Ranji Trophy - Super League 2009-2010 - Discussion thread

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Karnataka bowlers impress as Bengal hold on More... Karnataka bowlers impress as Bengal hold on Mysore Nov. 20: On a pitch that refused to give bowlers much to work with even on the fourth day, Karnataka put up a spirited show. Having declared at their overnight 523/9 with an handy lead of 199, skipper Robin Uthappa made sure his bowlers had an entire day’s time to bowl out Bengal. The strip at the Gangothri Galdes however, showed no signs of wear and tear and Bengal managed to hang on for a draw, finishing at 213/6 in the Ranji Trophy Super League encounter on Friday. Though Karnataka would be frustrated at not bowling out Bengal inside the 90 overs, the three points they got virtue of their first innings lead keeps them atop Group B with 11 points from three matches. Captain Manoj Tiwary led from the front with an unbeaten 65 as Bengal managed to avert an outright defeat against Karnataka in their Super League (Group B) encounter of the Ranji Trophy at the Gangotri Glades ground here on Friday. At the close of play on the final day, Tiwary’s innings ensured that Bengal finished at 213 for six in 86 overs after Karnataka declared their innings on their overnight total of 523 for nine. At one point of time, Bengal were staring at defeat with scoreboard reading 178 for six and with more than an hour’s play left. Sourasish Lahiri (6 ..) hung on for 65 minutes with the stand-in-captain to ensure a point for Bengal. Bengal now have seven points from three matches and maintain their second position in group B. Hosts Karnataka maintain their top position with 11 points from three matches. In the morning, it was Deep Dasgupta who came out to open the innings along with Arindam Das after team management decided to send first innings centurion Rohan Banerjee lower down the order due to an ankle injury. The duo batted sedately to add 61 runs 21 overs. In the first delivery of the 22nd over, Das (31, 64 balls, 5x4) was dismissed by left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi caught by B Akhil. Dasgupta was joined by Avishek Jhunjhunwala (17) and the pair took the team to 94 before Jhunjhunwala was caught by R. Vinay Kumar off B Akhil’s bowling. Dasgupta completed his second half-century of the season (he scored a half-century against Maharashtra in Pune). He batted for close to four hours before he was the third Bengal wicket to fall at 113. The former Bengal captain was run out for 55 off 127 deliveries with six boundaries to his credit. Wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha (14) and all-rounder Sayan Sekhar Mondal (11) departed with the team total at 142 and 160 respectively. Saha was caught by ’keeper C.M. Gautam off leg-break bowler Amit Verma. Mondal playing his second first-class match was also caught by Gautam off Vinay Kumar. Injured Banerjee finally came out to bat No 7 with runner Jhunjhunwala. He was trapped leg before off Vinay Kumar for 3. Tiwary, however, batted for more than four hours to save his team from the blushes. More.. 1 point better than nothing, says Tiwary A STAFF REPORTER Calcutta: Manoj Tiwary believes it is the captain’s responsibility to put his hand up and be counted when the team is down in the dumps. Although entrusted with a temporary job, the 24-year-old made sure he gave his hundred per cent both as a leader and as a batsman. After his 78 in the first innings, Bengal’s premier batsman scored a match-saving half-century in the second. “No captain is happy with one point. But if you ask me, a point is always better than losing outright. We now have to go for an outright win against Saurashtra. It’s our home match and we can’t afford to give our opponents any room,” Tiwary said from Mysore. As to his own batting, Tiwary seemed quite satisfied. “When I go out to bat, I try to get the captaincy part out of my system. Also, I enjoy batting in pressure situations, whether it’s a Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai (he scored 94) or playing to save a match. I knew that I needed to stay there till the very end.” The other significant contributor, Deep Dasgupta, said that the pitch had eased out considerably. “I should have got a hundred as there was not much in the pitch,” Dasgupta said. Dasgupta will be meeting CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya to discuss his unwillingness to take further part in the season, once the team returns on Saturday. Banerjee’s ankle pain is still there and he looks doubtful for Bengal’s next match.

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Spinners bowl Mumbai to win Debutant spinner Harmeet Singh’s brilliant spell of 3/38 spelt doom for Himachal as the visitors sleepwalked to defeat against Mumbai on Friday, reports Bivabasu Kumar. More... Spinners win it for Mumbai Bivabasu Kumar, Hindustan Times Mumbai, November 20, 2009 First Published: 21:58 IST(20/11/2009) Last Updated: 21:59 IST(20/11/2009) Debutant spinner Harmeet Singh’s brilliant spell of 3/38 spelt doom for Himachal as the visitors sleepwalked to defeat against Mumbai on Friday. With spin taking centrestage at the Bandra Kurla Complex from the second day, Mumbai knew they had the advantage of having two quality tweakers in Harmeet and Iqbal Abdulla. Chasing 248 on a fourth-day wicket was always going to be difficult, and Mumbai proved that by eking out an 85-run win. The visitors lost the plot in the first session itself when they lost three wickets for 40 runs. Sangram Singh, Bhavin Thakkar and Vikramjeet Malik were back in the pavilion by lunch and the visitor’s weakness against spinners was exposed when Harmeet and Abdulla exchanged ends in the second session. Harmeet got his first wicket when he removed Paras Dogra with the one that turned sharply. Abdulla removed Mukhesh Sharma with a smart return catch and then flummoxed Abhinav Bali with a beauty of a delivery. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Haari baji ko jeetna jise aata hai, woh Sikandar hi doston kahelata hai (One who knows how to win a lost battle is known as Sikandar). More... Deadly Spin Harmeet, Abdulla orchestrate Mumbai’s first win of the season to help their side move joint second By Amit Gupta Posted On Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 03:20:49 AM Haari baji ko jeetna jise aata hai, woh Sikandar hi doston kahelata hai (One who knows how to win a lost battle is known as Sikandar). Yesterday, the song from popular Bollywood movie Jo jeeta wohi Sikandar, played at full volume in the Mumbai dressing room at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Ground, Bandra-Kurla Complex. They had just completed an 85-run win over Himachal Pradesh to register their first outright win of the season. The song was just apt for the kind of dramatic come-from-behind victory that they achieved. Dismissed for 162 in their first innings, they let Himachal get to 246. In their second essay, they had lost half their team when they were just 109 ahead. But then a ton from Ajit Agarkar and half-century from Iqbal Abdulla ensured that they set Himachal a target of 252 to get on the last day. At the start of the fourth day, the visitors were 4-0 and the match had all the makings of an interesting contest — Himachal needing 248 runs and Mumbai, ten wickets. But as the day progressed, it became clear who’s the boss. HP’s slide started when Sangram Singh was run-out by Rohit Sharma and keeper Vinayak Samant combination. Avishkar Salvi dealt them the biggest blow by dismissing Bhavin Thakkar, an edge going straight into the hands of Samant. Himachal took lunch at a precarious 66-3. It was left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh who started the slide for them when he made one jump from a good length to catch the edge of Paras Dogra’s bat, with Samant doing the rest behind the stumps. The 16-year-old added another victim to his kitty in form of Vinit Indular (2), edging to skipper Wasim Jaffer at first slip. The other left arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla joined the party when he caught Mukesh Sharma (2) on his own bowling. Sarandeep Singh (34) and Ashok Thakur (39) tried to delay the inevitable but Abdulla claimed both of them to hand Mumbai the win. The two left-arm spinners picked up three wickets each to add to their tally of four-a-piece in the first innings. Mumbai are, now, second in the points table with nine points from three games. Harmeet’s match effort of seven wickets 127 runs in 43 overs he bowled in his debut match came in for special mention from Jaffer. Special Talent Both Jaffer and coach Praveen Amre agreed on keeping him away from the short and the shortest form of the game. Jaffer said, “Mumbai cricket needs to take care of him. I hope the T20 and one day cricket doesn’t harm him too much. Its our duty to look after him.” Amre was more empathic when he said, “He should be reserved for longer version of the game. He is very young, we don't want to take a chance because after a long time we have got a genuine orthodox left arm spinner. As a coach I see talent in him. We come across talented batsman or fast bowler but rarely a left arm spinner who has turn and bounce. We can recommend it to the Cricket Improvement Committee and leave it to higher authorities to take the final call.” Mumbai next play Railways from Tuesday and captain-coach duo have their wish list ready for that game. While Jaffer wants big hundred from the top order batsmen and early wickets from opening bowlers, Amre is hoping for a match-winning performances from Rohit Sharma and Abhishek Nayar.

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Tamil Nadu beats Punjab by an innings and 45-runs, wins by a bonus point AMRITSAR: Tamil Nadu completed an innings and 45-run victory to collect six points, including a bonus, from its Ranji Trophy Super League match against Punjab at the Gandhi ground here on Friday. Punjab, which resumed at 114 for five, ... More... Tamil Nadu beats Punjab by an innings and 45-runs Special Correspondent Tamil Nadu players celebrate after winning their Ranji Trophy match against Punjab on Friday. AMRITSAR: Tamil Nadu completed an innings and 45-run victory to collect six points, including a bonus, from its Ranji Trophy Super League match against Punjab at the Gandhi ground here on Friday. Punjab, which resumed at 114 for five, failed to learn from the mistakes of the previous three days and continued to slide towards a humiliating defeat at home. Off-spinner R. Ashwin richly deserved his haul of five for 16. The batsmen, with the exception of veteran Pankaj Dharmani, threw their bat around to make the job easy for the Tamil Nadu bowlers. The partnership between Dharmani and Gaurav Gambhir promised a fight but the latter fell into a trap — his sweep was well taken by V. Yomahesh at square-leg. Bharat Loomba lasted five balls and Dharmani, eighth man out, was trapped leg-before by Ashwin’s nagging line. His 56 came off 88 balls with nine fours. Even as Love Abilish (29, 2x4, 3x6) smashed the ball around it was only a matter of time before Tamil Nadu signed off in style. Tamil Nadu now travels to Dharamshala to play Himachal Pradesh from November 24 while Punjab hosts Gujarat at Mohali. After three matches, Tamil Nadu’s tally stands at 12 points while Punjab has four. The scores: Punjab — 1st innings: 228. Tamil Nadu — 1st innings: 521 for nine decl. Punjab — 2nd innings: R.I. Singh b Srinivas 11, V. Bhalla c D. Karthik b Srinivas 12, U. Kaul c R. Satish b Ashwin 16, C. Madan b Ashwin 15, P. Dharmani lbw b Ashwin 56, A. Kakkar c Mahesh b Srinivas 33, G. Gambhir c Yomahesh b Suresh 19, B. Loomba c Arun Karthik b Suresh 1, L. Abilish b Ashwin 29, V. Khanna (not out) 30, S. Ladda c Vijay b Ashwin 15; Extras (b-4, lb-3, nb-3, w-1): 11; Total (in 76.2 overs): 248. Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-42, 3-56, 4-65, 5-104, 6-165, 7-171, 8-187, 9-209. Tamil Nadu bowling: L. Balaji 6-1-16-0, V. Yomahesh 5-1-14-0, A. Srinivas 21-8-47-3, R. Ashwin 302.-6-116-5, S. Suresh Kumar 11-3-41-2, A. Mukund 3-1-7-0.

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UP vs Baroda : Williams lights up a dull final day With a draw looming large, the final day’s play of this Ranji Trophy Super League encounter between UP and Baroda was reduced to academic interest only, reports Anam Arsalan. More... Williams lights up a dull final day Anam Arsalan, Hindustan Times Ghaziabad, November 20, 2009 First Published: 21:54 IST(20/11/2009) Last Updated: 21:57 IST(20/11/2009) With a draw looming large, the final day’s play of this Ranji Trophy Super League encounter between UP and Baroda was reduced to academic interest only. The Baroda batsmen ensured there were no hiccups and managed to bat almost the entire day to negate Uttar Pradesh’s attempts at bowling them out cheaply. The visitors, however, could not stop UP from earning three points on the basis of first innings lead. Batting cautiously, Baroda opener Connor Williams and middle-order batsman Rakesh Solanki put on 103 for the fourth wicket — the highlight of the day, to help Baroda put on 331 runs on board. Their partnership was important considering the fact that Bhuvneshwar Kumar had packed off three wickets on Thursday. The duo blocked fiery deliveries from the medium-pacers and played the spinners according to merit. Together, the two pushed the Baroda score from 31/3 (on Thursday) to 134/4, before Solanki (42) got out. A brilliant yorker from Sudeep Tyagi left him undone. But the veteran opener carried on. With Solanki gone, Williams forged another partnership, this time with the big-hitter Yusuf Pathan. The duo put on 71 runs for the sixth wicket before Williams fell to Praveen Gupta just four shy of a century. A turner from the left-arm spinner got the better of him as he played it straight to Tanmay Srivastav at short leg. Yusuf made 78 runs, decorating his innings with two sixes and six fours before falling to Gupta, who picked four wickets. UP were batting on eight for the loss of one wicket in their second innings when the two skippers decided to call it a day. UP now take on Delhi in Lucknow, while Baroda take on Karnataka at home. The biggest highlight of this match proved to be the presence of a good crowd. “Seeing people turn out in large number to witness a Ranji game is always a pleasant sight,” said Baroda skipper Irfan Pathan. “The best part was that the spectators were well-behaved and there wasn’t a single untoward incident that took place here.”

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Saurashtra vs Maharashtra : Gutsy Jadhav saves Maharashtra from innings defeat Kedar Jadhav's scored a gritty unbeaten 111 to help struggliong Maharashtra team avoid an innings defeat and salvage a draw against Saurashtra on the last day of the match at Rajkot. More... The saviour Kedar Jadhav’s gutsy ton under pressure saves Maharashtra from innings defeat Posted On Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 12:42:58 AM Pune: Kedar Jadhav's scored a gritty unbeaten 111 to help struggliong Maharashtra team avoid an innings defeat and salvage a draw against Saurashtra on the last day of the match at Rajkot. Resuming at the overnight score of 266 for seven, the last three Ma-harashtra batsman added just 23 runs. Saurashtra managed to enforce the follow after bundling out the visitors for 289 runs. For Saurashtra, Sandip Jobanputra was the wrecker-in-chief, cleaning up the Maha tail with figures four for 55 in the first innings. Left-arm spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Rakesh Dhruve shared two wickets each con-ceding 47 runs and 49 runs respectively. The poor performance with the bat continued in the second innings as well. Once again there was a batting collaspe. The teams losing half of their side for 162. Openers Harshad Khadiwale (3) and Rohan Bhosale (1) once again failed to provide an good start. But then came in Jadhav, who seemed determined to use the most of the opportunity, reaching his fifty in 88 balls with the help of ten fours and completed his century in style, lifting Rakesh Dhruve straight over his head for a six. Jadhav's hundred came off 177 balls and was punctuated with 17 boundaries and a six. He, however, did not get support from the other end as Ankit Bawane (12) and Rohit Motwani (7) once again failed to impress. Jadhav's gritty knock was enough to drag the match towards a draw. He remained undefeated on 111 in the company of all-rounder Ganesh Gaikwad (17). For Saurashtra, Rakesh Dhruve was the most successful bowler, taking three wickets for 71 runs, while Jobanputra and Jadeja took wicket apiece for eight and 22 runs respectively. Saurashtra secured three points from the match, while Maharashtra opened their account with one point.

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Gujrat draws against Hyderabad, Bhatt scores gritty 186 Rujul Bhatt (186) missed out on a double hundred but his side Gujarat ran away with three points as their Ranji Trophy Super League group A match against Hyderabad ended in a draw here on Friday. More... Guj draws against Hyd, Bhatt scores gritty 186 Last Updated on Friday, November 20, 2009, 19:09 IST Hyderabad: Rujul Bhatt (186) missed out on a double hundred but his side Gujarat ran away with three points as their Ranji Trophy Super League group A match against Hyderabad ended in a draw here on Friday. Gujarat, who began at a solid 263 for four, overcame three early jolts to score a huge 536 in reply to Hyderabad’s first innings total of 236. Bhatt and Ashraf Makda (53) raised a gritty 128-run stand for the eighth wicket to help their team consolidtae the first innings lead, 300 in total. Hyderabad played just two overs in their second essay and managed to survive both without any loss. Alfred Absolem dismissed overnight batsman Digant Popat (4) in the fourth over of the day and then Mohammed Khader accounted for the other Bhavik Thaker (54) and Salil Yadav (0) to leave Gujarat at 305 for seven. The end of the visitors looked imminent but Bhatt and Makda dashed Hyderabad’s hope by their resolute batting. Bhatt’s 186 came off 250 balls with 16 fours and one shot over the fence and Makda faced 136 balls for his 53 which contained five boundaries and two sixes. Bhatt was on course for a well deserved double hundred but once Makda departed off Ravi Teja it was difficult to reach the 200-run mark with the tail-enders. Gujarat earned three points on the virtue of their first innings lead while Hyderabad had to be content with one. Railways-Orissa draw Bhubaneswar: The rain-marred match between Railways and Orissa ended in a dull draw, with both teams earning one point each. Railways declared their innings at 307 for eight. In reply, the Orissa batsmen finished with 132 for four. Not even a single ball was bowled on Thursday. Brief scores: Railways 307/8 decl (V Cheluvaraj 88, K Upadhyay 49 not out, D Mohanty 3/42) vs Orissa 132/4 (S S Das 41, R Mohanty 37 not out, K Sharma 1/15).

[Sooda]

Connor Williams was uinlucky not to play for India after a good unofficial 'test' vs SAf a few years ago, seemed a solid opener Also- Tyagi firing brilliant yorkers!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest Gunner]

Go Easy' date=' Gunnah, its not ike they are the super powers in the group, the real test should come against Mumbai. [/quote'] Still, :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

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Winless Delhi, UP have point to prove With the Ranji season gradually reaching the halfway mark, the countdown to the semifinals will begin soon. A win at this stage would put a team in a better position to stake a claim to the last-four berth, reports Anam Arsalan. More... Winless Delhi, UP have point to prove Anam Arsalan, Hindustan Times Lucknow, November 24, 2009 First Published: 00:00 IST(24/11/2009) Last Updated: 00:02 IST(24/11/2009) With the Ranji season gradually reaching the halfway mark, the countdown to the semifinals will begin soon. A win at this stage would put a team in a better position to stake a claim to the last-four berth. In that light, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, who will lock horns at the Dr Akhilesh Das Stadium, will look to collect maximum points from this encounter. Delhi, playing their third game of the season, have four points and are yet to register an outright win. UP, on the other hand, have six points from three games. As for the upcoming encounter, UP have an edge over Delhi in terms of a strong bench strength, so much so that they are facing a problem of plenty. The in-form Shalabh Srivastava had to make way for players returning from the national duty in the last game, and he’s unlikely to make the cut here as well. Praveen Kumar, who had to sit out in the last game due to a finger injury, would, however, be raring to go. “PK (Praveen Kumar) is fit, but we will take a final decision on him tomorrow morning,” said UP coach Gyanendra Pandey. UP, however, have some concerns in batting department. Opener Tanmay Srivastav is yet to get going, and skipper Mohammad Kaif and middle-order batsman Suresh Raina were less than impressive in their last outing. Delhi, on the other hand, would look to have a good start from their openers. While Dhawan has been in good nick, skipper Chopra would look to get a big one here. Overall, the Delhi batting looks far more robust with the return of Mithun Manhas, who was out with injury, and Virat Kohli, who was away on national duty. The bowling department too looks strong with Pradeep Sangwan, who missed the last match as he was picked for the Board President XI, spearheading the pace attack. Left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra, a new face in the squad, will add teeth to the spin department. The wicket, observed the UP coach, looks a sporting one that will offer a good contest between bat and ball.

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Railways spring a surprise, drop keeper Rawat vs Mumbai All is not well within the Railways. Just a few days after Railways threatened to take action against the player not turning out for them in the Ranji Trophy, there’s more trouble brewing in the team, reports Subhash Rajta. More... Railways spring a surprise, drop keeper Rawat Subhash Rajta, Hindustan Times New Delhi, November 23, 2009 First Published: 23:57 IST(23/11/2009) Last Updated: 00:00 IST(24/11/2009) All is not well within the Railways. Just a few days after Railways threatened to take action against the player not turning out for them in the Ranji Trophy, there’s more trouble brewing in the team. Up against mighty Mumbai, the Railways have quietly omitted their wicket-keeper batsman Mahesh Rawat from the squad on the eve of the crucial match. Although the team management is tight-lipped, the reasons are obviously anything but performance related. “I don’t know why such a step has been taken. After being the top run-getter for the team for the last two seasons, I am hurt and disappointed. Anyways, I wish the team good luck,” said Rawat. Controversies apart, the team might consider itself a bit unlucky as two of its matches couldn't be completed due to bad weather, and Tamil Nadu just managed a slender first innings lead against them. “That’s something we can’t change, but on both occasions when weather disrupted our matches, we were in the driver's seat and could have easily picked up three points each,” said Railways coach Abhay Sharma. Anyways, he said, the boys haven’t given up and are eager to do well against Mumbai. “We are playing quite well, and we will certainly put up a good fight against Mumbai,” he said. Mumbai though should start as favourites, but they too aren't without concerns, even after an outright win against Himachal Pradesh in the last match. And, quite surprisingly, the area of concern is their batting — normally their strength. The defending champions have had at least two major batting failures so far, and had it not been for centuries scored by Ramesh Powar and Ajit Agarkar, they would have been in a soup against Punjab and Himachal. But then it’s common knowledge how Mumbai turn things around. More... Mumbai takes on Railways NEW DELHI: Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer is aiming at making the most of the result-giving pitch, while his Railways counterpart Murali Kartik hopes for the best on the traditional flat track of the Karnail Singh Stadium in the Ranji Trophy Super League match starting here on Tuesday. “It looks like a spinner-friendly pitch. Both Iqbal Abdulla and Harmeet Singh have grabbed the opportunities well and it is a good feeling as a captain (to have such players),” Jaffer said. Mumbai will play Railways after a long gap and Jaffer was wary of some experienced players in the home team. Bad weather has been following Railways for the last two matches, from which it has managed just two points. With only three points from three matches, the host hopes that it gets to play a full match against Mumbai. The teams (from): Railways: Murali Kartik (capt.), Yere Goud, Sanjay Bangar, V. Cheluvuraj, M. Suresh, T.P. Singh, Rahul Deb, Akshay Girap, Deepak Yadav, Sanjib Sanyal, Faiz Fazal, Harshad Rawle, Shailendra Gehlot, Karan Sharma and Krishnakant Upadhyaya. Mumbai: Sahil Kukreja, Ajinkya Rahane, Wasim Jaffer (capt.), Rohit Sharma, Abhishek Nayar, Vinayak Samant, Ajit Agarkar, Harmeet Singh, Iqbal Abdullah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Aviskar Salvi, Omkar Khanvilkar, Sushant Marathe, Usman Malvi and Prashant Naik.

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Tough task for Maharashtra against Karnataka Mumbai: Karnataka?s collection of 11 points from three matches in the Group ?B? Ranji Trophy Super League has been mainly because of fine performances from its batsmen as well as bowlers. The endeavour with the bat and ... More... Tough task for Maharashtra Special Correspondent Mumbai: Karnataka’s collection of 11 points from three matches in the Group ‘B’ Ranji Trophy Super League has been mainly because of fine performances from its batsmen as well as bowlers. The endeavour with the bat and ball by many of its key players resulted in victory over Uttar Pradesh and gaining the first innings lead against Delhi and Bengal. Two of them — Manish Pandey and Abhimanyu Mithun — impressed with their scintillating efforts in the opening match against Uttar Pradesh at Meerut and last week K.B. Pawan, Amit Verma and C.M. Gautam grew taller with centuries against Bengal at Mysore. Karnataka’s campaign in this season’s National championship — after Rahul Dravid showed them the way initially — has shown that it’s eager to make an impact. Skipper Robin Uthappa dwelt on his team’s allround strength before the fourth league match against Maharashtra. He named Vinay Kumar, Mithun and Aravind for their outstanding work as seamers and also mentioned about the quality spin attack he commands. Maharashtra is placed at the bottom of the eight-team Group ‘B’ and a rung below Delhi. Coached by Australian Shaun Williams, Maharashtra is in the process of building a team. In the last two seasons and two matches this season, a total of 21 players have made their debut in the Ranji Trophy. Skipper Harshad Khadiwale and Kedar Jadhav have scored a century each. Its bowlers — Samad Fallah has picked up six wickets at 40.66, Azhar Ansari two at 52.50, Sajin Sureshnath four at 53.25 and Kiran Adav four at 75. Clearly the home team has to exceed itself to stretch Karnataka. The teams (from): Karnataka: Robin Uthappa (captain), K.B. Pawan, Amit Verma, Manish Pandey, B. Akhil, C.M. Gautam, G. Satish, Sunil Joshi, Vinay Kumar, Abimanyu Mithun, S. Aravind, Stuart Binny, Udit Patel, K.P. Appanna, Ryan Ninan. Maharashtra: Harshad Khadiwale (captain), Rohan Bhosale, Azhar Ansari, Rohit Motwani, Kiran Adav, Ameya Shrikhande, Kedar Jadhav, Samad Fallah, Ganesh Gaikwad, Digambar Waghmare, Ranjit Chavan, Sajin Sureshnath, Ankit Bawne, Jitendra Patil, Sangram Atitkar.

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Punjab keen to open account vs Gujarat is all or nothing for Punjab in their fourth Super Group Ranji Trophy tie against Gujarat on a green top wicket at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium More... Punjab keen to open account vs Gujarat Ashutosh Sharma Mohali, November 23, 2009 First Published: 23:54 IST(23/11/2009) Last Updated: 23:56 IST(23/11/2009) It is all or nothing for Punjab in their fourth Super Group Ranji Trophy tie against Gujarat on a green top wicket at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium. Still to register a win, Punjab will be desperate to open their account against the visitors and the reappointed skipper Pankaj Dharmani knows this too well. He made it clear that his team will go for a win. But Punjab also intend to play safe and for that the team will go with seven batsmen and four bowlers. “We would have three pacers and a spinner with seven batsmen. It’s a green top and will have consistent pace and bounce on all four days,” he said. “We have played two games in these conditions and I think our local experience will also help us,” Dharmani, who replaced Ankur Kakkar as skipper, said. Gujarat, on the other hand, will be looking to extend their good run. Led by Parthiv Patel, they have one win and two draws and are sitting pretty at number three with nine points. With Manpreet Gony and Luv Ablish set to play, the last slot of a pacer will be decided between Harmeet and Gagandeep. In the spin department, the choice is between Rahul Sharma and Sarabjit Ladda, he added. Gujarat coach Vijay Patel, however, chose to keep his cards close to his chest and refused to comment on team composition. “We will decide in the morning. The wicket is green and we will take a call before the match,” he said. Dharmani, who has been in good touch this season, said the extra weight of captaincy will not interfere in his batting. “They (Gujarat) have a settled team but it is not easy to bat in such conditions. A lot of skill and application is required and I think we have a chance,” he said.

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Crucial tie for Hyderabad, Orissa Hyderabad: Hyderabad appears a shade better than Orissa, as the two teams gear up for their Ranji Trophy Super League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium (Uppal) from Tuesday. The visiting side suffered one outright defeat at the ... More... Crucial tie for Hyderabad, Orissa Hyderabad: Hyderabad appears a shade better than Orissa, as the two teams gear up for their Ranji Trophy Super League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium (Uppal) from Tuesday. The visiting side suffered one outright defeat at the hands of Gujarat, while the host conceded the first innings lead in its three outings thus far. “Our batting has not clicked, with not a century until now and the total crossing the 300 mark just once. Even when hit by the Indian Cricket League (ICL), we stayed in the elite section but now we are fighting for survival,” said Hyderabad coach Venkatapathy Raju. “We need to pick up points from every game hereon and can’t be defensive any longer,” he said. The former Test spinner attributed his side’s poor showing to a lack of intensity and taking too much for granted. Consistency was the need of the hour as much as there was a dire necessity for a match-winner. The going was bound to get tougher, with stronger teams such as Mumbai and Tamil Nadu still to come Hyderabad’s way in the group’s remaining fixtures. “It’s entirely in the team’s hands and it’s high time we pulled up our socks,” he added. Orissa coach Abakash Khatua hoped his squad would take the first innings lead, if not get an outright win. “Bowling is our strength and like Hyderabad, we are banking on our seamers to deliver. We need to score 350 at least,” he said when looking at a fighting total. “We are as good as Hyderabad, in the same position and need points badly,” he added. The teams (from): Orissa: Shiv Sundar Das (capt.), Bikash Swarup Pati, Niranjan Behera, Pravanjan Mullick, Rashmi Ranjan Das, Halhadhar Das, Santosh Jena, Subhrajit Sahoo, Rakesh Mohanty, Alok Sahoo, Dhiraj Singh, Basant Mohanty, Deepak Behera, Debasish Mohanty, Pritamjit Das. Coach: Abakash Khatua. Hyderabad: N. Arjun Yadav (capt.), Shashank Nag, Ibrahim Khaleel, A.T. Rayudu, Abhinav Kumar, Anirudh Singh, Anoop Pai, Ahmed Quadri, Ashwin Yadav, Mohd. Abdul Khader, M.P. Arjun, Alfred Absolom, Rushi Raj, Lalith Mohan, Vishal Sharma. Coach: S.L. Venkatapathy Raju.

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Ganguly back in Bengal squad vs Saurashtra Bengal would be looking up to Sourav Ganguly to play the role of a mentor when it meets a resurgent Saurashtra in a Ranji Trophy Super League group ‘B’ match at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday. More... Ganguly back in Bengal squad KOLKATA: Bengal would be looking up to Sourav Ganguly to play the role of a mentor when it meets a resurgent Saurashtra in a Ranji Trophy Super League group ‘B’ match at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday. Ganguly, who skipped Bengal’s last away match against Karnataka at Mysore, will play under Manoj Tiwary as the host’s original skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla failed to pass a fitness test. After having won against Maharashtra in an away game, Bengal managed to draw the next two games against Baroda at home and Karnataka to log with six points from three ties. Saurashtra, on the other hand, has four points from two games, having drawn the last game against Maharashtra at home with first innings lead. Semifinalist for the last two years, Saurashtra would depend heavily on three batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sitanshu Kotak and Ravindra Jadeja to deliver. Captain Joydev Shah felt the team’s strength was its ability to play as a unit. Tiwary said Bengal’s discomfiture in the past was owing to many mistakes the team committed. “We need to play an error free game or keep the mistakes to a minimum. This is a very vital game. Our aim is to gain the first innings lead and then go for full points,” he said. Apart from Ganguly, Rohan Gavaskar has returned to the side at the expense of middle-order batsman Arindam Ghosh and left-arm spinner Shiv Sagar Singh. Young Sayan Sekhar Mondal and an off-form Abhishek Jhunjhunwala were retained for one more match. Saurashtra coach Debu Mitra indicated that the same XI that played against Maharashtra would be retained. The teams (from): Bengal: Manoj Tiwary (capt.), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sourav Ganguly, Deep Dasgupta, Rohan Gavaskar, Rohan Banerjee, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Arindam Das, Ranadeb Bose, Sourasish Lahiri, Ashok Dinda, Dibyendu Chakraborty, Sourav Sarkar, Iresh Saxena and Sayan Sekhar Mondal. Saurashtra: Jaydev Shah (capt.), Sagar Jogyani (wk), S. Kotak, R. Jadeja, C. Pujara, B. Jadeja. S. Jackson, C. Pathak, P. Mehta, R. Dhruve, S. Maniar, S. Jobanputra, K. Makwana, V. Joshi and J. Odedara.

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TN needs to keep momentum going against Himachal Fresh from a victory, Tamil Nadu will need to keep the momentum going when it takes on Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Super League match here on Tuesday. More... TN needs to keep momentum going Himachal would miss off-spinner Sarandeep Singh DHARAMSHALA: Fresh from a victory, Tamil Nadu will need to keep the momentum going when it takes on Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy Super League match here on Tuesday. The pretty venue should motivate the players to give their best. The pleasant sun and wintry atmosphere provide an ideal setting for the contest that Tamil Nadu expects to dominate. Though the team will miss opener M. Vijay, who is in Kanpur as part of the Indian squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka, skipper Dinesh Karthik and S. Badrinath are expected to play. Quality spinners Tamil Nadu has little to worry about. In R. Ashwin, Tamil Nadu has an off-spinner of quality while left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas has shown encouraging signs of developing into a skilful bowler. The pitch looks good, according to Tamil Nadu coach W.V. Raman and much would depend on the two spinners and seamer C. Ganapathy, whose consistency would be tested in this match. Himachal Pradesh has combined well but not been able to provide the finishing touch. “We need to push when it matters. Sadly, we have allowed winning situations to pass by but I am happy with the overall form of the players,” said coach Rajdeep Kalsi. Himachal would miss off-spinner Sarandeep Singh, who is awaiting clearance for his action. The teams (from): Tamil Nadu: Dinesh Karthik (capt.), A. Mukund, K.B. Arun Karthik, L. Balaji, Aushik Srinivas, R. Satish, C. Ganapathy, Kaushik Gandhi, S. Anirudha, U. Sushil, P. Suteesh, S. Badrinath, R. Prasanna, Yo Mahesh, R. Jesuraj and R. Ashwin. Himachal Pradesh: Ashok Thakur (capt.), Sangram Singh, Bhavin Thakkar, Vineet Indulkar, Paras Dogra, Ajay Mannu, Mukesh Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Kuldeep Diwan, Vikramjeet Malik, Mohinder Sharma, Jitender Mehta, Hemant Dogra, Vishal Bhatia and Ravi Kant.

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Ranji Trophy: Round 4 Group B: Bengal v Saurashtra at Kolkata - Nov 24-27, 2009 Group A: Himachal Pradesh v Tamil Nadu at Dharamsala - Nov 24-27, 2009 Group A: Hyderabad (India) v Orissa at Hyderabad (Decc) - Nov 24-27, 2009 Group B: Maharashtra v Karnataka at Poona - Nov 24-27, 2009 Group A: Punjab v Gujarat at Mohali - Nov 24-27, 2009 Group A: Railways v Mumbai at Delhi - Nov 24-27, 2009 Group B: Uttar Pradesh v Delhi at Lucknow - Nov 24-27, 2009

[Shane]

Maharashtra 82/7 v Karnataka, Vinay Kumar chief destroyer

[Sachinism]

thanks Shane

[Sachinism]

Saurashtra are batting like India 290/2 in 59 overs

[Sachinism]

Maharastra bowled out for 105 V Kumar 5-40 another good performance Uthappa fails again, golden duck. He was in the form of his life not too long ago and now can't buy a run. Gujarat bowled out fo 160 Ablish takes 6 and Gony 4