Duleep Trophy 2008-2009

[Rajan]

the pitch is flat. sreesanth already been warned twice for running on the danger area. u cant blame him, he was not allotted brain by God when he was born!just in to his 2nd spell, he is already on the verge of being thrown out of bowling in this innings.that is the last thing South needs.these days umpires are also acting like school head masters.first day of a match. first session, he is given warnings. it is not as if the pitch is a dustbowl and he is intentionally creating more rough spots for his spinners to exploit on a 4th day /5th day wicket.give him a break for God's sake. already bowling on indian 'patta' wickets is such a thankless back breaking job for seamers and if he has to cautiously look at his follow through, then he would lose his focus and effectiveness.meanwhile Jaffer is all set for a triple hundred.

[Rajan]

Cricinfo said- Day 2-till lunch, but some one has woken up and corrected it to day 1.

[fineleg]

the pitch is flat. sreesanth already been warned twice for running on the danger area. u cant blame him, he was not allotted brain by God when he was born!just in to his 2nd spell, he is already on the verge of being thrown out of bowling in this innings.that is the last thing South needs.these days umpires are also acting like school head masters.first day of a match. first session, he is given warnings. it is not as if the pitch is a dustbowl and he is intentionally creating more rough spots for his spinners to exploit on a 4th day /5th day wicket.give him a break for God's sake. already bowling on indian 'patta' wickets is such a thankless back breaking job for seamers and if he has to cautiously look at his follow through, then he would lose his focus and effectiveness.meanwhile Jaffer is all set for a triple hundred.

dancing donkey sreesanth.

[Chandan]

.meanwhile Jaffer is all set for a triple hundred.

Good woof! Jaffer gone for 69.

[Rajan]

Good woof! Jaffer gone for 69.

so happy. mission accomplished.:--D

[fineleg]

so happy. mission accomplished.:--D

:yay: but dancing donkey shud have been dropped for this match :angry_smile: he is screwing up the 1st inn.

[Rajan]

how wud he prove his fitness if he is dropped for this match? this make or break for him. he is an unpredictable guy!not sure whether even he knows about what he is going to do the next moment. wont be surprised if he suddenly bowls a dream spell.

[h4te]

pujara gone for 14 :hmmm:

[Shane]

Ashwin ... the Indian version of Roger Harper !!!

[fineleg]

how wud he prove his fitness if he is dropped for this match?this make or break for him. he is an unpredictable guy!not sure whether even he knows about what he is going to do the next moment. wont be surprised if he suddenly bowls a dream spell.

i know. i was just a lil' frustrated with this idjet santh. Instead of focussing his maximum on cricket, one gets the feeling that he just was extremely distracted during the break he had over the last year. Because of his lack of focus, we may lose what we once thought was a good fast bowler for India. I hope this idjet gets his act together soon.

[Rajan]

i know. i was just a lil' frustrated with this idjet santh. Instead of focussing his maximum on cricket, one gets the feeling that he just was extremely distracted during the break he had over the last year. Because of his lack of focus, we may lose what we once thought was a good fast bowler for India. I hope this idjet gets his act together soon.

one of the problem with instant celebrity is totally losing touch with reality.especially this happens to people who do not have much mental maturity.for all the appreciation and accolades showered by legends of the highest order,SRT & RD have been living examples of epitome of maintaining equilibrium and adhering to ' discipline, dedication, determination' towards the game.but after one successful tour of SA, sree completely changed. he thinks no end of himself.success, fame and money are s deadly combination. some one like Ravi shastri or Sunil Gavaskar or even Kapil dev or since sree stays in Bangalore these days, at least Kumble can have a long chat with sree. can explain what he can accomplish in career and life if only he can change for the better soon and sets the priorities in order.!hmmmmmmmmm........

[h4te]

to those that are watching the game, how is badri's captaining? how are the field placings? this will give a lot of insight into his mentality/thinking and whether or not he is capable of handling international cricket (on the mental side atleast). from cricinfo, it seems that there are a lot of rapid bowling changes after 6-8 overs...

[h4te]

hasn't changed a single bit:

57.6 Sreesanth to Rahane, no run, defends wit ha straight bat back to the bowler, Sreesanth has a few words to say to the batsman.

[Shane]

hasn't changed a single bit:

:cantstop:

[Rajan]

Badri was an average captain for TN.Not very proactive. I am not watching this match but I would be surprised if he sets anything other than defensive fields.not many indian domestic captains have aggressive mindsets-always conservative or defensive, afraid to attack, ready to remove the slip after 2 streaky 4s down thirdman...

[SachDan]

Century for Rahane :two_thumbs_up:

[Rajan]

303- 5 Rahane- 109* Sreesanth with 2 late wickets. may be south can roll out west for 400, if they can get Rahane early tomorrow.

[h4te]

303- 5 Rahane- 109* Sreesanth with 2 late wickets. may be south can roll out west for 400, if they can get Rahane early tomorrow.

except Rahane, everyone is a tailender who can't bat. it shouldn't be hard.....but with Sreesanth, you never know :giggle:

[Chandan]

Duleep Trophy Final, 2009, Day 1 South Zone v West Zone, Chennai, Day 1 Late wickets take sheen off Rahane ton Cricinfo staff February 5, 2009 West Zone 303 for 5 (Rahane 109*, Thaker 73, Jaffer 69) v South Zone Scorecard How were they out Ajinkya Rahane's phenomenal first-class season continued on the first day of the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone in Chennai, his unbeaten century handing West Zone a slight advantage. The theme of the day though was South striking every time West threatened to move into a dominant position: the openers with an aggressive start, then with Wasim Jaffer and Rahane's 77-run stand, and finally after Bhavik Thaker and Rahane had taken West to 297 for 3. With South playing only two quick bowlers, there was a lot of responsibility on the senior medium-pacer Sreesanth, who is striving to win a place on India's upcoming tour of New Zealand. He was off-colour in the first session though, with opener Parthiv Patel in particular going after him. Sreesanth's fifth over was particularly torrid as he lost his line and needed ten deliveries to complete the over. He redeemed himself with the second new ball, generating some lovely swing and taking two late wickets, first inducing an outside edge to slip off Thaker, and then polishing Abhishek Nayar with a bouncer. In the morning, the openers gave West a confident start, adding 55 before offspinner R Ashwin trapped Parthiv leg before for 27. Wasim Jaffer was initially content to play second fiddle, but took charge after Parthiv's dismissal. Ashwin was swept from outside off, and legspinner M Suresh was carted over the long-on boundary. Jaffer's half-century came up with a straight drive off Sreesanth and he was looking good for yet another ton, but shouldered arms to a straighter one from left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati which knocked back his offstump. Cheteshwar Pujara didn't last very long, missing out on a chance to impress the national selectors. He became the second batsman to be lbw to Ashwin when on 14, which reduced West to 163 for 3. Rahane and Thaker, though, ensured West retained the initiative with a 134-run stand. There was some assistance for South's trio of spinners but Rahane, in particular, handled them with ease. He was generally circumspect against them but took toll of the loose deliveries they offered. He really opened out after tea, when West were at a comfortable 223 for 3. He repeatedly swept Ashwin, charged down the track to loft Jakati over mid-on before bringing up his eighth first-class century with a pull off Suresh. Thaker also went on the attack in the third session. He had been lucky to survive when on 33, the short leg fielder grassed a chance. He then tore into Jakati, charging down the track and driving him over mid-on for four, and celebrated reaching his half-century with a couple of sixes off the same bowler. West were threatening to run away with the game when Sreesanth helped bring South back with his late strikes. The other consolation for South is that West have a pretty long tail: Dhawal Kulkarni, their original No. 8, has a highest first-class score of 26. Another POV Chanceless hundred by Ajinkya Rahane : West Zone in control S. Ram Mahesh West Zone finishes day one at 303 for five Classy knock: West Zone’s Ajinkya Rahane extended his memorable first-class season by scoring a fine unbeaten century against South on the first day of the Duleep Trophy final on Thursday. CHENNAI: Ajinkya Rahane, one of the country’s brightest young batting talents, extended what has been a memorable first-class season, crafting an unbeaten 109 (280m, 217b, 14x4, 2x6) on the first day of the Duleep Trophy final here at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. West Zone overcame an assorted attack of spin bowling to end Day One of their Duleep Trophy final against South at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday on a high. That spinners would have a huge role to play here was expected, but the fact that they came into play as early as the ninth over said a lot about the slowness of the pitch. Thanks to the diminutive 20-year-old’s chanceless hundred, and contrasting half-centuries from captain Wasim Jaffer (69) and number-five Bhavik Thaker (73), West Zone nursed hopes of batting South Zone into a corner, progressing to 297 for three at one stage. The 134-run fourth-wicket stand between Rahane and Thaker dashed South’s hopes of restricting North. It might be too early to write South off yet, but with spinners having already bowled 69 overs in the day, it will be difficult for South to overhaul West’s eventual first innings total. But Sreesanth, who got his outswinger working with the second new ball, atoned for his sub-standard showing earlier in the day to offer South captain S. Badrinath some succour. Sreesanth’s two late wickets – including that of the dangerous Abhishek Nayar caught behind off the back of his bat – helped South reduce West to 303 for five in 92 overs before close. South would consider themselves fortunate to have opted for a five-man attack after medium-pacer Vinay Kumar withdrew due to a side spasm while bowling. S Sreesanth was warned twice by South African umpire Marais Erasmus for running on the pitch. Sreesanth, who was off tangent in his first 11 overs, was better towards the end when he took two crucial wickets in three overs with the second new ball. His outswinger broke the Rahane-Thaker partnership, the Gujarat right-hander edging to Rahul Dravid at first slip. Jaffer earlier made capital of his luck with the toss, constructing an opening stand of 55 with Parthiv Patel. R. Vinay Kumar bowled a disciplined line and length, but Sreesanth’s looseness prevented the building of pressure. Sreesanth appeared bereft of rhythm: his non-bowling arm fell away too quickly, and the resulting medium-paced indiscretions were punished. It was left to off-spinner R. Ashwin, introduced as early as the ninth over, to break through. Ashwin was comfortably South’s best bowler on a dry strip that promoted turn. Coating his deliveries with overspin to dip on the batsman, he invited the right-hander to drive against the considerable break from outside the off-stump. But it was the left-handed Parthiv who fell, playing for the turn at one that straightened just enough from around the wicket to satisfy the requirements of the lbw law. Jaffer drove elegantly and mixed it up with controlled sweep strokes. But immediately after lunch, he shouldered arms to a Shadab Jakati delivery and looked back in horror. Jaffer’s decision to let it go was understandable: Jakati, who gives his left-arm slows a real rip, had turned a few past the opener’s bat from middle-stump. This one didn’t turn. Ashwin deceived Cheteshwar Pujara with an under-cut straighter delivery, but Rahane and Thaker played West into the ascendancy. Thaker, who was dropped by Arjun Yadav at short-leg off Ashwin when on 33, helped himself to a half-century that featured several robust hits. When South’s best off-spinner on the day, R. Ashwin, trapped Patel leg before with a straighter one, it looked that spin would dominate. South had leg-spinner M. Suresh and left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati to trouble the West line-up. With substantial turn in the offing, it made batting difficult. Batting on such pitches tests the class of the willow wielders as much as it requires the bowlers to pick the right areas and exploit the conditions. Rahane was unperturbed by the turn and played his strokes freely, largely off the back foot. He did not play a silly stroke and, in Thaker’s company, dominated the South bowling, raising his fifth century of the season and eighth of his career. Rahane batted patiently and skilfully. He countered the slow turn by playing late off the back-foot, his bottom hand generating the requisite bat-speed. A flat-batted pull brought up Rahane’s eighth first-class hundred before Sreesanth had Thaker edging an outswinger to first slip and Nayar ducking ill-advisedly into a bouncer that didn’t rise as expected. Ajinkya Rahane attributes his powers of endurance to the four-hour journeys he spent in Mumbai’s local trains as a junior cricketer. Compared to that, Rahane’s ride on the slow-paced track at the MA Chidambaram Stadium seemed simple.

[Mr. Wicket]

382/6 Rahane on 160 and plundering away. :--D