sandtest Posted January 11, 2009 Posted January 11, 2009 Sahi mein, yeh badaa dharamsankat hai...kisko supprot karein. Ek taraf, Sachu aur Mumbai toh doosri taraf janmabhumi.....:nervous:
amits Posted January 11, 2009 Posted January 11, 2009 its very easy. support up when supporting domestic cricket, its always good to c mumbai lose. even better if they lose against up
Rajan Posted January 11, 2009 Posted January 11, 2009 Its pretty shameful that Uttar Pradesh doesnt have a proper good stadium. Green Park is ****. i read somewhere that even green park does not belong to UPCA. it belongs to the state government.it is really shameful that UPCA had not used their resources in all these years and have not constructed a stadium on their own.they have politicians who can certainly influence the state government and get a land sanctioned and the BCCI would chip in with the required funds to construct the stadium.but some how the UPCA has not done that. unless external auditors check the finance and accounts of all the cricket associations and BCCI, no one would have the right idea about what happend to all those crores of money generated by cricket in india.
Chandan Posted January 11, 2009 Author Posted January 11, 2009 How did Mumbai reach the Ranji Finals 2008-09 January 10, 2009 Mumbai, who have won a record 37 Ranji Trophy titles, go into the final unbeaten all season. Their batting has centered around Wasim Jaffer and Ajinka Rahane, one a veteran and the other in his second season, while the wickets have been taken by the hardened campaigner Ramesh Powar and the rookie Dhawal Kulkarani, in his first year. The rest of the cast lags well behind these four statistically, but bits and pieces a dedicated worth ethic has paid off for the side. On the eve of the final, Cricinfo takes a look at how Mumbai got to the final over the 2008-09 season. Mumbai Wasim Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane were the mainstay of Mumbai's batting, each racking up over 1,000 runs © Cricinfo Ltd Round 1, v Rajasthan in Mumbai Mumbai 307 (Rahane 73, Rohit 62, Jaffer 60) & 305 (Rohit 128, Kukreja 83, Pankaj 4-83) beat Rajasthan 204 (Saxena 76, Kulkarni 5-40, Powar 5-44) & 171 (Khoda 40, Kulkarni 4-48, Powar 3-26) by 237 runs After failing to enter the knockout round last season Mumbai needed a fresh start. They bounced back in resounding fashion with a 237-run win over Rajasthan at home. Dhawal Kulkarni fell short of matching Suru Nayak's record of picking 10 wickets on debut as he lead Mumbai's bowling on his bony shoulders admirably even as Ajit Agarkar went wicketless. Senior offspinner Ramesh Powar matched Kulkarni's five-wicket haul in the first innings with his own, as the duo doused Rajasthan's spirits in clinical fashion. Their hardwork was equalled by a quickfire in-a-session century by Rohit Sharma which put the game out of Rajasthan's reach. Round 2, v Gujarat in Surat Mumbai 486 (Jaffer 172, Rahane 104, Muzumdar 61, Parmar 6-143, Makda 3-59) beat Gujarat 203 (Makda 73, Kulkarni 4-70) and 44 (Kulkarni 3-7, Agarkar 3-15, Powar 3-19) by an innings and 239 runs This one was a tougher gambit. Gujarat had just overwhelmed Saurashtra by an innings. Mumbai's challenge was increased by the departure of Rohit, who had left to play the ODI series against England. But Wasim Jaffer proved his credentials as a domestic giant, sharing a match-turning 218-run second-wicket partnership with Ajinkya Rahane. Both batsman cracked the season's first tons respectively. Kulkarni displayed his prowess to strike early once again with four first-innings wickets and Gujarat were forced to follow-on. On return, the hosts suffered the second-worst defeat in their Ranji history, with Mumbai thundering to an innings-and-239-run win to establish their supremacy once again. Kulkarni, Agarkar and Powar picked three each as Gujarat were gobbled up for 44, which was just one run more than their lowest total in the Ranji Trophy, 43 against Bombay in 1958-59. Round 3, v Delhi in Delhi Mumbai 330 (Rahane 160, Muzumdar 83, Narwal 4-43) and 468 for 4 (Kukreja 229*, Jaffer 98, Rahane 78, Samant 53*) drew with Delhi 295 (Manhas 98, Bhatia 81, Bahutule 3-44) The usual needle to this rivalry was somewhat in Mumbai's favour: compared to their two outright victories, Delhi were languishing in the bottom half with just three points. The absence of regulars like Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Ashish Nehra hurt them further. Mumbai got off to an anxious start when they lost Jaffer early on (2 for 72) but Rahane showed his fast-growing maturity with the second straight hundred, as he combined well with Mumbai's most senior batsman Amol Muzumdar in a 223-run stand for the third wicket. In a match stuttering towards a draw after Delhi conceded a 35-run first-inning lead, Mumbai gained some batting practice with Sahil Kukreja scoring a double-hundred. Mumbai retained top place in the group with first-innings points. Round 4, v Saurashtra in Rajkot Saurashtra 643 for 4 (Pujara 176, Pathak 170, Chauhan 104, Kotak 78) drew with Mumbai 214 (Malvi 56, Balkrishna Jadeja 4-41) and 157 for 7 In the end Mumbai were left trembling on the precipice and the fall was avoided by the stiff resistance of their lower middle-order led by Ramesh Powar. After Saurashtra amassed 643 for 4 with centuries from the opening combine of Chirag Pathak, making his debut, Bhusan Chavan and Cheteshwar Pujara, another debutant, Balkrishna Jadeja, rattled Mumbai's top-order forcing them to follow-on. Balkrishna returned to add Jaffer and Rahane on the final morning. At 89 for 5 Saurashtra were eyeing a big victory, but Powar refused to give up and his four-hour-long vigil gave Mumbai the solace of a single point. Round 5, v Hyderabad in Mumbai Mumbai 602 for 6 dec (Jaffer 256, Rahane 137, Agarkar 77*, Arjun 4-99) beat Hyderabad 251 (Suman 67, Pai 66, Quadri 50*, Powar 5-67) and 243 (Teja 107, Abhinav 67, Kulkarni 7-50) by an innings and 108 runs Cricket returned to Mumbai after the metropolis was rocked by the 26/11 terror blasts. Just like its citizens were looking to return to normal life, the cricketers, too, wanted to bounce back after the damage wrecked by Saurashtra. Jaffer's sparkling 256 and a record 335-run partnership with Rahane laid the foundation for the victory. Kulkarni's 7-50, career-best figures, ensured that Hyderabad were crushed by an innings and 108 runs. Mumbai earned the bonus point for the second time. Dhawal Kulkarni tops Mumbai's tally with 37 wickets © Cricinfo Ltd Round 6, v Orissa in Cuttack Mumbai 180 (Samant 46, B Mohanty 5-50, DS Mohanty 3-28) and 361 for 5 dec (Rahane 201, Jaffer 66, Kukreja 53) beat Orissa 108 (H Das 62*, Kulkarni 5-27) and 118 (Jayachandra 72, Shaikh 3-30) by 315 runs Virtually assured of a knockout berth, Mumbai decided to offer chances to rookies including debutant Rahil Shaikh, a tall, raw, left-arm fast bowler. On a skiddy pitch Mumbai were knocked out for 180, but the trio of Kulkarni, Kshemal Waingankar and Shaikh ran through the hosts quickly, helping Mumbai to a 72-run lead. Then Rahane turned the match on its head, blasting a run-a-ball double century, a career-best performance that gave Mumbai an ample lead and time to bowl out Orissa. A 315-run victory put Mumbai into the quarterfinals. Round 7, v Punjab in Mumbai 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 Muzumdar jumped ecstatically in the air, doffed his cap towards the dressing room to thank his team-mates after he recorded the season's first century, thus putting to an end fits-and-starts-run in the previous rounds. His efforts had put Mumbai well ahead of Punjab, who were restricted to 202 after electing to bat. Though Uday Kaul delayed the inevitable with a stubborn 136 (unbeaten), Jaffer and Rahane blasted their way to the 149-run target to finish the league campaign on a victorious note, at the end of which Mumbai had the highest number of wins (5). Quarter-finals, v Himachal Pradesh in Ahmedabad Mumbai 495 (Jaffer 108, Rohit 98, Agarkar 50) and 43 for 1 beat Himachal Pradesh 250 (Sarandeep Singh 75, Mannu 61, Nayar 6-45) and 287 (Dogra 90, Sangram Singh 58, Agarkar 5-78) by nine wickets Though victory was achieved comfortably in the end this game once again exposed Mumbai's bowlers' inability to finish off the job. At 74 for 5 Himachal were reeling under severe pressure on the first day but they managed to get to 250. Jaffer then picked up his third century while Rohit missed his second by two runs; Mumbai scored 495. Once again Himachal were proving to be gritty customers, starting the final day on 200 for 5, but Agarkar, who had missed a couple of games previously due to bad health, returned to grab three quick wickets in seven balls. He went on to grab his first five-wicket haul of the season. Mumbai crossed the target of 43 easily to set up an enticing clash with Saurashtra. Semis, v Saurashtra, in Chennai Mumbai 637 for 6 dec (Jaffer 301, Tendulkar 122, Rahane 85) and 42 for 1 drew with Saurashtra 379 (Kotak 89, Makvana 56*, Powar 4-108). Mumbai progress on basis of first-innings lead Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan returned to strengthen Mumbai's resolve to settle the scores with Saurashtra. But despite the huge amount of experience in their ranks Mumbai once again had to sweat it out to topple their plucky opponents. Jaffer's triple ton and Tendulkar's spectacular century had helped Mumbai to a mammoth total. But a mixture of solid resistance from Saurashtra's batsmen, sloppy fielding, aimless bowling and the impending scare of a cyclone almost spoilt Mumbai's progress. Kotak once again erected a wall that none of the bowlers could break through, but once he flicked one into the hands of short fine leg at the end of the third evening, Mumbai found another opening to bounce back. It still took them a while, what with the lower-order pair of Kamlesh Makwana and Rakesh Dhruv surviving the first session, but Mumbai wrapped up the matter in the nick of time before bad light forced the game to be abandoned. Uttar Pradesh's road to the final January 10, 2009 Eyeing their second Ranji Trophy title, Uttar Pradesh take on a powerful Mumbai at Hyderabad. This is their third final in four years and Mohammad Kaif, the captain, Suresh Raina and Praveen Kumar will have to play out of their skins to lift the title. Can Mohammad Kaif lead Uttar Pradesh to a win against Mumbai? © Cricinfo Ltd Round 1, v Andhra in Meerut Andhra 349 and 130 for 2 (Watekar 65) drew with Uttar Pradesh 412 (Srivatasva 154, Kaif 144, Suresh 5 for 80) Centuries from Mohammad Kaif and Tanmay Srivastava fetched UP three points for the earning the first-innings lead. Srivastava and Kaif added 285 at nearly three runs an over. Srivastava hit 16 boundaries in his 154, while Kaif managed two more in his 144. For Andhra, LNP Reddy missed a century but AG Pradeep compiled his first first-class century. Andhra were comfortably placed at 222 for 4 but Praveen Kumar struck in quick succession to reduce them to 238 for 6. However, a 107-run stand between M Suresh (46) and Pradeep made sure they weren't bowled out cheaply. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then took three wickets in the space of four runs to hasten the end before Kaif and Srivastava ensured UP started their campaign well. Round 2, v Baroda in Vadodara Baroda 235 (Solanki 71, Praveen 5-70) and 314 (Solanki 71, Parab 67, Chawla 4-122) drew with Uttar Pradesh 286 (Srivastava 79, Kaif 51, Praveen 50, IK Pathan 6-85) and 151 for 6 (Kaif 45*, Veragi 3-58) In a closely fought game UP hung on to the vital first-innings lead courtesy a gritty partnership between Kaif and Amir Khan. Chasing 264, UP had slipped to 97 for 6 on the final day but Kaif, batting low at No. 7, and wicketkeeper Khan played out 30.5 overs to ensure a draw. Kaif chipped in in the first innings as well to ensure they snatched the lead. Down to 9 for 3 in reply to Baroda's 235, Uttar Pradesh recovered despite Irfan Pathan's 5 for 71. Half-centuries from Srivastava and Kaif and a fine rear-guard effort from Praveen Kumar enabled UP to cross Baroda. Round 3, v Tamil Nadu in Ghaziabad Tamil Nadu 507 (Dinesh Karthik 213, Badrinath 123, Gupta 4-123) beat Uttar Pradesh 150 (Balaji 4-38, Amarnath 4-53) and 119 (Balaji 5-42, Ganapathy 4-21) by an innings and 238 runs L Balaji celebrated his return to first-class cricket with a five-wicket haul to help Tamil Nadu crush Uttar Pradesh by an innings and 238 runs. Dinesh Karthik made his highest first-class score to push Tamil Nadu past 500 before Balaji and C Ganapathy combined to bundle out UP for 119. Faced with a daunting deficit of 357, UP began cautiously as their openers added 36 in 17 overs. Ganapathy broke through for Tamil Nadu, sending back Shivakant Shukla to trigger the collapse. Only four players managed double figures and the resistance was feeble as Balaji and Ganapathy pegged away at the wickets, finishing the formalities in just 43 overs, with a day to spare. Piyush Chawla has taken 23 wickets and also made vital runs © Cricinfo Ltd Round 4, v Maharashtra in Kanpur Uttar Pradesh 315 (Shivakant Shukla 131, Parvinder 68, Fallah 5-93) and 140 for 2 (Srivastava 65*, Parvinder 60) beat Maharashtra 221 (Jadhav 93*, Khadiwale 56) and 230 (Jadhav 65, Shilamkar 56) by eight wickets This eight-wicket victory was Uttar Pradesh's first outright win of the season, and moved them up to No. 3 in Group B. Shivkant Shukla hit 131 and added 137 runs with Parvinder Singh to charge UP to a lead before Piyush Chawla (3 for 42) and slow left-armer Praveen Gupta (3 for 55) bowled out Maharashtra for 221 in the second innings. Shukla fell for 16 in UP's chase, but Srivastava and Parvinder scored at a fair clip to clinch the victory in 36.5 overs. Round 5, v Railways in Delhi Uttar Pradesh 346 (P Kumar 98, Raina 66, Kartik 3-60, Karan 3-73, Singh 3-86) and 150 for 6 dec (Srivastava 62, Parida 2-7) drew with Railways 200 (Goud 78*, Chawla 5-33, RP Singh 3-81) and 215 for 8 (Rawat 80, Bangar 70*, B Kumar 5-35) A determined Sanjay Bangar and Mahesh Rawat, playing with viral fever, helped Railways hang on for a tense draw, after Uttar Pradesh had reduced them to 33 for 6, then 77 for 7. UP declared 5.5 overs into the final day, and 33.4 overs and seven wickets later were in sight of a big win. But Bangar and Rawat frustrated them for close to two-and-a-half hours, before Bangar and Anureet Singh batted out 13.2 overs to keep the visitors at bay. Yere Gowd had done the same in the first innings with a stodgy unbeaten 78 to help Railways avoid the follow-on after Chawla took a five-for. UP were left to rue their slow batting in their second innings when they added only 150 runs in 55.3 overs. Round 6, v Karnataka in Bangalore Karnataka 511 (Akhil 135, Uthappa 65, Raghu 64, Chawla 3-141) drew with Uttar Pradesh 567 (Srivastava 159, Kaif 112, Chawla 96, Aiyappa 3-108) While all about him were losing their heads, and their wickets, Piyush Chawla kept his, to score a crucial 96 and take Uttar Pradesh a step closer to the quarter-finals. Coming in just before lunch, with UP still 143 short of Karnataka's 511, he strung together a partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, then saw two wickets fall to let Karnataka back in. UP were 55 behind when No. 10 Amir Khan came out but the two batted sensibly for the much-needed three points in this, their last league game. Meanwhile, Maharashtra denied Railways, who needed to win with a bonus point to get ahead of UP, an outright win and paved the way for UP to enter the final eight. Tanmay Srivastava has been Uttar Pradesh's leading run-scorer this season © Cricinfo Ltd Quarter-final v Gujarat in Vadodara Uttar Pradesh 305 (Raina 93, Parvinder 64) and 375 (Praveen Gupta 74, Srivastava 67, Amir 56, Parmar 5-113) drew with Gujarat 117 (Praveen Kumar 5-29) and 106 for 3 (Modi 57) UP go through on their first-innings lead This quarter-final ended in a draw and UP sauntered to the semi-final on the first-innings lead. Gujarat squandered their first-day advantage, being bowled out for 117 after restricting UP to 305. Praveen Kumar took five wickets, and was well supported by fellow medium-pacers Imtiyaz Ahmed and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who shared the remaining wickets between them, to help UP gain a massive 188-run lead. UP were in no hurry on the third day, plodding along at 2.32 runs an over to shut Gujarat out of the match. Gujarat had about two sessions to bat on the final and their batsmen crawled to 106 before the match was called off. Semi-final v Tamil Nadu in Nagpur Tamil Nadu 445 (Mukund 100, Karthik 72, Vijay 69, Ganapathy 67*, Badrinath 65) drew with Uttar Pradesh 447 for 8 dec (Shukla 178*, Parvinder 138, Balaji 5-114) Uttar Pradesh progress to the final by virtue of first-innings lead A monumental effort from Shivakant Shukla, the fourth-longest innings in first-class cricket, took Uttar Pradesh through to their third final in four years. Both teams fought hard till the end for the vital first-innings lead. UP were the favourites to knock off the required 193 runs at the start of the final day, but a spirited L Balaji kept TN in the hunt. However, Shukla continued unflustered, playing with intense determination to steer his team into the lead with only two wickets in hand. ********************************************************** So what contrasting ways to get into the final of the tournamen! Who will win it? Mumbai are firm favourites but anything can happen in cricket!!
Desi Cartman Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 You want Sachins team to lose - my god I want Uttar pradesh to win ! Jai Uttar Pradesh
graphic23 Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Expect carnage from UP. RP Singh is in. I hope he does well though - one of my favorite young bowlers.
Chandan Posted January 12, 2009 Author Posted January 12, 2009 Mumbai vs UP, Ranji Trophy Final, 2008-09 The Preview, from Hyderabad January 11, 2009 An in-form Wasim Jaffer and the presence of Sachin Tendulkar are just two daunting factors UP have to contend with © Cricinfo Ltd. Mohammad Kaif had just finished addressing the press when he exclaimed in jest, "Arre, no one asked me about my plan for Sachin! I had prepared the answer so well". After the laughter subsided he went on, "Australia, Africa, Pakistan all have made plans and this man keeps scoring hundreds, what can we do extra special?" Indeed. To state the obvious, Sachin Tendulkar's shadow threatens to engulf the Ranji Trophy final. That a big ton from the little big man could bring Mumbai their 38th Ranji title is almost considered a given. The last time he played in a Ranji final, two years back, he hit a hundred and Mumbai won. Who will stop him? The pitch offers hope. It sports a greenish tinge and the curator promises not to shave off the grass before adding the cliché of "a sporting wicket". Uttar Pradesh's hopes rest on that. If it turns out to be a batting paradise, Mumbai's strong batting line-up that includes Wasim Jaffer, the prolific Ajinkya Rahane - both of whom have crossed 1,000 runs this season - and Rohit Sharma apart from him can be expected to score more runs than UP. Ashish Winston Zaidi, the former domestic bowler and now UP's manager, is pinning his hope on the pitch. "It looks like it would help the seamers initially before getting slow," he said. "The curators have said they won't remove the grass. Our bowlers, like Praveen Kumar and RP Singh, will be the key." However, in India, grass on a pitch doesn't necessarily translate to seam movement. Dead grass is usually rolled and what little left is cut on the morning of the game. Kaif knows it only too well. "This [talk of sporting tracks] has been said for a while now but the pitches have been dead and have not helped spinners as well. What we need are sporting wickets that help the spinners as the game goes on." Throughout this season, unlike the previous few years, UP have rode on their batting to get the first-innings lead to move ahead in the tournament. Tanmay Srivastava has got the most runs (654 at 54.50) with Kaif, Suresh Raina, and Shivakant Shukla pitching in with vital contributions. UP have just one outright win largely because the bowlers haven't fired on unresponsive pitches. It is not as if Mumbai, unbeaten this season, will lose any sleep if the pitch plays sporting. They have one of the world's best seam bowlers in Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and the useful Dhawal Kulkarni and would expect their batsmen to handle anything that UP throws at them. The other question is will Mumbai get complacent with the presence of heavyweights? Jaffer asserts they won't be and revealed that Tendulkar addressed the team strongly on the same issue. "We were a bit flat and complacent on the third day of the semi-final against Saurashtra and Sachin spoke to the team, warning us about complacency. We are all keyed up for this final," he said. "UP have a bunch of match winners and they have beaten us in the recent past. We know that they can do it again. We can't relax just because Sachin and Zaheer are in the team." It’s time for emotions to be set aside. Uttar Pradesh’s semifinal batting hero Shivakant Shukla may struggle to overcome his awe when he encounters his role model Sachin Tendulkar for the first time on the field. Likewise rookie fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with 25 wickets, is equally excited about bowling to the great batsman from Mumbai. The Ranji Trophy championship final is certainly not the stage for cricketers like Shukla to even momentarily forget their designated roles in what is likely to be an absorbing, five-day encounter commencing at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (Uppal) here on Monday. Twenty-two-year-old Shukla, who played an 821-minute unbeaten knock of 178 against Tamil Nadu which catapulted his team into the final from a seemingly difficult position, is optimistic of a repeat performance for his team’s cause. “I will cherish every moment of this final forever. But, I am conscious of my responsibility at the same time," he pointed out. His approach reflects the spirit of Uttar Pradesh, for which this will be the third final in four years. Mumbai haven't yet determined a final XI, though they have retained the same 12 from the semi-final. It could be a three-way contest for two spots between Amol Muzumdar, 31 runs short of becoming the highest Ranji run-scorer but struggling this season, Sairaj Bahutule, who hasn't been very successful with his legspin, and Abhishek Nayar, the promising allrounder. UP have more or less decided on their composition. A fit RP Singh is set to replace Imityaz Ahmed. Both teams had a vigorous nets session today. All eyes were on Tendulkar, who as ever, didn't face any bowlers on the day before the match. Instead, he faced some throw downs and concentrated on his back-foot play. Time and again, he asked the bowlers to throw shorter for the "cut shot" and practiced quite plenty punchy on-the-up drives. One can only guess whether it gives any indication of what he thinks the pitch will do. All eyes on Muzumdar One of the highlights of the final could be Amol Muzumdar’s performance. He needs 31 runs more to beat Amarjeet Kaypee’s record of 7623 and become the highest run-getter in Ranji Trophy. “It should be a great achievement but I will reserve all my comments till I cross that landmark,†was his reaction. But, if the body language is any indication, the Kaif-led team is ready for the big challenge to win the title for the second time. However the team is not naive to ignore the imposing record of Mumbai, which is going into the 75th championship final with 37 triumphs and two runner-up spots under its belt. With BCCI curators chairman Daljit Singh monitoring the pitch preparations undertaken by HCA curator Y.L. Chandrasekhar, enough hints have been provided to indicate the pitch should be a sporting one if it retained the impression it gave on Sunday. The battle promises to be interesting. UP, the Pakistan of domestic cricket, thrive on passion and instinct while there is more method in Mumbai's approach. "We don't have the infrastructure or the history that Mumbai have," said Kaif. "We have the passion and the confidence that we can do it. I feel very proud that despite the lack of resources, we have reached the final three times in the last four years. We will give it our all. Let's see what happens." Let's indeed see. The teams (from): Mumbai: Wasim Jaffer (capt.), Sachin Tendulkar, Vinayak Samant (wk), Zaheer Khan, Ajinkya Rahane, Ajit Agarkar, Amol Muzumdar, Rohit Sharma, Sairaj Bahutule, Dhaval Kulkarni, Abhishek Nayar, Ramesh Powar, Sahil Kukreja and Amit Chavan, Usman Malvi. Coach: Pravin Amre. Uttar Pradesh: Mohd. Kaif (capt.), Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, Tanmay Srivastava, Praveen Kumar, R.P. Singh, Shivakant Shukla, Parvinder Singh, Mohd. Amir Khan (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Praveen Gupta, Imtiyaz Ahmed, Ravikant Shukla, Tahir Abbas, Ashish Yadav and Sudeep Tyagi. Coach: Gyanendra Pandey. Manager: A.W. Zaidi. Umpires: Messrs. Amish M. Saheba & Shahvir Tarapore. Match referee: D. Vasu.
Desi Cartman Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Mumbai cheating ! 2.4 P Kumar to Jaffer, no run, Jaffer is a lucky man!! That hit the pitch hard on a good length and moved away sharply, Jaffer tried to defend that off the back foot, got a thin outside edge and Amir Khan pouched it comfortably behind the stumps. Everyone else heard the nick, except the umpire who remained motionless.
Chandan Posted January 12, 2009 Author Posted January 12, 2009 Final rule confuses Mumbai Sriram Veera in Hyderabad January 11, 2009 Mumbai have expressed their dismay and surprise at the rules for the Ranji Trophy final that state that if a team's first innings is incomplete, the winner will be decided on the run rate. The provision for this is that team batting second must play at least 30 overs, and Wasim Jaffer, Mumbai's captain, said he was unaware of this rule until he met the matchreferee Diwakar Vasu today for the pre-game briefing. "The rules are confusing for the final," said Jaffer. "For instance, if we score 700 off 200 overs and then Uttar Pradesh are 150 for 9 in 30 overs, they will win the title. In a four-day or a five-day match, there's no need to decide the winner on the basis of better run rate. I feel runs scored and wickets lost both have to be taken into account. I would love to suggest the same point to the technical committee chairman Sunil Gavaskar if I attend the captains' meeting before the start of the next season." Interestingly, Mumbai nearly lost the semi-final against Saurashtra due to their ignorance about a similar rule. The BCCI's playing guidelines clearly state that the net run rate calculated from previous games will decide the winner in a knockout game in case the first innings is not completed. Mumbai did not know the run-rate rule and nearly lost the plot. They batted for two days and were intent on carrying for the third before realising that in case Saurashtra did not finish their first innings, they would get through to the final based on their higher net run-rate in previous games. Mumbai declared on the third morning and bowled out Saurashtra on the final day to move to the final. "I didn't know the rules till the second evening of the semifinal," said Jaffer. "I did not have a copy of the playing conditions till then." Interestingly, a Saurashtra player had told Cricinfo on the second evening that "Mumbai doesn't appear to know the rules and hope they continue batting on the third day". A Mumbai-based coach offered an insight into how the times have changed for Mumbai. "Previously, Mumbai never needed to know all this. They had a fabulous team and were not bothered about leads and bonus points," he said. "Not any more. They can say the rules are not fair - it probably is not - but to say that you are confused and don't know the rules is neither here nor there. It's the captain and the coach's responsibility to find out the rules." The league rule is different, the semifinal rule is different, the rule for the final is different. So all the hard work in winning six matches out of nine can go waste if the final remains inconclusive on the first innings." (Note: Net Run Rate is Runs scored per over minus runs conceded per over; Run quotient is Batting average divided by bowling average.). THE MUMBAI think-tank does not want to wait for mathematical calculations to decide the fate of the Ranji final. Rohit vs Raina? Bright end of a dark street Sriram Veera in Hyderabad January 11, 2009 Suresh Raina believes he has gained plenty from the dark days of 2007, and is eying a spot in India's Test side © AFP For Suresh Raina, 2007 was the year of the devil. He had lost the feel for the game after being bedridden for six months due to a knee injury but slowly found the strength to fight his way back. He would sneak out of his Lucknow house on crutches to visit his boarding school. There, he would stand behind the nets for hours, watching the kids play cricket and try and get the love for the game back. "Cricket sab bhool gaya tha ("I had forgotten all about cricket"), being out of action for six months," says Raina about his annus horribilis. "I used to stand behind the nets and watch the kids play. I had to get back the feel for the game. Even my mother - we are a very emotional family - didn't know I was going and seeing that. It was a very difficult time." It must have been a bewilderingly confusing time for the youngster, who had already been hyped as the next big thing in Indian cricket. He was dropped after a poor one-day series in South Africa in 2006, and his comeback bid was hampered when he suffered the knee injury, during a Deodhar Trophy match in February 2007. Faith in god and the family's support kept him going. Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar gave him some confidence to continue. "I was out of the game for one-and-a-half-years. The BCCI supported me during that time and I spoke to a couple senior players like Tendulkar and Dravid, who helped me. They told me to not to hurry the rehab." Get fit first was the message. Thankfully, Raina listened. He remembers the help of the physio Chandan Chawla who put him through an ultimately successful programme. It wasn't all smooth sailing though. In an interview with the Hindustan Times in August 2007, Raina had shared some of his frustrations about the lack of a recovery chart. He compared the Indian situation with the kind of treatment injured players get abroad. "But here… forget it! Look at [Lakshmipathy] Balaji or [Ashish] Nehra. They got injured and where are they now?" he said then. There were endless visits to doctors and physiotherapists before Raina slowly got a grip of his fitness programme. He trained hard for a couple of hours in the morning, then did cardio and weight training. Slowly, Raina's body began to respond and his muscles strengthened. He went to play in the leagues in England. The cobwebs of self-doubt cleared from his mind, he found hitting the ball wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be in those dark days. Raina looks back at those days as a blessing in disguise. It doesn't seem to be the fatal philosophy of 'whatever happens, happens for the good'; it is more a journey to manhood. "I learnt a lot about life during those up and down times. I am in better shape mentally now. I got to know people better after that. Before I used to be like … Just come, play cricket, and go. I matured off the field during that time. I understood my game better. I didn't think about being called a fringe player and whether I would get a chance or not. I think if you perform, you will get everything." Raina watched India's disastrous World Cup campaign on television and saw how the team lacked support when it lost. Another small life lesson about a cricketer's life was learnt. Meanwhile, his own fortunes started to turn. He had a very good Challenger Series and followed it up with a good Ranji Trophy season. "Things started to go well from there on. I became more positive," he says. Then the IPL happened. Raina was suddenly brushing shoulders with the likes of Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey and Stephen Fleming. He scored 421 runs for the Chennai Super Kings, with three half-centuries at a strike-rate of 142.71, and his performances in the IPL undoubtedly helped in his recall to the one-day side. "Fleming, especially, was a great help for mental strength and preparation," says Raina. "We used to go together for dinners and talk about stuff. Then I did well in the Asia Cup and on the Sri Lanka tour against Ajantha Mendis." During the Asia Cup in Pakistan, where he made two centuries - three years after making his debut - to finish as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament, Raina spoke to India's coach Gary Kirsten, who he says helped him take the journey forward. "He thinks about each player. He spent a lot of time with me and Rohit Sharma and gave us lots of confidence. Jo missing tha voh uske baad upar ho gaya, ("What was missing in confidence shot up after that encounter"). I decided to go there and enjoy the game." With the seniors retiring, spots are up for grabs in the Test team. Yuvraj Singh grabbed his chance in the series against England and Raina doesn't believe that the likes of Rohit are ahead of him in the race. "I am not behind. I am playing well. Whenever I get the opportunity, I will do well. I have done well in ODIs and am looking for opportunities in Tests. The thing is to enjoy the whole process." The enjoyment returned but England, led by Andrew Flintoff, tried to develop a crack by peppering Raina with bouncers in the last few games. Raina, however, sees no cause for concern. "There is nothing like that. Just on that day and wicket, if that shot doesn't come on well, it doesn't mean I don't have the shot. I play drives, pulls and have all the shots. I just have to get the big knocks coming through again." The big knocks eluded him this Ranji season. "I played two or three crucial knocks. Even in the quarterfinal I hit a crucial 83," he says. "The last season I scored big hundreds and this season I haven't scored big knocks, but it's not as if I have played badly. I have played well and got out. That's important. And I am happy that I have contributed for the team this season.. Hopefully, in this final, I will get the big one." Rohit’s home advantage at neutral venue Devendra Pandey Posted: Jan 12, 2009 at 0022 hrs IST Hyderabad is second home to Mumbai’s middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma. His grandfather hails from Andhra Pradesh and his mother tongue is Telugu. What’s more, the Uppal Stadium has been the luckiest ground for the 21-year-old youngster. So, he obviously carried pleasant memories when Sharma entered the practice session on the eve of the Ranji Trophy final to be played against Uttar Pradesh. “Whenever I hear we are playing at Hyderabad, it is sheer happiness because this ground had been lucky for me,†Sharma said after a brief knocking session. Sharma came into limelight after scoring consistently for Deccan Chargers in the inaugural Indian Premier League. Just a few months ago, Sharma had slammed a brilliant hundred for Board President’s XI against Australia. “I don’t know but somehow things go right for me here — whenever I’m out of form or not in touch and we have traveled here, I have regained my form on this ground,†he explains. His stint goes back to 2006 during his debut first-class season for Mumbai. Despite regular appearances for India A, Sharma had failed badly in his first two Ranji Trophy matches. His pride was at stake then, especially since he was the only batsman to play India A before playing Ranji Trophy then. It was only after Mumbai traveled to Hyderabad to play their league game that Sharma got his form back. He got out cheaply in the first innings but the second innings saw him strike a blistering 96, though Mumbai lost that match. “That innings gave me an important boost, since my name was at stake especially when I had traveled to Australia and other places. After scoring here, I went on to slam my first double hundred. But I think that 100 against Australia will always be special,†he says. Sharma, though, realises that one can’t always rely on luck. As Mumbai gear up for an exciting encounter against UP, Sharma feels that only hard work can help him stay at the crease. “When you come out to bat, you will be thinking that this is my favourite ground and I will score runs easily, which can lead to complacency. I don’t want such things to happen to me. Let me go and play the same way I play elsewhere,†Sharma said. *************************************************** Who'll win, Rohit or Raina in this match?
Rajiv Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 Uttar Pradesh will win Jai UP :finger: cheater out .. to mumbai :finger: tujhe nahin boolongo thakur
Desi Cartman Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 tujhe nahin boolongo thakur UP will destroy your pathetic mumbai team :weights:
Chalks Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 C'mon UP! (Hope SRT hits a ton, but Mumbai lose. :winky:)
Rajiv Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 UP will destroy your pathetic mumbai team :weights: team reaches the final and they are pathetic
Desi Cartman Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 team reaches the final and they are pathetic UP is the #1 team Rajeev .,... Mumbai sucks ... they dont even know where they live , drive and work anymore. They should name the streets first and then worry about Kirkit :musicman:
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