’s 296 all out, it had already been gate-crashed by Saurashtra. Delhi were trailing Saurashtra by a point and needed them to slip up — which they didn’t — to make it through. Luck is infatuated by the efficient and the consistent and Delhi, in all honesty, were found wanting in both departments this season. So, on a day that saw two centuries, from Shikhar Dhawan and Chopra — an equivalent of tiger sighting for Delhi this season — the defending champions were knocked out of their perch and out of this year’s competition. Even a win with a bonus point now would not suffice. Still, to give credit where it is due, Delhi were flawless on the day . Personal records were the only thing left for the defending champions to play for as Day Three progressed against Rajasthan on Saturday. By the time the first drinks break was taken, Delhi’s hopes of sneaking into the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals were over, as news broke of Saurashtra’s resounding win over Hyderabad in Rajkot. So, both Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan settled down to make up for the lost runs in their season. Chopra completed his double ton, his fifth in first-class cricket, and Dhawan made his first century of the season. Even Virat Kohli chipped in with 83. But after Kohli’s dismissal, who feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Vikram Singh off Pankaj Singh, the match meandered towards a draw as Delhi started to lose steam and motivation. All the combinations and permutations had drawn the same conclusion: Delhi were out, even if they had registered a bonus victory. Saurashtra’s run-quotient was insurmountable. Delhi had started the day briskly. Going at over four runs an over, they racked up 178 in 37 overs in the first session with the loss of just Dhawan’s wicket. But as the day progressed, there was nothing to look forward to. And so, even after scoring 500 runs and with a sizeable lead of 210 runs, Delhi did not declare. Resuming at 117 without loss, Chopra and Dhawan, realising the need to score quickly to give Delhi a chance to win the game outright — they were still in the hunt then — started executing their improvisation with dexterity and came out with great purpose. Chopra, after being ignored for the central contracts despite scoring 1700 runs last season, had an axe to grind and he chose to vent his angst in a perfect manner. There was a bristling, unshakeable determination about him on Saturday and a strong intent to see Delhi through. Normally, contend to bide his time and grind to big scores, Chopra was the enforcer on Saturday, scoring runs much quicker than Dhawan, and looking extremely delightful as he did so. His balance when he leant into the drives and danced down the track was supreme, and his concentration unwavering. His movements at the crease were assured; he hardly seemed troubled. Dhawan too was in sublime touch, biffing anything full through covers and flicking with disdain. But after completing his century, he fell to an extravagant sweep. Virat Kohli joined Chopra after lunch, when the truth had dawned on Delhi that they won’t qualify, and went for Rajasthan’s jugular as Chopra slowed down. His quick-fire 83 off 123 deliveries were masterful. Rajat Bhatia (26) and Yogesh Nagar (15) were the unbeaten batsmen as Delhi ended the day at 505 for five. “It is heartbreak. Regardless of the runs we scored it was pretty obvious that we were not going anywhere,†Delhi skipper Aakash Chopra said. Coach Dahiya looked back on lost opportunities: “These were the first tons for the team this season. This sums the season. We have only ourselves to blame.†Delhi can take heart in the fact that it was better late than never. Hyderabad vs Saurashtra, at Rajkot, Day 3 Saurashtra 133 (Jogiyani 38, Ashwin Yadav 3-19, Shanker 3-28) and 183 (Pathak 33, RA Jadeja 31, Shinde 4-13, Teja 3-33) beat Hyderabad 140 (Teja 35, Quadri 32, BN Jadeja 6-29, RA Jadeja 3-57 and 71 (RA Jadeja 7-31, Dhurv 3-20) by 105 runs Scorecard Jadeja bowls Saurashtra to a big win Saurashtra have booked their place in the quarter-finals after beating Hyderabad by 105 runs at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground in Rajkot. Chasing 177, Hyderabad folded for 71. Ravindra Jadeja and Rakesh Dhurv, who shared the two wickets on the third evening, wrapped up the game before lunch. Jadeja took 7 for 31, his career-best figures, and also completed his first ten-wicket haul in first-class matches. Dhurv ended the innings with 3 for 20 off his nine overs. Saurashtra, who began the round with a one-point lead over Delhi, have a mathematical chance of being upstaged; however, it is virtually impossible the mathematical will become a realistic chance. Another POV Star turn by Ravindra Jadeja Special Correspondent Rajkot: Those who admire courage and skill in a cricket match will give high marks to Ravindra Jadeja for his extraordinary performance in this crucial Ranji Trophy super league match between Saurashtra and Hyderabad. On the opening day of the match on Thursday, he was out for zero and then conceded 45 runs in his wicket-less spell of 10 overs. But since these setbacks, the gifted all-rounder has proved his worth as a bowler, batsmen and fielder to pave the way for Saurashtra to beat Hyderabad by 105 runs at the Race Course ground here on Saturday, nearly five and half sessions ahead of the scheduled finish. He exploited the helpful pitch and spun out Hyderabad for 71 one hour before lunch, thus giving Saurashtra five points from the match and a total of 23 from the league. A magical seven-wicket haul by left-arm leg spinner Ravindra Jadeja helped Saurashtra beat Hyderabad by 105 runs in their final Ranji Trophy Elite Division match to keep alive their chances of entering the knock-out stage of the tournament. In all Hyderabad faced 161 balls in the second innings and the left arm spinner finished with a fine analysis of seven for 31 from 12.5 overs in the second innings and 10 for 88 in the match. Rakesh Dhruv, a bowler of Jadeja’s ilk, took three and substitute fielder Arpit Vasavda held three catches around the bat. Saurashtra will wait for the outcome of the match between Delhi and Rajasthan at Jaipur. Delhi needs six points from that match to level with Saurashtra at 23 and also better Saurashtra run quotient of 1.40 after seven matches. Delhi’s run quotient was 0.926 after six matches. Baroda vs Andhra , at Vadodara, Day 3 Baroda 400 (Parab 130, Bilakhia 73, Shah 72, Solanki 64, TA Rao 5-66, Suresh 3-98) beat Andhra 77 (IK Pathan 7-35) and 263 ( Kiran 65*, Suresh 54, YK Pathan 4-72) by an innings and 60 runs Scorecard Irfan Pathan took career-best figures of 7 for 35 as Andhra were shot out for 77 in Vadodara Andhra put up a much better effort in their second innings - they were shot out for 77 in the first - but it still was not enough to make Baroda bat a second time in Vadodara. The six points, though, won't help Baroda make it to the quarter-finals. Andhra's top order progressed slowly on the third day. M Suresh, batting at No. 3, and B Sumanth put on 73 for the third wicket. Suresh reached his fifth first-class half-century, but fell with Andhra's score on 123. Hopes of wiping out the first-innings deficit were almost over when they slipped from 160 for 3 to 171 for 6, but D Prabhu Kiran and debutant TA Rao provided stiff resistance. Rao made 28 off 54 balls, but Yusuf Pathan, who took four in the innings, ended the 68-run stand. He took a wicket next ball, and Kiran put on 24 in 2.2 overs for the ninth wicket - effectively the last as AG Pradeep was injured - along with DP Vijaykumar. Kiran, playing his second game, hit five fours and three sixes in a run-a-ball 65, his maiden half-century. Another POV Yusuf Pathan bowls Baroda to innings win Principal Correspondent VADODARA: Baroda defeated Andhra by an innings and 60 runs with a day to spare in the Ranji super league Elite Group ‘B’ match at Motibaug Stadium here on Saturday. With this emphatic victory Baroda garnered six points (including one bonus point) to finish with 15 points, while Andhra finished at the bottom of the table with three points thus being relegated to Plate division. Barring all-rounder M. Suresh (54, 132b, 5x4) and Prabhu Kiran (65, 66b, 5x4, 3x6), the Andhra batsmen failed to learn lessons from their mistakes they committed on Friday and got out to indiscreet strokes. Resuming at six for no loss, Andhra, trailing by 323 runs, saw both its openers return to the pavilion before lunch. Watekar failed to negotiate a sharp in-swinging delivery off Veragi, while L.N. Prasad Reddy poked at an away-going delivery, only to b snapped up splendidly by the diving wicket-keeper Pinal Shah. Andhra was 94 for two in 35 overs at lunch. Suresh fights hard All-rounder M. Suresh, showing fine temperament and determination, played an innings of patience entwined with brilliant stroke play to notch up the third fifty of the season. However, diminutive left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar broke the 73-run third wicket partnership between Suresh and Sumanth trapping the former in front. Soon Sumanth and skipper Gnaneswara Rao were out going for for extravagant strokes. A mix-up between Prabhu Kiran and Manoj Sai saw the exit of the latter. Prabhu Kiran found an able partner in medium pacer Atchutha Rao and both went hammer and tongs at Baroda bowlers, especially Yusuf Pathan, smacking them all over the park. Middle order batsman A.G. Pradeep, who dislocated his shoulder while fielding, did not bat in the second innings too. Yusuf Pathan emerged as top wicket taker for Baroda with four for 72. Tamil Nadu vs Railways at Chennai, Day 2 Tamil Nadu 475 for 6 dec and 33 for 0 (AB Karthik 27*) lead Railways 314 (Goud 97, Cheluvaraj 65, Mahesh 4-90) by 194 runs Scorecard Tamil Nadu opted not to make Railways to follow on after they gained a 161-run first-innings lead in Chennai. Yere Goud, overnight on 12, led the fight for the visitors with his 97, but no other batsman went past 50 on the day as Railways were dismissed for 314. Yo Mahesh, playing in place of L Balaji, took 4 for 90, including the wicket of V Cheluvaraj, who could only manage to add 15 to his maiden first-class half-century. Yo Mahesh sent down an astounding 21 no-balls in his 27.5 overs, and the 39 extras were the best contributor for Railways after Goud and Cheluvaraj. Three other batsmen made it to the 30s, but failed to go on to make substantial contributions. Tamil Nadu's openers scored briskly in the six overs till stumps. Another POV It’s Yomahesh’s day Special Correspondent EXULTANT: Tamil Nadu’s Yomahesh celebrates the fall of Cheluvaraj of Railways on Saturday. Chennai: Vijaykumar Yomahesh’s steep and rapid lift, aided by the control exerted by the rest of Tamil Nadu’s bowlers, ensured the host a healthy first innings lead in its final Ranji Trophy group match against Railways at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. Held together by a resolute 97 from Yere Goud, Railways was dismissed for 314, half an hour from close. Tamil Nadu ended day three at 33 for no loss, 194 ahead. Yomahesh began his first spell of the day with three consecutive no balls. He had overstepped seven times on Friday, and would finish with 22 no balls. Steaming in But that didn’t deter the 20-year-old from steaming in and bending double in his follow through. Reward came in his third over of the day, half-centurion V. Cheluvaraj nicking behind a length ball that left him off the pitch. Meanwhile, Goud batted serenely on, weaving away from Yomahesh’s bouncers, and interspersing drives among long spells of defence. He got to 50 with a leg-side whip for four off a full toss from left arm spinner C. Suresh, the 155th delivery he faced. In the third over after lunch, skipper Sanjay Bangar played forward to Suresh, and the ball seemed to bounce either off his boot or the ground to silly point. Ruled out by the third umpire, Bangar trudged off shaking his head angrily. Sanjib Sanyal then joined Goud; the two had scored fifties in each innings against Maharashtra. Their partnership chugged along to 55, before Sanyal looped a catch to mid-on, deceived in the air by offie S. Suresh Kumar. Karthik on top Two more batsmen fell before tea, Mahesh Rawat skying Ashwin and Dipak Yadav edging Yomahesh to give Dinesh Karthik his 24th and 25th dismissals of the season, putting him on top of that list. Murali Kartik then made a streaky 30 before missing a sweep off Suresh Kumar, his boot caught plumb in front. Goud was next to go, his 294-ball stay ending with a popped catch to short leg off Ashwin. It was then left to Yomahesh to finish Railways off, his pace and leap off the wicket too much for the tail to handle. Gujarat vs Orissa at Bhuvaneshwar, Day 3 Gujarat 382 for 8 (PA Patel 206, Panchal 59, TK Patel 38*) lead Orissa 162 by 220 runs Scorecard Saurashtra's win sees them level with Gujarat on 23 points in Group A, but Gujarat are a safe bet to gain three first-innings points from their match against Orissa in Bhubaneshwar and finish second in the standings. The visitors batted out a second successive day, and only a miraculous turnaround will see them lose this game, and the three points in hand. If the improbable does indeed happen, the calculators might be out again if Delhi take six points against Rajasthan. Parthiv Patel converted his overnight century to a double on a day that saw Gujarat crawl at a run-rate of 1.91 in their 90 overs - the innings rate was 2.09. They closed the day at 382 for 8, a lead of 230 on Orissa's first-innings 162. While Parthiv went at just less than a run every second ball, Timil Patel made an unbeaten 38 off 148 balls. Parthiv was pleased with his own performance but also singled out Orissa bowler B Panda for praise. "He was the most impressive of Orissa's bowlers today," Parthiv told the Times of India. Another POV Patel double ton gives Gujarat the edge Bhubaneswar: Riding on a double ton by skipper Parthiv Patel, Gujarat scored 382 for 8 against Orissa in the first innings on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Super League match at the East Coast Railway Stadium here on Saturday. Parthiv, who remained undefeated on 127 on Friday, adorned his 593-minute 206 with 14 boundaries before being dismissed by Bibhudutta Panda. Resuming on their overnight 210 for 3 in response to hosts' paltry 162, the guests negotiated the hosts' bowling commendably to hold the edge. Parthiv was ably supported by Timil Patel, who scored an unbeaten 38 off 148 balls. Timil and Amit Singh(0) remained unbeaten at the end of the day's play. While Bibhudutta and Dhiraj Singh bagged two wickets each, Debasis Mohanty and Paresh Patel claimed one wicket apiece. Mumbai vs Punjab, at Mumbai , Day 3 Punjab 202 & 363 for 8 (Kaul 117*, Kakkar 58, Sohal 51, Verma 2-30) lead Mumbai 436 for 9 dec by 129 runs Scorecard Kaul's century keeps Punjab alive The Bulletin by Nagraj Gollapudi at the Brabourne Stadium December 20, 2008 Uday Kaul's vigilant century helped Punjab bounce back and frustrated Mumbai, who probably expected a favourable result at the start of the penultimate day at the Brabourne Stadium. When bad light stopped play four overs before stumps, Kaul was unbeaten on a chanceless 117. His 107-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ankur Kakkar had helped the visitors take a 129-run lead. A 107-run stand between Uday Kaul and Ankur Kakkar revived Punjab's faltering second innings Grey and overcast conditions prevailed throughout Saturday, but Mumbai's fast bowlers, particularly the pair of Usman Malvi and Rahil Shaikh, failed to make an impact in the vital first hour, either pitching too full or short or wide. Punjab's opening pair of Sunny Sohal and Karan Goel took advantage of their waywardness. An hour into the first session Wasim Jaffer decided to replace the struggling pair with the spin-pace combination of Ramesh Powar and Rajesh Verma and it proved to be a successful move. Familiar with the conditions, Verma, who plays for CCI at the same ground in the local cricket league, got enough movement in the air as he trapped Goel plumb with one that ducked in. A jaffa then beat the helpless Sohal. The ball moved away after pitching and clipped the off bail. Powar had played his hand in building the pressure by keeping the batsmen busy, and in doubt, at the other end. He drew the batsmen out with the flight and loop, something Punjab's spinners failed to do. It was a matter of time before he would trap the prey: Ravi Inder Singh's attractive short innings came to an end when he edged back to the wicketkeeper while trying to cut against Powar's spin. Punjab were left in disarray when Pankaj Dharmani, their captain, played an irresponsible shot and was caught at midwicket by Abhishek Nayar - Dharmani went for a big hit, stepping out to Powar. It was once again left to Kaul and Kakkar, whose 95-run partnership had saved the visitors from falling apart on the first day, to avoid a collapse. The duo played their parts convincingly, in contrasting styles: if Kaul played on the bowler's patience by holding back his intentions till the last moment, Kakkar was more enterprising with his power-hitting. Using his aggression smartly, the well-built Kakkar deceived the opposition bowlers, who might have thought he was taking too many chances. But Kakkar had understood that if Punjab needed to survive, someone had to pump the drives. He was lucky to get away on 33 when his attempted big hit off Powar went high towards deep mid-on, where Shaikh, easily the worst of the Mumbai fielders, failed to position himself under the ball, let alone catching it. A determined Kakkar charged Powar the next ball to hit a six over wide long-on. A swatted six over point off Ankit Chavan, the left-arm spinner, got him his second fifty of the match. At the other end, Kaul advanced against Chavan to drive through the narrow space between mid-on and midwicket for a four to get to his half-century. Mumbai's patience started to waver, with Punjab virtually dominating the second session. Just then, the visitors suffered a major setback when Kakkar feathered an edge while trying to cut Malvi too close to his body off the first ball of the final over before tea. However, Chandan Madan made sure the momentum was not lost post tea and supported Kaul well with his little cameo (32) that involved some smashing drives. Kaul moved into the 90s with a cut off Powar, a reverse-sweep in the offspinner's next over took him to 99, and he duly achieved his century with a single to midwicket. It was his second successive ton this season: his hundred in the previous game against Hyderabad had helped Punjab turn the tables and snatch a win on the final day. Punjab will now rely on Kaul to stretch their lead further and hope for an encore. A victory on Sunday will not get them to the quarter-finals but will surely boost their pride. For Mumbai, who have already qualified for the quarter-finals, the job is not done yet. Karnataka vs Maharashtra at Bangalore, Day 3 Karnataka 252 (Gautam 108, Fallah 4-47, Agharkar 3-87) and 229 (Akhil 62, Agharkar 4-56, Haque 3-67, Gaekwad 3-65) beat Maharashtra 210 (Khadiwale 70, Appanna 4-40, Joshi 4-62) and 116 (Joshi 7-29) by 155 runs Scorecard Joshi fires Karnataka into quarter-finals Sunil Joshi marked his 100th Ranji Trophy game with his fifth ten-wicket haul© Nishant Ratnakar/Bangalore Mirror Karnataka, led by Sunil Joshi, breezed into the quarter-finals, overwhelming Maharashtra by 155 runs on a spinners' paradise at the RSI Ground in Bangalore. Joshi marked his 100th Ranji Trophy game with his fifth ten-wicket haul to bowl out Maharashtra for 116 in their second innings. Maharashtra had no hope of an upset on this track once B Akhil and Joshi had hit out in the morning to set a target of 272. The visitors lasted only 136 minutes in their second innings; Joshi running amok to grab 7 for 29. It was Akhil who set up the stiff target with a splendid 62 though Joshi also used the long handle effectively in a breezy 35 to push Karnataka to an unassailable position. Karnataka, a lead of 173 overnight, added 98 runs on Saturday. Akhil, who didn't make the squad at the start of the season and was drafted in later in place of Bharat Chipli, had hit a vital hundred against Uttar Pradesh in the last game and upped it with a fine knock today. He was one of the few batsmen to come down the track repeatedly to the spinners, and started off with two fours - an off-drive and a sweep - in the first over of the day. Time and again, he punctuated his charges down the track with a hard sweep and once even reverse-swept a boundary. Joshi joined him at 186 for 5 and he too started off with a first-ball boundary - a clean hit over mid-on. He deployed his two favourite shots - the swing over mid-off or mid-on and the slog-sweep - to good effect. Both Akhil and Joshi knew there was no point in defending on this track as they were just one unplayable ball away from getting out. However, a tad strangely, Akhil got bogged down when Joshi began to hit. He was scoreless for 20 balls before getting out. Joshi kept swinging and was the last man out, holing out to deep midwicket. The chase was over in a blink. Joshi struck in his first over, the fourth of the innings and the last before lunch, with his signature ball on this track - pitching middle and leg and hitting off - to remove Harshad Khadiwale. The Maharashtra innings went downhill from there as Joshi kept taunting and teasing out the rest. He removed Ameya Shirkhande two balls into the second session with a snorter that turned and bounce to take the glove en route to slip. Karnataka continued their good catching form on a poor outfield. Rohan Bhosale, who offered brief resistance, flicked Joshi hard to short-leg where KB Pawan held on to a sharp chance and KP Appanna dived low to his right at square leg to remove Deepak Shilamkar. Joshi varied his length and pace to run through the tail and when Pawan dived to his front from short leg to hold on to a catch to remove Enamul Haque jnr, it was all over. The game ended in the second session of the third day and the sparse crowd rushed in to shake hands and back-slap Robin Uthappa and Joshi. Link to comment
coffee_rules Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I think Delhi and Punjab were affected by being in the wrong group. Delhi has got more points than Karnataka and UP, but still were not qualified. I know Grp A has 1 more match. But Delhi weren't bad at all. I guess it will be wise to have same number of matches for both groups going forward. Delhi were hampered by 3 of their team playing for the national team. I wish Kumble had played one last Ranji match before retiring, just like Ganguly. But, I guess he is injured. Resurgence of Gujrat and Saurashtra over their other Gujju team, Baroda is notable. Baroda used to be stronger than these two. But they are carrying too many old timers and nationals also I guess. Link to comment
zubinpepsi Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 3rd Quarter-Final: Gujarat v Uttar Pradesh at Vadodara - Dec 26-29, 2008 1st Quarter-Final: Mumbai v Himachal Pradesh at Ahmedabad - Dec 26-29, 2008 2nd Quarter-Final: Saurashtra v Karnataka at Mumbai (BS) - Dec 26-29, 2008 4th Quarter-Final: Tamil Nadu v Bengal at Bangalore - Dec 26-29, 2008 Link to comment
coffee_rules Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Bah, the new system gives Mumbai an easy chance to go to Semis. I think old system was better. Link to comment
The Outsider Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I am expecting the Saurashtra-Karnataka game to be a cracker on a turning pitch. Link to comment
Holysmoke Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 3rd Quarter-Final: Gujarat v Uttar Pradesh at Vadodara - Dec 26-29, 2008 1st Quarter-Final: Mumbai v Himachal Pradesh at Ahmedabad - Dec 26-29, 2008 2nd Quarter-Final: Saurashtra v Karnataka at Mumbai (BS) - Dec 26-29, 2008 4th Quarter-Final: Tamil Nadu v Bengal at Bangalore - Dec 26-29, 2008 Bah, the new system gives Mumbai an easy chance to go to Semis. I think old system was better. Who will Mumbai play if they manage to beat Himachal? The winner of which quarterfinal? Link to comment
Chandan Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 3rd Quarter-Final: Gujarat v Uttar Pradesh at Vadodara - Dec 26-29, 2008 1st Quarter-Final: Mumbai v Himachal Pradesh at Ahmedabad - Dec 26-29, 2008 2nd Quarter-Final: Saurashtra v Karnataka at Mumbai (BS) - Dec 26-29, 2008 4th Quarter-Final: Tamil Nadu v Bengal at Bangalore - Dec 26-29, 2008 No way! Himachal Pradesh is in plate league! Link to comment
Holysmoke Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 No way! Himachal Pradesh is in plate league! So is Bengal isnt it? Link to comment
Chandan Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 So is Bengal isnt it? No. Bengal is in plate league too. But cricinfo has listed Mumbai to play with HP in the 1st quarter final. How can that be, when HP is playing/has just played the semis of plate league with MP? This is the report of Day 3 of HP vs Mp match: Himachal Pradesh all set for promotion Himachal Pradesh's move up to the Super League is certain after they piled on a massive 348-run lead on the third day in their semi-final against Madhya Pradesh in Nagpur. Bhavin Thakkar, resuming on 111, fell without scoring on Saturday, but Mukesh Sharma, the other overnight batsman, scored a career-best 161 to put his team totally in command. Himachal Pradesh, who began the day in the lead, were boosted by a 218-run stand for the fifth wicket between Sharma and Ajay Mannu, who fell seven short of his century. Madhya Pradesh dismissed the duo and Sarandeep Singh quickly, but they were to be further frustrated by the lower-order batsmen. Ashok Thakur and Vikramjeet Malik, who took four wickets apiece in Madhya Pradesh's innings, added an unbroken 51 for the ninth wicket. I'm confused now.:hmmmm2: Link to comment
msb1991 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Predictions if I may... Gujarat Vs Uttar Pradesh Mumbai Vs Himachal Pradesh Saurashtra Vs Karnataka Tamil Nadu Vs Bengal Link to comment
msb1991 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 The finalists of the Plate League are entered into the Super League quarter finals. Link to comment
zubinpepsi Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 No. Bengal is in plate league too. But cricinfo has listed Mumbai to play with HP in the 1st quarter final. How can that be, when HP is playing/has just played the semis of plate league with MP? I'm confused now.:hmmmm2: yea i wondered abt tht aswell.. but they have included the toppers from the plate league.. HP is the topper form plate group A so it gets to play with super group A topper mumbai Bengal is the topper form plate group B , so it plays with super group B topper TN... now dont ask me why .. i have no idea .. :-D Link to comment
coffee_rules Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 This year they are getting 2 plate finalists to super league and instead of a super 4 semis round, they have a knock-out round with 3 top teams from each group of super-league. 3+3+2 = 8 teams will play quarters. This change was done to create chances for plate team players to excel within the year, instead of waiting for a year after they move to the super league. I couldn't google out the teams for Semis. Mumai might face either UP-Guj match winner or Kar-Sau match winner. They are probably made to meet the top team of the other group only in the finals, logically. Link to comment
msb1991 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 From cricinfo to clarify: Quarter-final line-up (December 26-29) Gujarat v Uttar Pradesh in Vadodara Mumbai v Himachal Pradesh in Ahmedabad Saurashtra v Karnataka in Mumbai Tamil Nadu v Bengal in Bangalore Link to comment
Chandan Posted December 22, 2008 Author Share Posted December 22, 2008 Okay, I'll finish the Round VII round-up of last day to see who won and who was satisfied by just draw! ROUND VII, DAY 4 Ranji Trophy Super League, 7th round, 4th day Rajasthan vs Delhi, at Jaipur, Day 3 Rajasthan 295 (Kuldeep Singh 77, Saxena 71, Awana 3-40, Sangwan 3-76) and 55 for 3 drew with Delhi 688 (Chopra 210, Dhawan 118, Bhatia 112, Kohli 83, Sangwan 53, Pankaj Singh 4-125) Scorecard Defending champions Delhi knocked out Aakash Chopra scored a double-century, but the Delhi captain would be disappointed that his team have not made it to the quarter-finals Delhi's hopes of making the quarter-finals were over on the third day, and what could have been a gripping final day's play turned out to be a slow end to a disappointing season for the defending champions. Allrounder Rajat Bhatia scored his first hundred of the tournament, and Pradeep Sangwan his maiden first-class fifty, as Delhi reached 688 after resuming on 505 for 5. A win was clearly not on Delhi's minds: they started the day with a lead of 210 and played out 53.5 overs till they were bowled out. For Rajasthan, Pankaj Singh took three wickets to add to his scalp of Virat Kohli on Saturday. Delhi struck two early blows in Rajasthan's second innings, which ended at 55 for 3 in 19 overs as the match finished in a draw. Vijay Dahiya, the Delhi coach, said the batsmen had gained valuable batting practice even though they had missed out on a place in the last eight. "We knew that we had no chance of reaching the quarterfinals, so we didn't see any point in declaring," he told the Times of India. "Even an outright win wouldn't have been enough to overtake Saurashtra as they were way behind on run-quotient." Another POV With nothing to play for, Delhi pile on the runs THE DIE was cast on Saturday itself. The minute Delhi realized that there was no way they could tiptoe into the quarterfinal, it was time for self-indulgence. As expected, the players, worse for wear after having been made to toil on a meaningless fourth day on four occasions this season - by Punjab, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Gujarat - decided that another exertion on a lifeless track was not worth it for their fatigued limbs and minds. Keeping with the mood of a languid Sunday, made even more salubrious by the pleasant sun shine, Delhi decided to put the boot on the other foot and bat on, despite rattling a mammoth 505 for the loss of five wickets at stumps on Day Three. It seems Delhi were out to take revenge for all those matches where they have had to field for days. Batting on against Rajasthan on the last day of their Ranji Tropy Super League match, they piled on the agony for the home team, with Rajat Bhatia completing his century and Pradeep Sangwan making his maiden half-century in first-class cricket. No 10 Parvinder Awana recorded his highest individual score of 23, and Virat Kohli picked up his first first-class wicket on Sunday. Rajat Bhatia made the most of that decision, cracking an unfettered 112 off 181 deliveries, his first century of the season, as Delhi piled on the misery for Rajasthan by scoring 688 in their first innings.Right from the outset, Bhatia played with the casualness of an accomplished performer. He is a simple man with no pretensions, and his game is also constructed on such values. Blessed with pliant wrists, strong forearms and great balance, Bhatia played with authority, unleashing powerful drives and punches with equal aplomb. Although he saw medium-pacer Vikrant Yadav snare two quick wickets in the morning and was himself given a reprieve by wicketkeeper Vikram Singh off Pankaj Singh, when he was on 41, the approach remained cavalier. One particular six off leftarm spinner Mohammad Aslam was played with minimum effort but caused maximum impact. He brought up his century with a flick off Aslam and was looking good for much more before he shouldered arms to a Pankaj delivery that jagged back and disturbed the timber. Besides Bhatia, Pradeep Sangwan too made the most of Delhi's decision as he scored his maiden first-class fifty and looked quiet chic at the crease before getting out to a feeble pull stroke. Pankaj and Yadav bowled with renewed vigour and were rightly rewarded with four and two wickets respectively. But like Delhi, their effort was a little too late. With the team certain of not going any further in the tournament, winning was not high on the agenda. After they were finally bowled out, Delhi had even reduced Rajasthan to 41 for 3 at one point. But with only 19 mandatory overs to be bowled in Rajasthan’s second innings, there was no time for a result and both teams settled for a dull draw. “There was no point in going for a win. It wouldn't have mattered,” Aakash Chopra said. “We had to field on the fourth day in most of the games this season. Today was our chance to get even and go for runs. It is all fair,” was how Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya justified the decision to keep on batting. Hyderabad vs Saurashtra, at Rajkot, Day 3 Saurashtra 133 (Jogiyani 38, Ashwin Yadav 3-19, Shanker 3-28) and 183 (Pathak 33, RA Jadeja 31, Shinde 4-13, Teja 3-33) beat Hyderabad 140 (Teja 35, Quadri 32, BN Jadeja 6-29, RA Jadeja 3-57 and 71 (RA Jadeja 7-31, Dhurv 3-20) by 105 runs Scorecard Baroda vs Andhra , at Vadodara, Day 3 Baroda 400 (Parab 130, Bilakhia 73, Shah 72, Solanki 64, TA Rao 5-66, Suresh 3-98) beat Andhra 77 (IK Pathan 7-35) and 263 ( Kiran 65*, Suresh 54, YK Pathan 4-72) by an innings and 60 runs Scorecard Tamil Nadu vs Railways at Chennai, Day 4 Tamil Nadu 475 for 6 dec (Mukund162, KD Karthik 113, Ashwin 103*) and 389 for 7 dec (AB Karthik 107, Kumar 90, Ganapathy 53*) drew with Railways 314 (Goud 97, Cheluvaraj 65, Mahesh 4-90) Scorecard Tamil Nadu, who had opted against the follow-on on the third day, used the fourth for some valuable batting practice ahead of the quarter-finals. Opener Arun Karthik scored a century, and Suresh Kumar and C Ganapathy made half-centuries as the match ended with them declaring their second innings at 389 for 7. Karthik, overnight on 27, went on to his second first-class hundred in only his fourth game, hitting 17 fours in a 133-ball107. Suresh Kumar missed a maiden first-class ton, scoring a career-best 90 off 120 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes. The lower order then took the opportunity to score quick runs. C Ganapathy's unbeaten 50-ball 53 was his first half-century, and Yo Mahesh made an equally brisk 47 before he was out stumped. The two put on 101 for the seventh wicket, the only century stand in the innings. Tamil Nadu, who finished on top of Group B, will meet Bengal, the qualifiers from the Plate League, in the quarter-finals . Another POV Match drawn, Tamil Nadu gains three points Sports Reporter TRADEMARK SHOT: K.B. Arun Karthik, who scored a century, plays one of his trade-mark pulls. Chennai: K.B. Arun Karthik sped to a hundred and S. Suresh Kumar fell ten runs short — a repeat of their performances against Karnataka earlier this season — as Tamil Nadu batsmen made merry on the fourth and final day of the final Ranji Trophy Super League match against Railways on Sunday. At half-past three, as stand-in keeper V. Cheluvaraj stumped V. Yomahesh off part-time leggie Prasanjit Das, the match was called off much to the relief of the demoralised Railways side. Before that dismissal, Yomahesh and C. Ganapathy had put on 101 in 100 balls for the seventh wicket. Murali Kartik didn’t bowl a ball in the innings. Racing away Arun Karthik had raced to 27 off 29 balls on Saturday, with four fours including a trademark pull on one leg. He began Sunday in similar vein, denting the boundary boards with his audacity and got to fifty off his 63rd ball picking up a Dipak Yadav off-break from outside off with a turn of wrist and bouncing it inches short of the midwicket rope. At the other end, R. Prasanna slashed fours in consecutive Anureet Singh overs, before finding Sabir Ali at deep point with one that he didn’t keep down. Suresh Kumar, who made an attractive 31 in the first innings, announced his arrival with a whistling straight six off Kulamani Parida, which sailed into the Tamil Nadu dressing room. Suresh Kumar and Arun, who play for the same club side and share a room on tour, two milked the Railways bowling in different, but equally effective styles. At lunch, Arun Karthik was on 97. He got to his hundred in the second over after resumption, hooking Bangar to long-leg for four. He waited on the next ball to guide it late to third man where Murali Kartik’s footballing ability proved inadequate. The very next ball, however, he was struck on the front pad, missing an attempted flick and was adjudged out. Dinesh Karthik made a typically busy 17 before stepping out to Sanjib Sanyal and was bowled. Abhinav Mukund, pushed down the order, was also bowled, trying to cut a Parida delivery that was too close to him. In between, Suresh Kumar had walked back to a standing ovation from his team and the handful of die-hards on the terrace, disappointment apparent on his face after he edged Sabir Ali behind to fall 10 short of his hundred. Gujarat vs Orissa at Bhuvaneshwar, Day 4 Gujarat 394 (PA Patel 206, Panchal 59, TK Patel 48) beat Orissa 162 (Behera 49, Parmar 6-53) and 154 (Behera 50, Parmar 6-51, TK Patel 3-46) by an innings and 78 runs Scorecard Parmar's six-for floors Orissa Niranjan Behera fought hard yet again, but there was not much support from the others as Orissa crashed to an innings-and-78-run defeat in Bhubaneshwar. It was surprising that a game which meandered on the third and fourth, with Gujarat crawling at two runs an over, ended in a result. Orissa once again found it tough to handle Mohnish Parmar, who bettered his first-innings 6 for 53 with figures of 6 for 51 - his best match-haul in first-class games. Overnight on 382 for 8, Gujarat could add only 12 to their total, with Timil Patel missing out on a half-century by two runs. Orissa's openers progressed slowly as they played out nearly 17 overs, but wickets started to fall regularly once Amit Singh struck. Only the top order managed to stick around for a substantial amount of time at the crease in an innings which lasted 58.4 overs. Timil backed up Parmar with three wickets in his 14.4 overs. Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel said he was pleasantly surprised with Parmar's performance on what looked to be a slow wicket. "We were keeping our fingers crossed, for we expected the Orissa batsmen to put up a good fight," he told the Times of India. Another POV Gujarat trounce Orissa by an innings Bhubaneswar: Gujarat humiliated Orissa by an innings and 83 runs in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match on the fourth and final day here on Sunday. After conceding a 232-run first innings lead to their opponents, Orissa crumbled under a menacing Gujarat bowling attack for a paltry 149 in their second innings. Orissa, who were shot out for 162 in their first innings, displayed an equally dismal show in their second essay. The hosts were bundled out for a miserable 149 as almost all the batsmen were made to bite the dust. Niranjan Behera was the only Orissa batsman who offered resistance to Gujarat bowlers with a patient 50 after facing 120 balls in 134 minutes with the help of five boundaries and a six. Mohnish Parmar took six Orissa wickets in 23 overs, including nine maidens, and gave away 51 runs. Timil Patel claimed three wickets in 14.4 overs, while Amit Singh captured one wicket. Two of Orissa's batsmen failed to open their accounts, while four could not go beyond single digit. Earlier, resuming at their overnight 382 for eight, Gujarat added 12 more runs to pile up 394 in their first innings. The bulk of Gujarat scoring was done by skipper Parthiv Patel who hit a spectacular double century (206). Timil Patel (48) and Amit Singh (01) were the two batsmen dismissed on Sunday by Basant Mohanty and Debasis Mohanty respectively. Mumbai vs Punjab, at Mumbai , Day 4 Mumbai 436 for dec (Muzumdar 113, Rohit 85, Rahane 80) and 151 for 1 (Rahane 82*, Jaffer 52*) beat Punjab 202 (Kakkar 67, Shaikh 4-50) and 382 (Kaul 136*, Kakkar 58) by nine wickets Scorecard Rahane and Jaffer seal Mumbai win The Bulletin by Nagraj Gollapudi at the Brabourne Stadium December 21, 2008 Mumbai maintained their supremacy, thrashing Punjab by nine wickets in their final match of the group stage. Ajinkya Rahane and Wasim Jaffer swiftly overhauled the target of 149 before the stroke of lunch on the final day. Rahane added an unbeaten 82, to go along with his first-innings 80, and combined well with his captain as the undefeated 130-run second-wicket partnership extinguished Punjab's hopes. Ajinkya Rahane and Wasim Jaffer saw Mumbai through to an easy win with a blistering 130-run unbeaten partnership Punjab had offered stiff resistance in the final two sessions the previous day, with Uday Kaul's century and attacking knocks by Ankur Kakkar (58) and Chandan Madan (32) impeding Mumbai's march. However, within the first half an hour on day four, the visitors folded, leaving Kaul stranded on 136. Mumbai's opening pair of Jaffer and Vinayak Samant then started aggressively. The first scoring shot was a boundary - a steer by Samant past gully off Gagandeep Singh. Two overs later, against the same bowler, Samant guided a short and wide delivery to the point boundary, two deliveries after a Chinese cut had evaded the stumps. Jaffer started off on a scratchy note, unable to get behind the line, but played his first confident stroke, a firm on-drive past mid-on for a four off Gagandeep. Punjab's fleeting moment of joy arrived when Amanpreet Singh trapped Samant leg-before as he tried to play across, but they must have braced themselves at the sight of Rahane, the highest run-getter this season in the tournament. Rahane opened his account with a back-foot punch for four off Gagandeep, and then skimmed a leg glance to the boundary in the same over. In the next over, against Amanpreet, Jaffer shifted gears with three fours: the first, a classic front-foot drive past the straight boundary followed two balls later with a whipped glance past fine leg, and finally an on-drive in front of square. Even the spin combination of Varun Khanna and Sarabjit Ladda failed to put brakes as the runs poured mostly in boundaries. Watching the Mumbai duo dish out their brilliance, one could easily feel they were competing against each other: if Jaffer drove through extra cover off Ladda on the back foot, Rahane hit consecutive fours off Khanna. For Punjab though, this mini-battle was hurting them as the pair soon brought up their respective fifties. Two overs before lunch Mumbai were on the cusp of victory with 22 runs needed and clearly they did not intend to take the break. Rahane drove Kakkar past the stranded fielders at short cover and cover, followed by consecutive fours, both cut shots, and Mumbai needed just eight off the final over from Ladda. Another Rahane boundary meant just one run was needed and both captains decided to prolong play. Rahane deservingly hit the winning stroke, a square drive that rushed past cover. Jaffer was all praise for Rahane, and believed he was ready for the No.3 position in the Indian Test team. "He has proved he can counter-attack as well as stay put according to the situation and he is definitely a contender for the No. 3 slot." Despite entering the knock-out stage, Jaffer pointed out that there was still work to do, particularly in the bowling department, which has struggled even with the likes of Dhawal Kulkarni, one the best bowlers this season, among their ranks. "The knock-outs is a new phase and the intensity will be key. When there is nothing much happening, the bowlers need to keep it simple instead of giving easy runs." Mumbai finished the league campaign as group leaders with the maximum number of outright wins (five), and will now meet Himachal Pradesh in the quarter-finals in Ahmedabad starting on December 26. Karnataka vs Maharashtra at Bangalore, Day 3 Karnataka 252 (Gautam 108, Fallah 4-47, Agharkar 3-87) and 229 (Akhil 62, Agharkar 4-56, Haque 3-67, Gaekwad 3-65) beat Maharashtra 210 (Khadiwale 70, Appanna 4-40, Joshi 4-62) and 116 (Joshi 7-29) by 155 runs Scorecard Joshi fires Karnataka into quarter-finals Sunil Joshi marked his 100th Ranji Trophy game with his fifth ten-wicket haul© Nishant Ratnakar/Bangalore Mirror The other two quarter finalists from the Plate league Bengal promoted in Ganguly's first-class farewell Bengal 337 (Chakrabarty 82, Ganguly 69, Sarkar 60, Saha 54, Bandekar 6-76) and 193 for 5 (Tiwary 80, Chakrabarty 49) drew with Goa 230 (Ninan 88*, Bose 6-62, Sarkar 3-20) trail by 171 runs Scorecard Sourav Ganguly did not bat during his final day of first-class cricket, but got the perfect farewell gift as Bengal gained promotion to the Super League. Goa's Ryan Ninan tried to stave off defeat, but he was left stranded on a career-best 88 as Sourav Sarkar took the final three wickets to dismiss them for 230, thus giving Bengal the crucial first-innings lead. Bengal, leading by 107, lost a wicket early in their second innings,. Two strikes in successive overs from Harshad Gadekar reduced them to 54 for 3, but Manoj Tiwary and Dibyendu Chakrabarty steadied the innings with a brisk 110-run stand. Bengal played out 46 overs to reach 193 for 5 as the match finished in a draw. The spotlight, though, was on Ganguly. "I don't miss playing cricket anymore," he told PTI. "Every cricketer has to retire one day and I don't have any sad feelings about the decision [to retire]. "I am happy that Bengal have qualified for the Elite division [super League]. Bengal faced problems for some time due to shifting of allegiance to ICL by some players. But youngsters have filled in the void now and they will do good work in future." Himachal makes place in Elite league of Ranji Trophy Himachal Pradesh 579 (Sharma 161, Thakkar 111, Mannu 93, Indulkar 80) beat Madhya Pradesh 228 (Jalaj Saxena 107, Thakur 4-40, Malik 4-73) and 176 (Kanitkar 66, Mohinder Sharma 5-45, Sarandeep Singh 4-52) by an innings and 175 runs Scorecard Offspinner Sarandeep Singh took his 300th first-class wicket as Himachal Pradesh crushed Madhya Pradesh by an innings and 175 runs in Nagpur. Himachal Pradesh's mammoth first-innings lead had effectively guaranteed them promotion to the top division, and Sarandeep, along with Mohinder Sharma, bowled them to an emphatic win. Resuming on 576 for 8, Himachal Pradesh could only add three more to their total. Mohinder prised out three quick wickets to leave Madhya Pradesh at 47 for 4, but captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar resisted, making 66. However his team failed to build big partnerships and salvage a draw. Kanitkar, trapped lbw to Sarandeep, was the seventh man out with the score on 131. An unbeaten 27 from Sunil Dholpure, the second-best score in the innings, pushed the total to 176. Sarandeep took 4 for 52, while Mohinder's 5 for 45 was his maiden first-class five-wicket haul, coming in his fourth game. Link to comment
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