Duleep Trophy 2008-2009

[Chandan]

South Zone v Central Zone, Duleep Trophy, Bangalore, 2nd day Match tantalisingly poised as South fight back Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium January 23, 2009 Central Zone 326 for 9 (Ojha 85, Kaif 73, Sreesanth 3-92) trail South Zone 329 by 3 runs Scorecard Dinesh Karthik scored 120 of his 153 runs in boundaries © Getty Images Piyush Chawla and Murali Kartik had a horror day with the ball on Thursday, but their streaky, quickfire 57-run eighth-wicket stand put Central within touching distance of the all-important first-innings lead after the second day against South Zone in Bangalore. Their efforts built on half-centuries from captain Mohammad Kaif and Naman Ojha, who started the recovery after the top-order crumpled to South's fast bowlers. The day ended with the contest on the knife edge: Central need four runs to sneak in front, but South need just one wicket before that, with Central's first-day hero and last man Umesh Yadav to take strike on the third morning. South would not have been in this precarious position if their fielders had turned in a better show, as Kartik benefitted from two missed chances -a low difficult opportunity to Rahul Dravid's left at a wide first slip, and a far more straightforward catch for Abhinav Mukund at square leg with Central still trailing by 22. Robin Uthappa, bowling medium pace, maintained a stump-to-stump line to trouble Chawla and Kartik - there were two close lbw calls, with the ball pitching marginally outside leg on both occasions. Amid these slew of chances, Chawla and Kartik unleashed some glorious drives and cuts. The best of the lot was Chawla's drive past mid-off after advancing down the track to Uthappa - it was so elegant that the batsman held the following-through for the cameras. Chawla finally fell after an ugly, across-the-line swipe to offspinner R Ashwin swirled to VVS Laxman at cover, with the score on 323. Three runs later, off the day's final over, Pankaj Singh was lbw to L Balaji, rapped on the back leg when trying to turn one to midwicket. That brought to an end the day's proceedings on a tense note. It hadn't looked like Central would need the tail to wag when they were at 265 for 5, with Naman Ojha and Bhuvneswar Kumar going strong. Ojha had capitalised on several grassed chances to help Central claw back into the game through his stand with Kaif. It was Kaif who got the runs flowing after a soporific start. Uthappa was pulled in front to midwicket for a one-bounce four and two balls later was powerfully dismissed through extra cover. He then took on the spinners, with legspinner M Suresh launched over long-on and then slog-swept past midwicket. He went into lunch at 47 off 50, but was becalmed after the break. There were a couple of authoritative pulls off Sreesanth but by the time he fell to Suresh for 73, his strike-rate had sunk to around 60. Ojha did most of the scoring in the second session. There were several pokes past the slips for four against the quick bowlers but he was at ease against the slow bowlers. Ashwin was greeted with a slog sweep for four, after which Ojha was content pushing him for singles down to long-on till he reached his half-century. After going past that milestone, he twice lifted Ashwin over the sightscreen. Bhuvneswar was also harsh on Ashwin, repeatedly cover-driving him against the turn. He was solid but fell against the run of play: four balls after Ojha's dismissal, he nibbled a delivery outside off from Uthappa to the keeper. Uthappa, a part-time bowler, could barely conceal his delight at getting his second wicket. It was his first strike that sparked Central's collapse in the morning, as Tanmay Srivastava glanced one down the leg side to Dinesh Karthik. Shivkant Shukla, the other opener, was cleaned up by a big indipper from Sreesanth, a loose prod at a wide delivery accounted for Yere Goud, and Parvinder Singh was lbw to Sreesanth. Central's top order, which almost read like a Who's Who of Indian domestic cricket's titans of tedium, was dismantled as four wickets went down for 26 runs. At that stage South were in control, but that was before Central's middle and lower order got into the act. Another POV Exciting tussle on for the lead: Four runs versus one wicket K.C. Vijaya Kumar Ojha and Kaif stitch together crucial partnership for Central CHIPPING IN: Naman Ojha ensured that Central Zone ended the day at sniffing distance of South’s total. Bangalore: The battle for first innings honours is on the razor’s edge as Central Zone scored 326 for nine in reply to South Zone’s 329 in the Duleep Trophy match in progress at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Friday. It wasn’t quite like the climax of an exciting ODI but as he looked to steer Central Zone towards 330, with the shadows lengthened at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, Murali Kartik would’ve been reminded of that barmy night against Australia in Mumbai when he had led India to a memorable win. Such is the nature of the four-day game that both teams were scrambling for that all-important first-innings lead, and the outcome of the game could end up being decided within the first 10 minutes on Day Three. The opening Duleep Trophy encounter hangs in the balance — Central require four runs more with last-man Umesh Yadav all set to face the first ball in the morning. Pockets of resistance from a few Central Zone batsmen threatened to ruin South’s initial plans of wresting the first innings lead here on the second day. However with Piyush Chawla succumbing with a needless hoick after drilling fours straight down the ground and L. Balaji trapping Pankaj Singh at close of play, four runs and a wicket is all that Central and South respectively need to grab the lead. Stabilising stand Laxmipathy Balaji and Sreesanth started the day off for South Zone, using the new ball to perfection but it was the part-time medium pace of Robin Uthappa that got them the first wicket when Tanmay Srivastava edged a leg-side delivery to wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. In-form Shivakant Shukla’s leg-stump was then sent cart-wheeling by Sreesanth, and Balaji got veteran Yere Goud to edge a perfect outswinger. In the morning, Robin Uthappa, bowling gentle seamers and extracting movement, scalped Tanmay Srivastava. South then bagged three more wickets as Sreesanth castled Shukla and rapped Parvinder’s pads while Yere Goud edged Balaji. But Central Zone captain Mohammad Kaif brought some calm to the proceedings, and even managed to subdue his naturally aggressive partner Naman Ojha as the two began rebuilding the innings. From 78 for four, Central skipper Mohammad Kaif (73, 118b, 11x4, 1x6) and Naman Ojha (85, 168b, 7x4, 2x6) chiselled a 127-run fifth-wicket partnership that stabilised the innings. Kaif played his shots, using the pull and the loft over mid-wicket to good effect despite watching partners depart in a hurry until Ojha offered patience and support. The second day of the match seemed to go almost the same way as the first, with Central’s innings proving to be a replica of South Zone’s first essay. The wicketkeepers ended up being the top-scorers for both teams, and both sides suffered early batting collapses before the middle and lower-order steadied their respective ships. The spinners on both sides failed to make any impact and it was the fast bowlers who did all the damage. Dropped catches VVS Laxman was himself guilty on two occasions as South Zone allowed a number of valuable opportunities to bite the dust during the course of the day. Balaji suffered the most as a result of the dropped catches, and ended up with only two wickets despite bowling with lot of heart. Kaif had his tentative moments, snicking Balaji for a streaky four and nearly chopping Sreesanth onto his stumps but he hung in with his mix of big shots, steady defence and stayed alert to the single while Ojha on 18, enjoyed his post-lunch dessert as Laxman dropped him at second slip off Balaji. S. Badrinath had dropped Parvinder earlier and later Rahul Dravid and Abhinav Mukund grassed Murali Kartik. Watching Kaif’s drives, gradually Ojha too stretched his front foot and freed his arms. Kaif played sensibly for his 73 before being dismissed because of an ugly swipe off leg-spinner Marripuri Suresh. And Ojha, who had been let off at slip early in his innings made a solid 85 before being trapped lbw late in the day by a slower delivery from Sreesanth. Kaif fell while trying to hustle leg-spinner M. Suresh and Ojha was deceived by Sreesanth’s slower delivery. However Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Piyush and Kartik whittled down the deficit until the new-ball triggered three dismissals and with Balaji having five more deliveries to bowl in his 29th over and last-man Umesh Yadav all set to square up to him on Saturday morning, Laxman’s men can whisper their prayers and fancy their chances. The duo of Kartik and Piyush Chawla may not have had much joy on Thursday with the ball in their hands, but came out all guns blazing when it was their turn to bat. With Central still needing 64 runs to go past South’s first innings tally, Kartik carried on unperturbed even after he was grassed by Rahul Dravid and Abhinav Mukund. But when, at 323 for seven, it seemed Central were going to safely sail past the 330-run target, Chawla and Pankaj Singh fell in quick succession, leaving Kartik and last-man Yadav to endure an endless night of anxiety.

[Mr. Wicket]

I don't see why people are upset about Parmar. The man's a blatant chucker who makes Shoaib Malik look like a straight arm bowler and if the rules were to be adjusted to make him legal, we'd have a permitted flex of 30 degrees.

[ananthd]

Not sure what the big deal about SZ agreeing to close the innings. Whether it was a draw or an SZ win, SZ would have advanced. Don't ya think, it was a way of SZ saying "well played guys" to the CZ to let them off with a draw? Obviously Kaif wanted to go home and if DK had not agreed(standing in for VVSL), he'd require little persuasion to make Umesh Yadav get out the first ball(of course this wouldn't show up as a thread then)... There's an unwritten rule in the American professional sport: if the outcome has been decided, it is very bad form to show up an opponent/rub it in.... I mean I'd have a bigger problem if SZ had a BIG first innings lead and then closed the match; in this case they barely had the lead and won on a technicality, they decided to show it on the scorecard. What's wrong with that?

[Chandan]

South Zone v Central Zone, Duleep Trophy, Bangalore, 3rd day Dravid and Karthik tons build South's lead Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium January 24, 2009 South Zone 329 and 345 for 6 (Dravid 118, Karthik 103*, Yadav 68) lead Central Zone 326 by 348 runs Scorecard Robin Uthappa looked good but failed for the second time, but Rahul Dravid flourished and gave South Zone a firm grip of the contest in Bangalore The weather was ideal for cricket, a cloudless sky and a merciful sun, and South Zone made the most of it after receiving a boost on the second ball of the day: they were four runs away from conceding the first-innings lead when L Balaji produced a yorker that bowled Central Zone's last man Umesh Yadav. South nearly slipped again, after Pankaj Singh reduced them to 27 for 3, but centuries from Rahul Dravid and Dinesh Karthik virtually eliminated Central from the Duleep Trophy. South were boosted first by a 154-run stand between Arjun Yadav and Dravid for the fourth wicket but the innings of the day came from Karthik , who became the sixth batsman to make twin centuries in a Duleep Trophy match. It was a nearly flawless effort, and he was more discerning in his shot-selection than he was in his helter-skelter 153 on the first day. When Karthik started, it appeared as though he would continue to throw caution to the wind. He began with a couple of slog-swept fours against Murali Kartik's turn, and then played a reverse-sweep - a shot he didn't use even in the first innings - to the boundary. The rest of his innings, however, was filled with less risky strokes, primarily drives along with an assortment of cuts and glides. He induced Piyush Chawla to bowl outside off by driving his leg-stump offerings to long-on, and inside out to long-off, for four, and then made use of the width to cut to the boundary. At ease against pace as well, Karthik tackled Umesh's quick bouncer by getting on his toes and guiding the ball to the third-man boundary. Dravid gave Karthik company for much of his innings. Rock solid after a jittery start, Dravid was watchful against new-ball bowlers Pankaj and Bhuvneshwar initially, and was even caught at cover point off a no-ball when he was on 2. He only opened out when Pankaj was tiring towards the end of a nine-over spell, the last of which was taken for 14 runs - Dravid's back-foot cover drive being the stand-out shot. With the pitch easing up and the ball getting older as the day progressed, runs began to flow. Dravid capitalised on plenty of short and wide deliveries and rarely needed to take risks to keep the score moving. The one time he played an extravagant shot was when Piyush Chawla tried to exploit the rough by bowling around the stumps - Dravid shimmied down the track and clobbered him over long-on for six to move to 99. He was given good support by Arjun, who made a crucial 68. Arjun was rarely comfortable during his innings and he was frequently beaten, although there were some sumptuous boundaries, like the fierce square-cut to bring up his half-century. Arjun survived an intense working-over from Pankaj early on. In one over, he hit a streaky four over the slip cordon, before he was dropped by substitute Faiz Fazal at gully, after which he got hit on the forearm by an incutter as he tried to shoulder arms. That over was a part of Pankaj's hostile spell, during which he troubled several batsmen. He had S Badrinath fatally flirting with a delivery that pitched on off and straightened, and ensured Abhinav Mukund's horror match continued, knocking back off stump as the batsman played down the wrong line after a torturous 21-ball 1. The other early South wicket was taken by Bhuvneshwar. Robin Uthappa had made a bright start, with four eye-catching boundaries in his 16, before he slapped a wide ball straight to backward point. The day belonged to South after those new-ball breakthroughs and what could so easily have been Central's match slipped out of their grasp. Another POV Dravid, Karthik shut out Central K.C. Vijaya Kumar Balaji’s second ball strike gives South the all-important lead Driving force: Rahul Dravid combined stout defence and authoritative strokes in his century on the third day. Bangalore: Rahul Dravid and Dinesh Karthik flexed their bats after L. Balaji rattled stumps in the morning as South Zone assumed total dominance over Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy match in progress at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday. At close on the third day, Dravid’s 118 (218b, 19x4, 1x6) and Karthik’s unbeaten 103 (119b, 17x4) helped South post 345 for six in its second innings as it nursed an overall lead of 348 after restricting the Central first innings to 326. The real interest in the opening Duleep Trophy fixture, however, seemed to end within two balls of the third day’s play, as Central Zone’s last man Umesh Yadav was cleaned up by Laxmipathy Balaji, ensuring the first-innings lead for VVS Laxman’s men. Central’s opening bowlers Pankaj Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar though did seem to revive some of it, as they bowled with fire and reduced South Zone to 24 for 3, before substitute Faiz Fazal’s eventful five minutes on the field almost blew it away. In the morning, Balaji castled Umesh Yadav with the day’s second delivery as South grabbed a three-run first innings lead. Immediately the South second innings suffered a false-start as Robin Uthappa, Abhinav Mukund and S. Badrinath succumbed early to the seamers. At 24 for three, Dravid though missing his comrade-in-crisis Laxman, who rested in the dressing room with a left ankle sprain, found an ally in Arjun Yadav (68) as the duo shared a 154-run fourth-wicket partnership that had its share of luck. Element of luck On two, Dravid was caught off a Bhuvneshwar Kumar no-ball while substitute Faiz Fazal dropped Arjun, then on a blob, in the slips off Pankaj Singh. There were to be no more chances for Mohammad Kaif & Co, as Dravid set about reviving South Zone’s second innings, in the only way he knows best. The Karnataka batsman did have his customary moments of insecurity at the start of his innings, as Bhuvneshwar in particular, troubled him. On the other end, Arjun grew in confidence while Dravid mixed stout defence with the authoritative cover drive. Arjun was eventually stumped off left-arm spinner Murali Kartik but Dravid found an aggressive foil in first-innings centurion Dinesh Karthik. The spin duo of Kartik and Piyush Chawla failed to impress again, as Dravid and Yadav notched up a 150-run partnership, and in the process almost certainly booked their team’s flight to Rajkot for the semi-final against North. Kartik did manage to bowl the delivery of the day, as he beat Yadav in the flight from over-the-wicket and got him stumped by a fumbling Naman Ojha. But Yadav’s wicket only made it worse for the Central bowlers, with Karthik picking up from where he’d left in the first innings. The final session did hold one shocker, when Dravid stepped out to Chawla and hit him for a huge six with his score on 93. Dravid and Karthik authored a 125-run fifth-wicket partnership while Central skipper Mohamad Kaif swapped his bowlers. Dravid moved to 99 with an effortless six off leg-spinner Piyush Chawla and followed it with a brace as he reached his hundred. He soon notched up his fourth Duleep Trophy century, before succumbing to Bhuvaneshwar down the leg-side. That left the stage for Karthik to dominate, and he did not disappoint, as he became the sixth man ever and the first since Kevin Pietersen to score hundreds in each innings in the Duleep Trophy. Though Dravid fell later on an attempted glide, Karthik, beginning with his inside-out drives and reverse sweep off Murali Kartik, drove and cut the seamers with finesse as he notched his second century of the match that shut Central out of the contest. Dravid happy Rahul Dravid drew satisfaction from his hundred and his partnerships with Dinesh Karthik and Arjun Yadav that strengthened South Zone’s march into the Duleep Trophy semifinal. “It’s always a great feeling scoring runs on a difficult wicket, against a quality bowling attack,” said Dravid, who insisted that his priorities at the moment were strictly to help South qualify for the final. “Our aim is to win this tournament and we are in a good position. It was good to score runs. Arjun batted well and then Dinesh scored at a fair clip. We should bat for another hour and then we should be in the semifinal,” Dravid said. On the New Zealand tour, he said: “It is a fair way away and I am not thinking of New Zealand,” Dravid said, besides praising the Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch. Meanwhile, Karthik, who became the sixth batsman to slam back-to-back centuries in a Duleep Trophy match after K.P. Bhaskar, Yuvraj Singh, Aakash Chopra, Wasim Jaffer and Kevin Pietersen, said it was critical to capitalise on good form to slot himself as a batsman in the Indian squad. “Before the Sri Lankan series Anil bhai (Kumble) said it was a fantastic opportunity but I let him down with an ordinary performance. I felt that I must improve and I am trying to get back into the team as a batsman and I know that if I keep scoring runs I will get back into the team. This is the first time I have ever scored hundreds in back to back innings,” Karthik said. No injury concerns for Laxman There are no injury concerns about South Zone skipper V.V.S. Laxman though he suffered a left ankle sprain that prevented him from coming out to bat during the second innings here on Saturday. Laxman opted for rest as a precautionary measure and is confident of being fully fit for the Duleep Trophy semifinal commencing at Rajkot on January 29. South is almost assured of its semifinal berth.

[Chandan]

South Zone v Central Zone, Duleep Trophy, Bangalore, 4th day South ease into semi-finals after draw Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium January 25, 2009 South Zone 329 (Karthik 153, M Suresh 58, U Yadav 5-76) and 377 (Dravid 118, Karthik 103, Pankaj 5-90) drew with Central Zone 326 (Ojha 85, Kaif 73) and 255 for 9 (Kaif 87, M Suresh 6-84) Scorecard Legspinner M Suresh took six Central Zone wickets during an extended spell to seal South Zone's berth in the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy. Central were faced with the ardous task of scoring 381 in 77 overs and the aggressive approach of their batsmen allowed Suresh to make regular breakthroughs. Central captain Mohammad Kaif made his second half-century of the match and was the last man out as the game ended in a draw with his team on 255 for 9. The match ended on a slightly sour note after the two captains agreed to call it off after the fall of the ninth wicket, that of Kaif, even though there were nine overs to go. There are no points to be carried forward in this knock-out tournament, and South progressed on the basis of their first-innings lead, but it was disappointing to see them not press for an outright win. Earlier in the day, Central's openers had laid a solid launch pad to challenge the target. Tanmay Srivastava started the chase with a boundary off the first ball, and Central were hardly troubled as they progressed to 71 for 0 after 21 overs. Srivastava was the aggressor and he repeatedly cut the offspinner R Ashwin to set the tempo. Suresh was brought into the attack to try and break the partnership and he succeeded with his first ball, Srivastava chipping it back to the bowler. Yere Goud, usually a dour batsman, started aggressively with a straight drive to the boundary, but was caught at mid-on when he tried to repeat the shot, giving Suresh his second wicket. Shivakant Shukla was Suresh's next victim; the ball pitched wide outside off and hurried straight through, and Shukla's attempted glide went to Rahul Dravid at first slip. Central slid to 98 for 3, and with Parvinder Singh taking 14 balls to get off the mark, South's hold on the game tightened. At the other end, Kaif was engaged in a duel with Sreesanth that had the hundred-odd faithful fans, who turned up, at their most vocal. Kaif counterattacked with a clutch of delightful drives, dashing to 23 off 20, but there were also several close shaves. One outside edge proved too hard for Uthappa to hang on to second slip, and Kaif was also beaten several times by the outswing. Sreesanth was at his pantomime-villain best, glowering at Kaif after several of the boundaries. Parvinder soon shrugged off his slow start with some slogs to the midwicket boundary off Suresh. He and Kaif were at ease against the spinners, alternating between easy singles down the ground and heaves over the infield. Central moved from 100 to 150 in 69 balls, the quickest fifty of their innings, and the chase looked back on track when Parvinder pounded a four to mid-on off Suresh and then stepped out to blast the ball over the sightscreen. Suresh was unfazed by the battering, and dismissed Parvinder next ball. The batsman stayed on the backfoot to a length ball and the cut resulted in a catch for the wicketkeeper. Naman Ojha, perhaps Central's most belligerent batsman, was lucky to survive when L Balaji completely misjudged a swirler at mid-on. Suresh was dismayed but Ojha was gone later in the over when a huge turner caught the edge through to the keeper. Kaif kept fighting, slamming three consecutive boundaries off Suresh, but at the other end Bhuvaneshwar Kumar was scratching around for a 36-ball 7. Bhuvaneshwar finally bottom-edged to first slip and Suresh finished his 20-over spell with figures of 6 for 84, his best first-class performance. At 184 for 6, Central's chase was effectively over. Central would have been shut out of the game much earlier in the day had it not been for Pankaj Singh's blistering spell in the morning. Bowling with the same verve that was on display early on the third day, he had the in-form Karthik dismissed off the second ball. Pankaj also picked up the last two wickets and ensured that South used up only 11 overs. Despite Pankaj's efforts at limiting the target, it still proved too hard for Central's batsmen. Relative unknowns seize their chance Dismissing Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in quick succession is the right way to make an impression on the selectors, as Umesh Yadav did in the Duleep Trophy game in Bangalore Much of the build-up to the Duleep Trophy game surrounded the bowlers vying to reclaim their India caps - Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla and L Balaji - but the two who perhaps had the biggest impact were relative unknowns: Andhra legspinner M Suresh and Vidarbha fast bowler Umesh Yadav. With the tournament back to its traditional knockout format, they faced the prospect of playing just one match in the limelight before returning to the anonymity of the Ranji Trophy Plate League. Both made the most of their chances: Suresh scored a solid half-century on the first day and took six wickets on the last, while Umesh bowled a sizzling, hostile spell on the first morning in which he removed both Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. Their climb to the top of domestic cricket could not have been more different. To paraphrase Vinod Kambli, Suresh took the stairs while Umesh took the elevator. Suresh, 25, has made his mark as a legspinner who can bat a bit but he started out as a top-order batsman. He camped at all the stops on the way to a place in the Andhra Ranji Trophy side, playing at the Under-16, Under-19 and Under-22 levels before finally making his first-class debut towards the end of 2002. He managed one half-century in his first six games, but worse was to follow: a high score of 21 in ten innings led to his axing from the Andhra side midway through the 2005-06 season. He focused on his batting during his time out of the team - which lasted nearly two years - before former India allrounder Syed Abid Ali, Andhra's coach in 2007-08, urged him to concentrate on his bowling. The turning point came this season when he took eight wickets in an innings in one Buchi Babu tournament (the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association's curtain-raiser to the season) match. The transition from batsman to bowling allrounder transformed Suresh's fortunes - he finished as Andhra's leading wicket-taker and led the batting averages as well for 2008-09. From struggling to get a game a little more than a year ago, Suresh is now talking of his responsibilities as a senior player and looking forward to interacting with national selector and former India legspinner Narendra Hirwani during the semi-final in Rajkot. While it took Suresh many years to find his groove, Umesh's rise has been like his bowling - extremely quick. Less than two years ago he was contemplating becoming a policeman, and had yet to play with a leather ball. Seeing his raw pace with the tennis ball, his friends encouraged him to play divisional cricket in Vidarbha, after which he went for Under-22 trials. He took 2 for 105 in two games but that didn't stop him from being catapulted into the Vidarbha Ranji Trophy team. Four matches at the first-class level brought him 20 wickets, including a six-wicket haul against Bengal, a spell he still counts as his best. In a little more than three months after his Under-22 debut, he was playing the Duleep Trophy. The fairytale continued on the first day of the Duleep Trophy tie, when he clocked up to 141kph, harried Dravid with his inswing and ended with figures of 5 for 96. Umesh, though, got a taste of the game's ups and downs on the third day. Batting at No. 11, his side was three runs away from South's total when he was bowled attempting a wild loft to long-on. South progressed on the basis of the first-innings lead and Umesh lost his chance to play another match in the spotlight. However, both he and Suresh have done enough to ensure their progress will be closely tracked, even though they will spend the next season in the Plate League. Another POV Central gets away with a draw K.C. Vijaya Kumar South bafflingly opts to not go for the last wicket and force a win MESMERISING SPELL: M. Suresh bowled unchanged from the pavilion end to return figures of six for 84 — his best first class figures yet.. Bangalore: South Zone, having secured the first-innings lead, opted for a dull draw against Central Zone rather than press for an outright victory in the Duleep Trophy match that concluded at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday. There was some confusion on the first morning of the opening Duleep Trophy fixture regarding the identity of the ‘Suresh’ who was named in the South Zone XI. And while it was soon revealed that the man in question was actually M Suresh from Andhra and not Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner C Suresh, there were still doubts over what exactly he did. But by the time both captains agreed to call the match off on Sunday afternoon, the 25-year-old leg-spinner had ensured that those present at the Chinnaswamy Stadium will not forget his name in a hurry. Suresh ended the day with career-best figures of 6/84, capturing the first six wickets of Central’s second innings, which ended at 255/9 — Mohammad Kaif, who top-scored with 87, being the last man out. When Central skipper Mohamad Kaif (87, 109b, 11x4) holed out in the deep, the visitor was on 255 for nine with 9.2 overs left when South, led by stand-in skipper Dinesh Karthik — stepping in for an indisposed V.V.S. Laxman and his deputy S. Badrinath — went around shaking hands and the match was called off. South, by virtue of its three-run first innings lead, had already qualified for the semifinal against defending champion North at Rajkot from January 29 and on the fourth and final day here, after scoring 377 in its second innings, set Central an improbable target of 381. The first fifteen minutes of the day belonged to Rajasthan pacer Pankaj Singh, who snared the last three wickets of South’s second innings to end up with figures of 5/90. Early burst The Central second innings had a brisk start as openers Tanmay Srivastava (44) and Shivakant Shukla (31) put on 71 runs until leg-spinner M. Suresh (six for 84) changed the script. Suresh tossed up his first delivery and Tanmay swatted it straight back and later Yere Goud miscued an ambitious shot as Central seemed lost between the need to chase as well as consolidate. Suresh got into his act soon after, dismissing Srivastava caught and bowled for an attractive 44 with the first ball of his spell. He struck twice in quick succession after lunch, removing Shukla and Yere Goud. Parvinder Singh was next, before wicket-keeper Naman Ojha edged a perfect leg-break to Karthik, handing Suresh only his second five-wicket haul. Suresh, bowling a tight line with just a hint of turn, bagged four more as Central wobbled at 184 for six though Kaif, after watching Uthappa drop him on 12 off Sreesanth, played an assured knock. Uthappa then scalped Piyush Chawla, Murali Kartik and Kaif to nudge South to the brink of victory. But, strangely, the team-management opted for rest. Suresh, who also posted his highest individual score, an unbeaten 58, in the first innings, admitted that he did have thoughts of an improbable Perfect 10. “But Kaif hit a few quick boundaries and Karthik (stand-in captain) decided to take me off the attack,†he said. With Andhra being relegated this season, Suresh, who has a job with the Railways and works as an accounts clerk in Secunderabad, could well end up with a move to the Karnail Singh Stadium, so he can continue playing in the Elite Division. An opening batsman who switched to leg-spin in his formative years with Andhra Pradesh, Suresh — who had bowled an unbroken spell from the pavilion end — later expressed joy over his best-ever figures in a nascent first class career. “In the first innings I was nervous and Laxman bhai and Dravid bhai encouraged me a lot and I was much more confident in the second innings. “Among the six, I enjoyed getting Naman Ojha the most as the ball turned quite a bit. There was a bit of turn and some cracks on this last day pitch and I enjoyed bowling here. My strength is my accuracy,†the 25-year old Suresh said. Mohnish Parmar at NCA Gujarat off-spinner Mohnish Parmar, under scrutiny for a suspect action, reported to the National Cricket Academy here on Monday. The off-spinner will interact with the visiting bio-mechanist Dr. Rene Ferdinands over the next two days. Persistent doubts Parmar bagged 41 wickets in the recent Ranji season but was sidelined from the West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy due to persistent doubts over his action. It may be recalled that Parmar had gone to the Australian Institute of Sports at Canberra in December for an appraisal of his action. The report from Australia has apparently pointed out flaws in his action and his latest trip to the NCA is part of the corrective process. Meanwhile, the academy’s revival camp for its earlier batch of under-19 trainees will commence here on Tuesday. Around 20 trainees are expected to attend the programme. The Indian women’s team probables are also at the academy and both camps will conclude on January 30.

[Chandan]

Duleep Trophy semi-final, 2009 - Preview West Zone v East Zone, Duleep Trophy semi-final, Mumbai Formidable West Zone start favourites The Preview by Nagraj Gollapudi January 28, 2009 Dhawal Kulkarni will lead the West Zone attack with Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel away on national duty © Cricinfo Ltd With five batsmen and four bowlers among the top ten in this season's Ranji Trophy runs and wickets charts, West Zone start as favourites against East Zone in their Duleep Trophy semi-final, which begins tomorrow at the Brabourne Stadium. A top order comprising Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara - the top three run-makers this year - and a bowling attack led by Dhawal Kulkarni [the joint highest wicket-taker] along with Siddarth Trivedi , Ramesh Powar and Samad Fallah make West an intimidating prospect. And this is not even their first XI: Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Rohit Sharma, Munaf Patel, the Pathan brothers [irfan and Yusuf] and Ravindra Jadeja are away on national duty. Even in their absence East have much to worry about. East have two internationals in their ranks - Shiv Sunder Das, their captain, and Manoj Tiwary - who will need to take charge if they are to match their formidable rivals. They will also need the best out of the new-ball pair of Ranadeb Bose and Basanth Mohanty, who might find the Kookaburra ball to their liking, especially in the morning session. Most of all, East will need a superlative team effort. Das, leading East for the second successive year, said it was a challenge captaining players from five different states (Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Tripura and Assam) but said he was getting used to it. He admitted West are a "strong" opponent, but said he had faith in his seamers to do the job. "The side that plays the new ball (both batsmen and bowlers) well will hold the upper hand. And I back my seamers [bose, Mohanty and Ashok Dinda]," Das said after the training session. Both captains spoke about the true behaviour of the pitch, expected to be lively in the first session with enough moisture for the fast bowlers to create an advantage. There have been results in all the three games played at the ground this season and another one cannot be ruled out over the next four days. The curator has left a light grass cover, so some action is expected in the first session at least on the first two mornings with spin coming into play in second half of the match. Although the line-ups are to be picked on the morning of the game, the pace-conducive pitch will influence the final XIs with both teams likely to adopt a five-bowler strategy (three seamers and two spinners). Apart from bonding as a unit, certain players will aim to further their ambitions of making it to the next level. "If they perform for themselves it will help the team. They can think of getting not only on the New Zealand tour but also into the India A squads," Jaffer said. Between the two teams there are five players with a BCCI contract - Jaffer, Parthiv Patel and Cheteshwar Pujara from West and East's pair of Wriddhiman Saha and Ashok Dinda - and all of them will look to make an impact to attract the attention of the selectors. Of the five, Parthiv will entertain strong hopes of making a comeback at least as a stand-by wicketkeeper for Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the New Zealand tour. Even if Dinesh Karthik has been making a statement with the bat his keeping remains a concern and Parthiv will hope the selectors give him another chance after recalling him for the third Test of the Sri Lanka series last year. He has had a strong domestic season with the bat, piling up 526 runs in eight games at 47 - including a double-century - and leading Gujarat to the Ranji quarterfinals. Teams West Zone (likely): Wasim Jaffer (capt), Parthiv Patel (wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Kedar Jadhav, Bhavik Thakker, Ramesh Powar, Rajesh Pawar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Siddarth Trivedi, Samad Fallah East Zone (likely): Shiv Sunder Das (capt), Dibyendu Chakravarthy, Manoj Tiwary, Rashmi Parida, Nishit Shetty, Niranjan Behera, Wriddhiman Saha, Ranadeb Bose, Ashok Dinda, Basant Mohanty, Anand Katti. Another POV East face West’s batting might G. Viswanath Jaffer, Parthiv fancying chances for national recall FOCUSSED: West Zone’s Wasim Jaffer (right) and Cheteshwar Pujara during practice session at the Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday. Mumbai: The Duleep Trophy semifinal between West and East Zones commences at the Brabourne Stadium here on Thursday. The members are enjoying an early lunch, served by waiters in white livery, on the open verandah overlooking the lush greens of the Cricket Club of India. With their eyes fixed on the television bringing live pictures from Dambulla, the spoon robotically yo-yos from the plate to the mouth. The domestic season’s top performers are just a sideways glance away but the West vs East Duleep Trophy contest lacks the star power to make heads turn. Two former Test openers — Wasim Jaffer and SS Das — are leading the sides that have a few national team discards, some players dubbed as India material, and several others who are getting their first feel of a zonal contest. After the nets, as the players are dragging their heavy kitbags to their hotel, a few steal a glance at the scoreboard on the television. A few smirks escape as Sanath Jayasuriya is blazing away. There are several at the CCI who feel that they should have been in Sri Lanka but such stray comments are quickly followed by the don’t-quote-me rider. Wasim Jaffer and Parthiv Patel are still fancying their chances for a national recall. Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Manoj Tiwary, Abhishek Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Wriddhiman Saha, Saurabh Tiwary and Ashok Dinda hope to make an impact. Jaffer, the West Zone captain, has amassed runs in this season’s Ranji Trophy (1260) and Patel played his part for Gujarat. But the East Zone captain Shiv Sundar Das is not in the same boat though; his run of 23 Test appearances came to an end almost seven years ago. When the writing pads are out, they speak of the importance of a Duleep Trophy performance and how it can change things. After West Zone skipper Jaffer has given the ritualistic pre-match quotes about the pitch being true and his plans of playing five bowlers, he does look at the bigger picture. “This could be our last longer version domestic game this season. The Duleep Trophy will be followed by one-dayers and T20,†he says. What he leaves unsaid is that this is also the last chance for players such as himself, and domestic run-machines Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, to figure in the selection discussion for the Test squad for the New Zealand tour. But the virtual ‘no vacancy’ sign outside the Test team’s batting department has made domestic performers jittery about their chances. Most have been around for too long, and understand that first-class runs don’t guarantee an elevation to the top level. The manager with the West Zone side Mukund Parmar and East Zone coach Utpal Chatterjee are two rare former players who started their first-class careers in 80s and continued after the turn of the century. Former Gujarat skipper Parmar has a first-class average of nearly 50 from 13 seasons and Chatterjee has 500-plus wickets after being a Bengal regular for 18 years. Despite several exceptional seasons, Chatterjee played only three ODIs and Parmar played none. Strong team West Zone has been lucky to field a strong team despite the absence of seven players — Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Munaf Patel and Ravindra Jadeja — doing duty for India in Sri Lanka. “It doesn’t matter if we are regarded as favourites or the underdogs, what’s important is how we perform as a team on all the four days. We have the top run-getters and the wicket- takers in the Ranji Trophy. The CCI wicket would play true, there would be something for the batsmen and bowlers,†said Jaffer. The East Zone skipper said he would have to wait till the arrival of the selector to finalise the composition of the team. “It’s a challenge for all of us. The first session will be crucial since there will be some movement. We also have to adjust to the Kookaburra ball. So, the toss will be vital,†“We have a good seam attack in Ranadeb Bose, Dinda and Basanth Mohanty. It’s going to be a challenge for us. West has a strong batting line-up. But whichever teams copes with the new ball will take the upper hand.†The visitors will rely on Bengal’s Manoj Tiwary who scored a valiant hundred in the Ranji Trophy quarter finals to provide the batting impetus, and his teammate Ranadeb Bose to spearhead the pace attack. Both the teams could pick a three-pronged pace attack as the CCI pitch has traditionally offered a lot of bounce. Both the Ranji Trophy matches played at the venue this season have thrown up an outright winner. Bengal’s Ashok Dinda, among the leading bowlers this season with 39 scalps, is likely to handle the new ball with Bose while Orissa’s Basanth Mohanty, who has dismissed 28 batsmen at 21.28, could be the first change bowler. Both Das and his counterpart Jaffer preferred to keep their cards close to their chests on Wednesday. Das has the additional challenge of make his team a cohesive unit since his team has players from six states whereas West Zone has five players from Mumbai whom Jaffer led to their 38th Ranji title earlier this month. The coach, too, is a Mumbai staff, Pravin Amre. Given the pitch, one can expect a five-bowler combination to be fielded by West. “Probably Siddharth (Trivedi), Dhawal (Kulkarni) and (Samad) Fallah will be the three pacers. If we go in for five bowlers, there will be at least two spinners. But we haven’t decided the XI yet,†Jaffer said. For slow bowling, Jaffer has the option of Ramesh Powar and Rajesh Pawar while Das has Tripura’s offie Jayanta Debnath. He can also use Tiwary as a leg-spinner. With the tournament being played in the knockout format, one of the teams would be eliminated after just one match. With the tours of New Zealand and India A coming up, players might be tempted to put individual record ahead of the team’s. Erasmus to officiate Meanwhile, ICC Panel umpire Marais Erasmus from South Africa will be one of the on-field umpires at the Brabourne Stadium. It’s part of the exchange programme between India and South Africa. He will also stand in the final of the inter-zonal competition in Chennai. Last September India’s ICC Panel umpire Suresh Shastri officiated in a few domestic matches in South Africa. North Zone v South Zone, Duleep Trophy semi-final, Rajkot Experience gives South the edge Cricinfo staff January 28, 2009 Dinesh Karthik would look to book his place as India's reserve wicketkeeper on the tour of New Zealand © AFP Defending champions North Zone will start as underdogs against a star-studded South Zone line-up in their Duleep Trophy semi-final in Rajkot. With Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Ishant Sharma away on national duty in Sri Lanka, North's hopes hinge on the likes of Aakash Chopra, Virat Kohli and current Test legspinner Amit Mishra. Rahul Dravid is the biggest name in the South line-up, which also boasts of recent internationals such as Sreesanth, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik and S Badrinath. "South has a better side on paper than us, but our players are looking forward to doing well in the match," Chopra, the North captain, told PTI. Those picked for the match, he pointed out, have done well in the Ranji Trophy, including the best performers in the Plate League - Himachal Pradesh batsman Sangram Singh and medium-pacer Vikramjeet Malik. Chopra is hoping that Mishra, who made his debut during the India-Australia Tests, makes a mark on the game. "Mishra had been in the national side and done well." South, who beat Central Zone to make it the semi-final, will be without VVS Laxman, who has been advised to rest after injuring his ankle in that game. Even without him, South have an impressive batting line-up. Dinesh Karthik raked up two centuries in the quarter-final and with India likely to take a back-up for Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the New Zealand Tests, he could seal the spot with a steady performance behind the stumps. Dravid would also look to build on his second-innings century in the last game, while S Badrinath will look to keep his place in India's Test squad with a good outing to make up for his 13 and 0 against Central. Badrinath will lead the team as well, and was confident the team would cope despite Laxman's absence. Badrinath said the Madhavrao Scindia Ground had been lucky in the past for him, and is hoping to continue the good run. "I have scored runs and taken wickets in various first-class matches played here, so the ground is lucky for me but it is up to the players to play good cricket." South's attack - who have the advantage of having played a quarter-final with the Kookabura ball - will be led by Sreesanth and L Balaji, with legspining allrounder M Suresh - who took 6 for 84 in the second innings against Central - and R Ashwin the slow-bowling options. Sreesanth was both enthralling and disappointing in the previous game, and surely needs a strong performance to build his claims for a spot on the touring party for New Zealand. Squads South Zone: S Badrinath (capt), Abhinav Mukund, Robin Uthappa, Rahul Dravid, Dinesh Karthik (wk), R Ashwin, Shadab Jakati, L Balaji, Sreesanth, Vinay Kumar, Saurav Bandekar, M Suresh, Anoop Pai North Zone: Aakash Chopra (capt), Amit Mishra, Shikhar Dhawan, Sangram Singh, Sunny Sohal, R Dewan, Ankur Kakkar, Uday Kaul, Sarandeep Singh, Manpreet Gony, Vikramjeet Malik, Parvinder Awana, Rajat Bhatia, Samiullah Beigh Another POV North look to prove their worth vs South Nandakumar Marar RAJKOT: The devil is in the mind as it doesn’t really matter whom you play,†were North Zone skipper Aakash Chopra’s words on the eve of their Duleep Trophy semifinal clash against South Zone on Wednesday. In his maiden season as skipper in the Duleep Trophy, Chopra promised to carry on the momentum and hoped he could defend the title having missed out on the Ranji crown. South Zone possesses a bunch of match-winners for its Duleep Trophy match against defending champion North Zone, despite injuries and non-arrivals forcing a re-arrangement of resources in both squads. S. Badrinath, chosen to lead South in the absence of V.V.S. Laxman,with Dinesh Karthik as his assistant, is not sure whether Arjun Yadav will recover from illness and reach in time for the four-day tie at the Nehru stadium. Laxman, who twisted his ankle while training on the second day of their opening tie against Central, is ruled out and Kerala's left-hand batsman P Rohan Prem is expected to join the squad tonight. North will be going into the first game without spinner Chetanya Nanda, nursing an elbow fracture. Greenish tinge A greenish tinge on the wicket attracted attention from both camps, eager to find out whether the Rajkot track would change character and assist bowlers. Badrinath is clear about the wicket encouraging bowlers only in the first session, and then make way for the batsmen to take charge. Aakash Chopra refused to be taken in by the hint of grass and is looking forward to spending time at the crease. South looks better equipped to handle the conditions, regardless of the way the wicket behaves. Badrinath, Robin Uthappa, Rahul Dravid, Dinesh Karthik, along with Abhinav Mukund are capable of making up for Laxman’s absence due to an injury sustained in the previous game. The race for the first-innings lead will bring the bowlers into play. Again Badrinath can take his pick from a wealth of resources. L. Balaji, Vinay Kumar, S. Sreesanth, R Ashwin can change the course of a match with inspired spells. M. Suresh is another handy option. However, statistics are of little relevance to Chopra and he said “what matters is performance on a given day.†The Delhi batsman refused to get cowed down by the star-studded opposition and said North have always been successful with low profile sides. “We didn't have the big names last year and it has always been a team effort. It doesn't really matter if you have stars playing a match. What is important is performance.†Chopra, however, conceded that South have a slight edge in handling the Kookaburra ball as the latter have already played a match while this would be North's first in the tournament. “This is the first day we played with the Kookaburra ball and it is little different from the SG ball,†said Chopra. Team effort For the North skipper, leading a zonal side is about team effort. “North was never a team of stars. Even last year when we won the Duleep Trophy, the India players were not available. “We are a group of performers, each one has excelled in Ranji Trophy and knows his role. I don’t need to do any spoon-feeding,†said Chopra. Getting familiar with the feel of the Kookaburra ball is a priority. “Our bowlers need to get used to the Kookaburra a bit more, even our batsmen since it is the first Duleep tie for us. These balls are different from the SG balls.†Amit Mishra, a fast learner in international cricket, is the man to watch and the Nehru stadium wicket’s reputation for being a batting beauty is just the sort of challenge this India spinner needs to perform at peak level. “Amit performed well against Australia and England,†noted captain Chopra. Different ball game for Mishra After a brief net session, leg-spinner Amit Mishra moves towards the central square. There is a resigned look on his face, and his fears seem justified. The 22-yard strip prepared for the North vs South Duleep Trophy game looks all set to enhance its reputation as a certified batting paradise. The worrying lines on Mishra’s forehead increase because of several disturbing thoughts in his mind. He has to bowl with the less-friendly Kookaburra ball and the batsmen in the South Zone squad are masters of playing spin. Though VVS Laxman will be missing the game with an ankle strain, Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, S Badrinath and Dinesh Karthik look menacing. The leggie has proved to be Anil Kumble’s worthy replacement in the two-Test series at home but his show in the Duleep Trophy will provide the last impression to the national selectors when they sit to pick the team for the New Zealand tour. The decision-makers will scrutinise Mishra’s effectiveness with the Kookaburra ball as that’s the make the team will be using in New Zealand too. “It will be a challenge,†Mishra says as he tries to get a perfect grip on the ball in his hand. “I did well against Australia and England but the real test will be here. It is not only Rahul bhai but the other players too. They all use their feet well against spin bowling.†Mishra is trying hard to keep New Zealand out of his mind since he isn’t keen to put more pressure on himself. “I’m not thinking about New Zealand, let me get wickets here first,†he says.

[Predator_05]

It's really hard to imagine South Zone losing to the North - they have so much depth in their batting lineup with Dinesh Karthik batting at 7.

[Chandan]

It's really hard to imagine South Zone losing to the North - they have so much depth in their batting lineup with Dinesh Karthik batting at 7.

This time Laxman and Arjun Yadav are not playing. I'm not sure how good their replacements are but I'm sure that North has a rubbish attack. So South will certainly get into final with West.

[h4te]

not even regular updates on cricinfo? they'll prolly update after lunch. this is ridiculous! :mad:

[Predator_05]

This time Laxman and Arjun Yadav are not playing. I'm not sure how good their replacements are but I'm sure that North has a rubbish attack. So South will certainly get into final with West.

I expect Vijay to replace Laxman. So it's still a really strong batting lineup. Uthappa, Mukund, Karthik have been in fine form all season and we all know Dravid has something to prove. So a few absences here and there don't matter at all. East has the bowling attack to cause an upset, with guys like Bose, Dinda and Mohanty but their batting lineup probably won't get the runs on the board against Dhawal and co. West Zone is batting first in this match so let's see if EZ's pace trio lives up to my hype.

[graphic23]

not even regular updates on cricinfo? they'll prolly update after lunch. this is ridiculous! :mad:

Isn't it because of the BCCI rule that no one should cover the domestic games or something like that?

[Predator_05]

Sorry, West Zone is fielding first, not batting first. http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/duleeptrophy2008-09/engine/match/368327.html South Zone are the ones who chose to bat first http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/duleeptrophy2008-09/engine/match/368328.html

[h4te]

Isn't it because of the BCCI rule that no one should cover the domestic games or something like that?

that is understandable if BCCI actually covered the games. what's the point of not covering the games and asking others not to cover them? i bet Lalit Modi wants $10 mil from CI.....:((:((:((:(( edit: update at drinks. well, better than nothing. :((

[Chandan]

Duleep trophy semi-final : South vs North and East vs West West won the toss and elected to field first. East is 51/1 with Das dismissed for a duck by Kulkarni. East: D Chakrabarty, SS Das, RR Parida, MK Tiwary, SS Tiwary, WP Saha, B Mohanty, H Das, AB Dinda, RR Bose, A Katti West :W Jaffer, PA Patel, AM Rahane, CA Pujara, KM Jadhav, BD Thaker, AM Nayar, RV Pawar, SK Trivedi, SM Fallah, DS Kulkarni At Rajkot, South won the toss and elected to bat first. They are 74/2 with bothe openers dismissed cheaply and Dravid and Badri at crease. Dravid is batting aggressively. North: *Chopra, S Dhawan, R Dewan, R Bhatia, V Kohli, A Mishra, MS Gony, U Kaul, S Sohal, P Awana, VS Malik South: A Mukund, RV Uthappa, S Badrinath, R Dravid, Yadav, KD Karthik, M Suresh, R Ashwin, L Balaji, R Vinay Kumar, SS Bandekar How many of you agree with Chopa's view here No longer the national tournament When I started playing first-class cricket about a decade ago, the whole purpose of playing Ranji Trophy was to do enough to get picked for North Zone in Duleep Trophy. The Ranji format was different back then. Teams were divided into zones, and would play each other before the top two qualified for the knock-outs. Hence the media coverage was also restricted to the matches in the particular zone. For example we would rarely get to know about the matches happening in the south or east. I'm sure it must have been the same for other zones too. Doing well was important and one got noticed all right, but only in his respective zone - unless someone did something out of the ordinary, something like a triple-century or 15 wickets in a match. The knock-out matches were always pretty important, but there were only a handful of teams involved. The real chance to get noticed at the national level would come when one represented the zonal side in Duleep Trophy. This was an opportunity for players from different states to see each other play. This tournament also included the India players since a not-so-crowded international calendar during this period allowed them to play. The players in the Indian team would often share details of up-and-coming cricketers with each other, but that was also limited to a player's knowledge of the zone he played in. The Duleep Trophy was the only platform where one would compete against the best in the country, and hence performances would get noticed too. Those days, an ordinary outing in Duleep Trophy would severely hamper one's chances to represent the country. One would have to wait for the next edition of the tournament, which obviously happened after a year, to repair the damage. But now that the Ranji format has changed it has become a national tournament in the true sense of the word. With the teams divided into two divisions and in two separate pools thereafter, teams get to play against different teams every year irrespective of the zones. The media coverage of Ranji Trophy has also changed with the format, and now we can follow almost every team's fortunes. One need not wait till the Duleep Trophy to know which guy is doing well in the season. While the Ranji Trophy has become more important, the importance of the Duleep Trophy has become somewhat diluted. Performing extremely well in the Duleep Trophy is no longer the only way to impress the selectors. And the fact that a lot of players play for India before playing for their respective zones these days just reiterates my point. This probably isn't such a bad thing for a player because now he has more avenues and hence more chances to leave a mark. A couple of bad innings in the Duleep Trophy are not going to push his career back by a year. On the contrary I see it as an opportunity to continue the good work, and add up to the tally of runs or wickets for the season. The Duleep Trophy might have lost a bit of its sheen and importance in the recent past, but it is still very dear to me.

[ludhianvi]

South Zone : 74/2 @ 4.62 rpo with Dravid 34* off 40 balls at a s/r of 85 :yikes:

[ludhianvi]

South Zone 151/2 Dravid 73* Badri 54* Dravid w/ s/r of 83 :ohmy:

[h4te]

South Zone 151/2 Dravid 73* Badri 54* Dravid w/ s/r of 83 :ohmy:

:omg::omg::omg:

[Chandan]

South Zone 151/2 Dravid 73* Badri 54* Dravid w/ s/r of 83 :ohmy:

Dravid and Badri have hammered Mishra for 32 runs in 4 overs. Mishra has bowled 5 noballs too. Not a very good sign imo. In the other match, East is 100/3 with Tiwari dismissed just for 13. Kulkarni, Trivedi and Nayar have taken a wicket each till lunch on Day one.

[fineleg]

South Zone 151/2 Dravid 73* Badri 54* Dravid w/ s/r of 83 :ohmy:

[h4te]

^ strong backlift!