Duleep Trophy 2008-2009

[h4te]

badri scores another hundred!! average 57+, what class! so, what, badri books his ticket to NZ test. Rahane should also get a spot!

[SachDan]

All over !! SZ bundled out for mere 199 runs. Badri 100*

[fineleg]

badri consistency!

[Chandan]

Looks like West has bagged it already. After bundling out South for just 199, they've scored 232 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. All the batsmen have played aggressively especially Rahanr who backed his marathon knock of 165 with a superb 98, of just 110 balls. The pitch seems to be playing pretty well for West batsmen or have the South bowlers bowled rubbishly? Can't say! But being already 492 runs behind and 2 days to go, it is impossible for South to get back in the match.

[Guest Hiten.]

South India opened their bowling with Sree and RU ? Don't they have any decent pace bowler in their arsenal ?

[graphic23]

South Zone require another 635 runs with 10 wickets remaining. And here I was thinking 321 is going to be a huge chase.

[Chandan]

Duleep Trophy Final, 2009, Day 3 South Zone v West Zone, Chennai, Day 3 Rahane shines for dominant West Zone Cricinfo staff February 7, 2009 West Zone 459 and 232 for 4 (Rahane 98, Parthiv 64) lead South Zone 199 (Badrinath 100*, Pawar 3-73, Powar 3-47) by 492 runs Scorecard How were they out Ajinkya Rahane was out agonisingly close to his second century of the match but his aggressive innings stretched West Zone's lead to a mammoth 492, after his team's spinners Ramesh Powar and Rajesh Pawar took three wickets each to bowl out South for 199. It is unlikely that West will declare before lunch tomorrow after they decided against enforcing a follow on despite a substantial first-innings lead. Even if the South bowlers dismiss West's remaining batsmen cheaply, the task ahead of them is ardous. The signs were ominous from the outset for South, after Parthiv glanced Sreesanth to the boundary off the first ball of West's second innings. Boundaries were frequently on offer and the West openers scored at an over four-an-over before Wasim Jaffer was given out lbw to Sreesanth off a ball that appeared to be missing leg stump. Rahane took only two balls to show his class, dispatching a length ball to the square-leg boundary with a trademark flick. He then hit Sreesanth for three fours and neither batsman allowed the South bowlers to settle. The pair had added 110 before Parthiv, struggling with cramps after keeping for over 70 overs, retired hurt. His departure upset West's momentum and Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahane fell in fairly quick succession. Rahane got a faint edge against S Badrinath and was caught down leg side. He fell for 98 and narrowly missed becoming only the second player after Lalchand Rajput to score two hundreds in a Duleep Trophy final. However, he ended a successful domestic season, in which he was the second-highest run-scorer after Jaffer, on a high. Bhavik Thaker dealt some heavy blows in his brief innings of 22 before he edged Sreesanth to Rahul Dravid at first slip. The breakthrough came a little too late. South failed to capitalise on favourable conditions for spin bowling, something West had done successfully in the first innings. West's reply came after South capitulated against spin, S Badrinath's 100 proving the only notable contribution. Powar and Pawar bowled well in tandem with fielders around the bat. Powar got Yadav to flick one straight to Kedar Jadhav at forward short-leg but he was lucky to get R Ashwin given out caught at silly point, though replays didn't conclusively detect an inside edge onto his pads. Only Badrinath managed to play the spinners, using his feet to force the ball past the infield, though many shots fetched only singles. His only false stroke was a front-foot slash off Dhawal Kulkarni which just cleared second slip. Badrinath greeted Abhishek Nayar with a cheeky whip high over square leg and brought up his century with a clubbed four down the ground off the same bowler. The difference between the two sides was in the partnerships - West had four in excess of fifty in their first innings, while South had none. The highest South could manage was 43- for the second and eighth wickets - leaving a lot of responsibility on their captain. Support from the other end wasn't forthcoming though, and South's batsmen will need to rectify that shortcoming in order to prevent West from claiming the trophy. Another POV Westerly blows South away S. Ram Mahesh Badrinath wages a lone battle; Rahane misses second hundred BAD LUCK: South Zone’s R. Ashwin was unfortunate to be adjudged caught at silly-point off Ramesh Powar for a duck. CHENNAI: West Zone subjugated South Zone on the middle day of the five-day Duleep Trophy final here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. Such was the authority Wasim Jaffer’s side exerted on Saturday’s proceedings that had it been a boxing match, the referee would have called for the bell to end South’s misery a little after tea. But this being cricket, with its space for salvation, South remains in the fight — down, with little chance of turning matters around, but not out cold just yet. West Zone took a giant step towards regaining the Duleep Trophy after dismissing South for a paltry first innings score. Defending 459, West didn't take more than a session on the third day to wipe out the remaining South batsmen for an additional 93 runs. Resuming at 106 for four, South were bowled out for 199, giving West a 260-run first innings lead. Only captain Subramaniam Badrinath stood amidst the ruins, remaining unbeaten on a 100, reaching his 19th first class hundred off the penultimate delivery of the innings. Badrinath was unfortunate in not having anyone for support and making a fight. As West continued to make merry, his knock was overshadowed by Ajinkya Rahane's handsome 98, the West number three missing the chance in becoming the second batsman after Lalchand Rajput (105 and 109, West vs South in 1986-87) to score 2 hundreds in a Duleep Trophy final. Huge lead By close on Saturday, West, having chosen not to enforce the follow-on, enlarged its 260-run first-innings lead to 492 in the second stint, losing four wickets to South’s bowling and Parthiv Patel to cramps. West’s only disappointment was Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal two short of a deserved second century in the match. West started the day with intensity, establishing its dominance in the two-and-a-half-hour first session. The side had some help from South’s batsmen, several of whom contributed to their downfall. But, largely, West made its luck, adhering to the discipline required. Crisis man South captain S. Badrinath confirmed his reputation as a man for a crisis, remaining unconquered on 100 (245m, 163b, 10x4, 3x6) as his mates fell around him. Dinesh Karthik half-edged, half-guided a delivery he might have ignored to slip, squandering the two lives West had granted him in the space of four balls. Arjun Yadav’s unconvincing front-foot prod at Ramesh Powar was held smartly by Kedar Jadhav at short-leg, but television replays showed the bowler had over-stepped. Ashwin was unfortunate to be adjudged caught at silly-point — bat didn’t appear to involve itself with ball. The left-handed Shadab Jakati hung around before edging to the slip cordon. Eight wickets down, Badrinath upped the ante, but his century didn’t look like coming as Sreesanth ran himself out and injured pacer Vinay Kumar had to walk out. Sreesanth paid the price of a mix-up when Badrinath’s judgment of a run failed him. R. Vinay Kumar, who hasn’t played much of a part in this match after straining his hip, barely registered his presence. The Tamil Nadu batsman pulled a Dhawal Kulkarni delivery for four to reach his 19th first-class century, and Vinay Kumar was snared by Pawar off the very next delivery to bring South’s innings to a close. In all six wickets fell in 35.2 overs for the addition of 93 runs. True to reputation, West chose to bat again. Jaffer was handed a marginal leg-before decision, but Parthiv (64 retd. hurt) made full use of the opportunity to fatten his average against a flagging bowling attack. Rahane continued his impervious touch and with Parthiv Patel in tow, dominated the South bowlers. The 20-year-old hit four sixes and 10 fours. But he edged a Badrinath-delivery down the leg-side, bringing to a close an outstanding season, which yielded 1390 runs in 13 matches. Fine catch Having raced to an effortless 98, Ajinkya Rahane, who scored a magnificent 165 in the first essay, needed just two more runs to become only the second batsman to score a century in both innings of a Duleep Trophy final. That, however, was not to be. Rahane moved unobtrusively to 98 off 109 balls (10x4, 4x6) before South Zone captain Subramanium Badrinath, who himself struggled to reach the three-figure mark earlier in the day, induced a nick to end Rahane’s bid for another record in a season which has seen plenty of those from the prolific Mumbaikar’s bat. Badrinath traded his off-breaks for a seam-up delivery that drifted down the leg-side, forcing Rahane to fall over. Karthik moved adeptly to complete a fine catch standing up. It couldn’t prevent South from staring at defeat though. Barring Badrinath, South's batting was pathetic. Adding to South's woes were two wrong calls from the SA umpire Marais Erasmus. There were encouraging signs from Sreesanth late in the day – improved rhythm, increased pace (still in the low 80 mphs however), and better control. The 51st over of the West innings elicited a round of applause from Karthik and Rahul Dravid behind the stumps. But it’s a measure of how disappointingly Sreesanth has bowled that one over of quality stands out so starkly.

[Dirty_South]

RD gone for a big fat ZERO :hahaha:

[h4te]

RD gone for a big fat ZERO :hahaha:

he just gave South a 'chance' of winning the game :giggle:

[Chandan]

Duleep Trophy Final, 2009, Day 4 South Zone v West Zone, Chennai, Day 4 South make brave progress in impossible chase Cricinfo staff February 8, 2009 South Zone 199 and 232 for 3 (Uthappa 94, Vijay 63) need another 446 runs to beat West Zone 459 and 417 for 8 dec (Parthiv 131, Rahane 98, Pawar 50*) Scorecard How were they out For a couple of hours while Robin Uthappa and M Vijay were hitting West Zone's bowlers all over the MA Chidambaram Stadium, South Zone fans would have dreamt of the possibility of an outrageous chase. However, a session's belligerence could not undo three days of being dominated and the enormity of South's task resurfaced as soon as the openers and Rahul Dravid were dismissed in quick succession. They have to bat a day with seven wickets in hand to save the match, having all but lost the Duleep Trophy to West after conceding a first-innings lead. West strengthened their vice-like grip on the match during the first session of the fourth day. Resuming on 232 for 4 with a lead of 492, they batted on and on, scoring 172 runs before lunch. Despite the conditions favouring spin, none of the South Zone spinners - specialist or part-time - could prevent West from achieving their objective of amassing an unbeatable lead. On a cracked surface with healthy bounce, the slow bowlers needed to focus on hitting particular spots and maintain a consistent line. They failed. Sreesanth battled hard to separate the overnight pair - Abhishek Nayar and Kedar Jadhav - but the lack of support from the other end allowed the batsmen to settle into a rhythm. South finally got their first breakthrough when an innocuous offbreak from R Ashwin, pitched on a length, spat dangerously off the pitch and nearly hit Jadhav on his face. He could only glove an easy catch to Rahul Dravid in the slips. However, West captain Wasim Jaffer was not about to declare for Parthiv Patel was ready to resume his innings on 64, after retiring due to cramps yesterday. Parthiv found his groove easily, placing the ball into gaps and putting away full tosses. He reached his century with a tap behind square off Badrinath for another four and later he charged against Vijay to hit a superb straight six. After Nayar had gone, failing to clear Badrinath at midwicket, Parthiv and Rajesh Pawar scored aggressively and the partnership was nearing 100 before Parthiv faltered by trying to hit against Ashwin's turn and holed out to Robin Uthappa at mid-on. Jaffer declared an over after lunch, after Rajesh Pawar had reach his half-century, setting South a target of 678 in five sessions. South began their chase briskly, with Uthappa and Vijay racing to 93 for 0 in quick time by tea. Uthappa began with a fluent push to the straight boundary off Dhawal Kulkarni in the first over and repeated the shot in his next. Vijay also started positively, by standing his ground to dispatch a short outside off delivery from Siddharth Trivedi to the cover boundary. After five overs from his fast bowlers, Jaffer decided to introduce the left-arm spin of Rajesh Pawar. He nearly broke through immediately, when Uthappa tried to cut a ball that was spinning away but Jaffer failed to catch the ball as it flew over his head at first slip. With spinners bowling from both ends, the batsmen grew cautious but scored whenever an opportunity presented itself. Powar tried to draw the batsman out with his flight, but when he faltered he was made to pay. Uthappa had already pulled him for a boundary and now started to impose himself on the offspinner. He swept Powar past the square-leg boundary and then charged to hit a powerful six over long-on. He reached his half-century by stepping out again to hit Powar along the ground to the straight boundary. South's opening partnership reached 165 before Vijay edged Powar to Patel. An over later, Powar induced another edge to get rid of Uthappa, who had made 94 off 98 balls, before bowling Rahul Dravid for a duck with one that kept low. South had lost three wickets for two runs but the slide was arrested by S Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik who added 65 for the fourth wicket. Their job has barely begun if they are to save the match. Another POV It’s all but over for South, West Zone set to clinch Duleep Trophy S. Ram Mahesh Parthiv Patel scores century as West sets an improbable target GOOD BATTING: South Zone opener Robin Uthappa came up with a great knock but fell short of a well-deserved century on Sunday. CHENNAI: The sparkling opening stand of 165 between Robin Uthappa (94) and M. Vijay (63) on the fourth afternoon here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium marked the longest period South Zone broke from West Zone’s hold during the Ranji Trophy final. Chasing an improbable 678 from a minimum of 140 overs, South’s openers offered a glimpse of what might have been had at least one of them — or any other batsman for that matter — lent the admirable S. Badrinath the support he deserved in the first innings. But this briefest of sparks was snuffed out in a 12-minute period that saw South lose Vijay, Uthappa, and Rahul Dravid. It again fell on Badrinath to stabilise things, and this he did in Dinesh Karthik’s company, as South ended day four on 232 for three in 50 overs. West has all but clinched the Duleep Trophy, but it is hoped South does its utmost on Monday to prevent the outright win. Leaching the match Sunday morning saw South’s spinners wilting as West reprised its patented style of play. It’s only natural that the intensity reduces when the competitive interest has drained from a contest, and West, in batting forever, leached the final. This isn’t a criticism of Wasim Jaffer. He still gave his bowlers five sessions at South’s batsmen on a crumbling surface; he was simply ensuring, in the tried and tested West method, that only one team can win. The point is made merely to establish context: although South’s spinners were on a hiding to nothing, which explains in part their collective failure, their lack of consistency and potency in both innings, on a track that was helpful to their cause, cannot escape censure. In the not-too-distant past, South Zone had high-quality spinners who were match-winners in their own right. No, not the Prasanna-Chandrasekhar-Venkataraghavan era, but the generation after them. The hearts of Venkatapathy Raju, Kanwaljit Singh, Arshad Ayub (Hyderabad), M. Venkatramana, Sunil Subramaniam, Diwakar Vasu (Tamil Nadu), Raghuram Bhat, Anil Kumble, Sunil Joshi, still going strong, (from Karnataka) and Kerala's B. Ramprakash and K N Ananthapadmanabhan would be bleeding looking at the way the present South spinners have bowled here. They have relished bowling on similar tracks and have bowled out the opposition twice in no time, again and again. However, the next-generation South spinners, offie R. Ashwin, left-arm Shadab Jakati and leggie M. Suresh seem to have no clue. R. Ashwin had his moments — particularly on day one — and endured misfortune when a catch went down. But with Sreesanth misfiring and R. Vinay Kumar injuring himself, Ashwin didn’t turn in a performance worthy of the lead spinner. Parthiv Patel, who on Saturday had retired to the dressing room with cramps, returned at the fall of the fifth wicket to help himself to a skilful century. With Abhishek Nayar (44) and Rajesh Pawar (50 not out) chipping in with some useful contributions down the order, West piled on the misery in hot and humid conditions before declaring the innings soon after Pawar got to his half-century. Jaffer, who some thought would declare after the wicketkeeper reached three figures, only called his batsmen in after Rajesh Pawar had notched up a half-century. On a turning track, spinners need to bowl in the right areas, without having to do much. Effective spinners read the conditions and do just that little bit that catch the batsmen unawares. Unfortunately, South’s threesome could just not stop West's march. West batsmen adapted admirably. They played with the turn and danced down the track to unsettle the spinners. Ajinkya Rahane did it in both the innings and Parthiv Patel showed the way on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday morning, when he resumed on 64 after retiring hurt last evening due to cramps. Classy drives A feature of Uthappa’s stay was his driving against the seamers. The stroke drew several short balls, to which he swivelled into position to hook and pull. Vijay struck a clean ball as well, although he spent 21 balls on 47 at one stage, as Uthappa moved from 56 to 92. Vijay edged a Ramesh Powar delivery that skidded though without turning, Uthappa found the fielder on the boundary off Rajesh Pawar, and Dravid was given no chance when a Powar off-break crept through him at ankle height — in next to no time, South was confronted with the enormity of its task. There was a sense of déjà vu with what transpired on the penultimate ball of the 37th over in South Zone’s second innings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. Robin Uthappa was looking on top of his game, having taken the opposition bowlers to the cleaners. And then, he stepped out off the bowling of Rajesh Pawar only to hole out to Siddharth Trivedi at mid-off, bringing a promising innings to an end. Then again, throwing away the wicket was something he was accused of doing often during his stint with the Indian team. Nonetheless, Uthappa’s 98-ball 94, which included 12 fours and three hits over the fence, did provide some entertainment on the fourth day of the Duleep Trophy final after his team were set an improbable 678 for victory by West. Before the rush of blood did him in, Uthappa looked composed and a lot more mature. The Coorg lad attributed it to being given the responsibility of captaining the Karnataka Ranji team this season. “As a captain, you have to keep thinking throughout the match, and it has helped me understand my game better,†said Uthappa, who led Karnataka into the quarter-finals. He was quick to note that the new-found maturity has borne results in the form of the good run that he has enjoyed with the bat. “I have scored almost 946 runs (this season), and am looking forward to the one-dayers now,†added Uthappa.

[SachDan]

^^:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: SZ 369/6 at lunch

[Rajan]

all out 403. Mottu Powar 7 wickets. 17th time west zone wins duleep trophy. Rahane has compensated for his poor quality knock in Ranji final. Badri batted well both innings, despite so many people criticising his lack of technique. Dinesh karthik could be pushing for a place in NZ tour party.But Parthiv patel has also done well. Robin uthtappa is another batsman who never inspires much confidence but has the knack of scoring quickly and consistently, this season. Not much alternatives for spinners- Powar and Pawar are the only ones giving any competition. The less said about seamers it is better.Dhaval kulkarni never looked like taking a wicket.Sree has hurt his chances.the pitch can be blamed to a large extent . Ashwin looks like he will follow venkataraghavan, not much flight, but accurate, good fielder. can be a better batsman than Venkat ever was.

[Sachinism]

The Riddler strikes I miss this guy

[fineleg]

Whale wins it!

[Chandan]

Duleep Trophy Final, 2009, Day 5 South Zone v West Zone, Chennai, Day 5 Powar takes seven as West lift title Cricinfo staff February 9, 2009 West Zone 459 and 417 for 8 dec (Parthiv 131, Rahane 98, Pawar 50*) beat South Zone 199 (Badrinath 100*) and 403 (Uthappa 94, Karthik 75, Badrinath 59, Powar 7-140) by 274 runs Scorecard How were they out Wasim Jaffer collected another trophy as captain after having led Mumbai in their victorious Ranji Trophy campaign A seven-wicket haul by Ramesh Powar helped West Zone lift the Duleep Trophy with a massive 274-run win in Chennai. Chasing an improbable 678 for victory, South Zone put up a more spirited batting effort in the second innings, but finally folded for 403. South were always up against it when they resumed at 232 for 3, needing another 446 to win. On a crumbling pitch, their biggest challenge was facing the spin duo of Powar and Rajesh Pawar and not surprisingly, the pair bowled 64% of the overs. West already had a firm grip on the trophy by virtue of their first-innings lead; it was only a matter of whether South would hang on for a draw. West took three wickets in the opening session and importantly, claimed all the specialist batsmen. They set very defensive fields for the attacking pair of S Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik, trying to force them to make mistakes. However, that didn't stop the pair from attacking the spinners. Badrinath, the captain, followed up his first-innings century with a fifty but perished giving Rajesh Pawar the charge, holing out to Ramesh Powar at long-on. West then attacked the new batsman, Arjun Yadav, and he didn't last very long. Powar kept plugging away outside the offstump and his patience finally paid off when Yadav lobbed a catch to Pawar at mid-off. Karthik, meanwhile, reached his fifty with a cracking drive through extra cover and looked set for a century before a freakish dismissal cut short his knock at 75. He shouldered arms to Powar but while watching the ball through to the keeper, dragged his right leg back and trod on the stumps. R Ashwin and M Suresh took the attack to the seamers and resisted with a half-century stand. They didn't last too long in the afternoon session as Suresh lost his off stump while trying to cut Powar. Shadab Jakati added 22 with Ashwin before he was trapped lbw by a Powar delivery which straightened. Sreesanth, in the meantime, was seen rehearsing imaginary slogs and swishes in the dressing room but it was hardly an indication of what was to come as he lasted just five balls, slogging Powar to Ajinkya Rahane at square leg . Ashwin remained unbeaten on 46 with eight boundaries and Powar finished with 7 for 140. Wasim Jaffer, West's captain, rounded off a glorious season, having lifted the Ranji Trophy as well for Mumbai. This is West's 17th Duleep Trophy title. Another POV Ramesh powers West Zone’s successful victory charge against South Zone for Duleep title S. Ram Mahesh Ramesh Powar scalps seven wickets for the winner THE CHAMPIONS: West Zone completely outplayed South Zone to clinch the Duleep Trophy in Chennai on Monday. CHENNAI: West Zone wrapped up the formalities after lunch on the final day here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, completing a 274-run win over South Zone to lift the Duleep Trophy. West dismissed South for 403, thanks in large measure to Mumbai off-spinner Ramesh Powar, who returned figures of seven for 140. The 30-year-old Powar, playing his 100th first class match, showed there’s no substitute for accuracy and persistence on a dusting track. “It was great fun to bowl here,†said Powar, who finished with 10 wickets in the match. “There were footholds you could land the ball on. I was determined to prove myself after being dropped from the eleven in the semifinal. I take great pride in finishing in champion sides, and I’m very happy I could take wickets when my side needed it.†Vital stand South, resuming at 232/3 and requiring another 446 for victory, had their hopes pinned on local boys, S. Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik, to wriggle out from the grim situation. The duo did hold its ground with a 121-run stand for the fourth wicket, with Karthik being more attractive and aggressive. Even as Badrinath watched from the other end, Karthik chose to attack the West spinners, unleashing some breathtaking strokes, driving Powar over long-on for a six and playing Rajesh Pawar inside-out for four through extra-cover. S. Badrinath (59) and Dinesh Karthik (75) added 121 in 149 balls for the fourth-wicket, briefly raising hope that South might draw the match. Badrinath played cautiously, hitting along the ground most of the time. On reaching his half-century and looking good for his second century of the match, however, he carelessly lifted Pawar straight into the hands of Powar just inside the long-on rope. From here on, Powar got down to business and picked up the remaining wickets, including that of Karthik. The Tamil Nadu batsman though got a reprieve at 69 when Pawar dropped him at long off, but he failed to make the most of the chance. Soon after, while closely watching a Powar delivery thud into Parthiv Patel’s gloves, Karthik disturbed the stumps with the flap of his back pad to fall to a freak dismissal. The seventh-wicket pair of R. Ashwin and M. Suresh raised a 58-run stand in an hour and a half, but that just delayed the inevitable. As Badrinath found the fielder on the boundary, Karthik disturbed the stumps with his pad in trying to leave a Powar off-break, and although R. Ashwin chipped in with an unbeaten 46, there was little else from the others. Powar Powar enjoys bowling in such conditions, what with his side-on action giving him that much extra time to judge the batsmen’s last-second movements and forcing them into making mistakes. With his ten-wicket match haul, the offie, who wasn’t the first choice spinner and was dropped for the first match of Duleep Trophy, proved to his skipper that he was still quite competent. West had everything going for them after they won the toss. Their batsmen put up runs on the board, and the bowlers backed them remarkably well, ensuring the second major triumph in three weeks for skipper Wasim Jaffer, who led Mumbai to the Ranji triumph. Spinners from both sides came in for criticism for their inability to prosper on a turning wicket. But Powar said that the Kookuburra ball was the main culprit for that. “If we were using an SG ball here, it would have been a three-day match at the most,†he said after the match. While Dhawal Kulkarni hogged the limelight for being the joint-highest wicket-taker with 42 in his debut season, Powar wheeled away in the background, picking up crucial wickets and ending up with 34 as Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy. “Dhawal was doing bulk of the work at the top of the order, and making things easier for me,†Powar said modestly before adding that making a comeback to the national team was his sole motivation. “Whenever we needed wickets, he ended up with a five-wicket haul. And 10 wickets in such a big final is always a special achievement,†captain Jaffer said of Powar. One disappointing aspect of Mumbai’s successful campaign was the lack of an able spinning-partner for Powar. “Because of Twenty20 cricket, there aren’t too many genuine spinners coming up the ranks. But there are a few talented ones at the under-16 and under-18 levels, which is promising,†Powar said. Conventional or orthodox are words that are often used to describe Powar’s bowling, and he is adamant that despite the influx of the shortest format of the game, his style will remain uninhibited. “Flight is the essence of any spinner. The most important thing with my bowling is the way I read the batsman’s footwork before I deliver the ball. That will never change.†Captains' comments “We were outplayed in all three departments,†admitted South captain Badrinath. “We did not apply ourselves and did not bowl good lengths on this wicket. Chasing 678 on any track is a bit too much, it was almost impossible. We just wanted to hang in there today (Monday), but it wasn’t to be.†West captain Wasim Jaffer said, “It has been a good season for me and the team, first with Mumbai winning the Ranji Trophy, and now this. They had a great batting line-up, but we bowled well on the third morning to restrict them to 199 in the first innings. That was important.†Hope for aspirants? In November of 2005, when West Zone lifted the Duleep Trophy for the 15th time since the zonal tournament’s inception in 1961-62, Parthiv Patel and Zaheer Khan ended up becoming the biggest beneficiaries by winning recalls to the Indian team. Ramesh Powar, too, joined his team mates soon after because Harbhajan Singh was ruled out due to injury. As they posted a comprehensive 274-run victory over South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday, Wasim Jaffer & Co might have had little trouble compared to their narrow win against East three seasons ago. But an elevation to the national team may not be a natural fallout for players of the winning team because of the stacked shelf at the highest level. Parthiv, who scored a timely 131 in the second innings, may still manage to slip in as second wicketkeeper/third opener for the New Zealand tour, but it is unlikely that Powar’s match-winning 10-wicket haul will sway the selectors this time around. Lure of India cap drives Powar on G Krishnan, Hindustan Times Chennai, February 10, 2009 Ramesh Powar’s brand of off-spin has been highly effective. The portly player, who last played for India in 2007, ended the 2008-09 season with 44 wickets at 24.45 runs per wicket to be fifth in the list of most-successful bowlers. The 30-year-old, who was West Zone’s hero in the Duleep Trophy final with his seven wickets in the second innings, still nourishes his ambition of representing the country again. Excerpts: On his memorable 100th first-class match: I am ecstatic. I was disappointed after being dropped in the semi-final as I did not think it would happen after taking so many wickets in the Ranji Trophy. I had to prove myself in this match and I am happy with the 10 wickets (three in the first innings) here. On not being the first-choice spinner as skipper Wasim Jaffer brought in Rajesh Pawar ahead of him in both innings: The captain tends to look at the leading wicket-taker but I knew this was an ideal track for me. It was a challenge as the batsmen counter-attacked to survive. To be able to make the batsmen play and purchase wickets was the challenge. On the decline of spin-bowling in India: Everyone has an opinion about spin. You have to keep performing and whenever India need a spinner, I hope the selectors will look around and think of me. On whether he is still nurtures the hope of an India comeback: There is no point in playing Ranji Trophy without the motivation of making a comeback to the India team. Having said that, I don’t plan too much for the future. Whenever you play, you have to come out as a champion. Towards this, it is important to be a member of a champion side.

[rkt.india]

South Zone 106/6 :yikes: Who is this Umesh Yadav and what kind of bowler is he? He has taken 3 wickets!

he is one of the fastest bowler in dom. cricket

[Chandan]

Rahane says he is tough enough for international cricket Taus Rizvi Wednesday, February 11, 2009 2:47 IST Mumbai: The 2008-09 domestic season has been one of the most competitive ones considering the number of youngsters who have performed to get themselves in the reckoning for an India berth. But one youngster has impressed one and all. Mumbai's Ajinkya Rahane has had a dream run in Ranji Trophy which he followed up with a fine 165 and 98-run knocks in the final of the Duleep Trophy that saw West Zone thrash South Zone for their 17th title. "It has been a fantastic season and especially when your team wins Ranji Trophy as well as Duleep Trophy. Then comes the individual performance... I am happy with the way I have batted this season," Rahane told DNA from Chennai, after West thrashed South by a massive 274-run margin on Monday. The 20-year-old felt that the secret behind his success was his focus this year. "I was more focused this year and was motivated after having a decent debut season. During the off season, I worked hard on my technical as well as mental aspects. Pravin Amre sir was very helpful as he pointed out the mistakes and helped me rectify," he added. Rahane's knocks in both the innings in Duleep Trophy final was quite a treat for the spectators as he was very positive in his approach and slammed any lose delivery for maximum. "I did not want to give any message about my batting. I have been very natural. I like to play positive and that's what I did in the final also." After a successful Ranji and Duleep Trophy stints, Rahane admitted he is ready to get into the big league. "I am ready for international cricket. Every cricketer's dream is to play for India and I am no different. I have done well in domestic arena and now I would want to perform in the big league," he added. Runs have flowed from Rahane and Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer, and the youngster revealed that he got to learn many things from the veteran opener. "We formed a good pair. We play for the same team i.e. Indian Oil in the office tournaments and we complement each other very well. I have learnt the way he handles the pressure situation and his temperament among many other things," said Rahane. With the longer version cricket almost over with the Duleep Trophy final, Rahane summed up the season saying 'the most memorable one'. "My best knocks have been the double hundred in Orissa on a green wicket and then the Duleep Trophy final's 165 and 98," he said. Link Performed to the best of my ability: Parthiv Patel 11 Feb 2009, 0112 hrs IST, Ajit Bezbaruah, AHMEDABAD: The last time both Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik featured in the Indian team was for the series in Sri Lanka in July 2008, when MS Dhoni opted to rest. Patel even replaced Karthik for the third Test but didn’t come back home with happy memories. Since then, both have been competing to outdo the other on the domestic circuit, and chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth was even heard saying that whoever performed well in the Duleep Trophy final would boost his chances of booking a berth in the Indian squad as second wicketkeeper on the upcoming New Zealand tour. Patel is now hopeful of getting the nod after scoring a magnificent 131 in the second innings as West Zone lifted the Duleep Trophy title for the 17th time. Excerpts from an interview... You had a fairly good run this season, so how do you foresee your chances for the forthcoming New Zealand Tour? Well, I have done my job. I have got runs and that too in important matches against good opponents. My keeping has been pretty good this season so I am hopeful. Selection is not in my hand, performance is. So I have performed to the best of my ability and let’s see what is in store. After Bhavik Thakkar opened the innings with Wasim Jaffer against East, you took guard in the second innings and also in the Duleep Trophy final. Was that a team management decision? Not exactly, as it was a West Zone team management decision only. I was even asked in the first innings if I would like to open, but since I had not opened the entire season till then I was a little hesitant. But when we needed just 90 to win in the fourth innings and I was again asked if I would go upfront, I said yes. In which position are you are most comfortable batting? I have been a floater and have batted in all positions from one to seven and I don’t mind batting in any position according to the team’s need and situation. Were the flat tracks in the Duleep Trophy matches ideal preparation for the New Zealand tour? Not exactly. But I thought the Cricket Club of India, where West Zone played East was a good track. It had bounce and carry and also had something for the spinners. But Chennai was a typical Indian wicket which suited the batsmen more. We have to play regardless of the conditions. You have been to New Zealand before, so how difficult is it to get acclimatized to the conditions there? It is a bit difficult but when you are playing cricket at the highest level it is expected that you will adapt to all kind of conditions quickly. But the last time I was in New Zealand the pitches played a e dominant role. The first Test at Wellington was over in three days and the next was over in four days. The last time you and Dinesh Karthik featured in a Test squad, you replaced Karthik for the third Test in Colombo 2008 and since then there has been immense competition... It has helped get the best out of me. The competition is within myself. I always try to beat my previous performance. LINK ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I think neither of the two deserve a place in the international cricket just yet. Rahane might get a chance next year or so, not now. And Karthik has been the better keeper-batsman this domestic season.