Ranji Trophy - Super League 2009-2010 - Discussion thread

[Sachinism]

Dehli trailing by over 300 after the 1st innings. In their second innings are 237/3 after a brilliant 145 from Kohli striking at 84

[The Outsider]

Delhi :hehe:

[kooljatt]

Punjab >>> Chak ditte Phatte B->B->B->

[Sachinism]

Mumbai got owned, they were in a winning position and railways some how saved the game with some good batting from the tail That harmeet singh is bowling well for Mumbai

[kooljatt]

:hatsoff::hatsoff::hatsoff: to Karthick, early dec to win was criticized when HP got lead...but good on TN for winning and proving so called EXPERTS wrong.

[Shane]

Looks like TN pulled it off!

[zubinpepsi]

^^ oww TN won tht match.. I just checked the scorecard. . looks very smiliar to HP's last match against Mumbai.. they had a lead over 100 runs in the 1st innins.. yet went on to lose the match.. they scored jus 166 runs in the 2nd inniings.. http://www.cricinfo.com/indiandomestic2009/engine/match/412750.html here again against TN they had around 70 runs lead in the 1st innings.. yet again folded to 155 runs in the 2nd innings and lost the match.. sigh.. http://www.cricinfo.com/indiandomestic2009/engine/current/match/412758.html

[Sachinism]

It was a great effort from TN to bowl out HP Balaji among the wickets again (4) and 5 for Ganapathy

[Sooda]

Why is Pujara at no4 for Saur... aint he our future opener/ no3 type. :headshake:

[The Dark Horse]

TN rocks:bubblegum:

[Karan114]

145 out of 312 (Dhawan was injured though) for Virat Kohli while following on against RP, Chawla, Praveen and Bhuvneshwar http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/412761.html

[kabira]

Why is Pujara at no4 for Saur... aint he our future opener/ no3 type. :headshake:

Pujara aint opener.

[Guest Hiten.]

Ranji Round V; Dec 1-4, 2009 Group B: Baroda v Karnataka at Vadodara Group B: Delhi v Saurashtra at Delhi Group A: Gujarat v Railways at Valsad Group A: Hyderabad v Mumbai at Hyderabad (Decc) Group B: Maharashtra v U. Pradesh at Poona Group A: Orissa v Tamil Nadu at Sambalpur Group A: Punjab v H. Pradesh at Mohali

[msb1991]

Baroda v Karnataka ought to be interesting, we can see how R Vinay Kumar and Mithun perform against the international stars of IK Pathan and Munaf Patel.

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Ranji 2009 : Overturn ruling may stifle match referees There have been quite a number of bright performances in the ongoing Ranji Trophy championship. More... Overturn ruling may stifle match referees G. Viswanath There have been quite a number of bright performances in the ongoing Ranji Trophy championship. As usual the batsmen have got into the habit of scoring runs on generally flat tracks and a handful of bowlers have made a fine impression. While this is normal activity, what has really gone unnoticed is the critical performance of the on-the-field and off-the-field officials. Directed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to be vigilant and punish the offenders of the laws of cricket and the BCCI Code of Conduct, the umpires and match referees have done their bit to penalise bowlers with illegal bowling action and players who crossed the line on the behavioural count. Former Bombay and Saurashtra all-rounder and match referee Rajendra Jadeja was in the thick of things at Pune pointing to Karnataka skipper Robin Uthappa a level 2 offence he committed soon after he had caught Maharashtra batsman Ankit Bawne at point. According to Jadeja, Uthappa’s act of throwing the ball, for whatever reason, and the ball hitting the batsman’s pad constituted a level 2 offence. As a result Uthappa lost his entire match fee of around Rs. 40,000; a big sum for a four day’s work. Exactly a year ago, former Uttar Pradesh wicketkeeper–batsman and now match referee Sunil Chaturvedi came close to banning Irfan Pathan for a match or two for throwing the ball dangerously at Sanjay Bangar in the Railways-Baroda match at the Karnail Singh Stadium. In that incident Pathan on his follow-through picked up the ball and directed it at the batsman which according to the match referee was a grave offence. Pathan was let off with a 100 per cent match fee fine. He should have been banned then. Second look Once told about the fine, Uthappa and coach Sanath Kumar had a second look at the video footage of the Pune episode and he was heard saying that he threw the ball at his shadow and never intended to hit another fellow player from the rival ranks, who showed admirable character to stand up to the pace of Abhimanyu Mithun & Co and scored a superb first century in the national championship. Obviously there was lack of trust between the Karnataka captain and the match referee. While Jadeja went by the book and assumed that Uthappa had crossed the line, the later, after second thoughts was keen to withdraw guilt. The damage had already been done though. Brijesh Patel, Secretary, Karnataka State Cricket Association said Uthappa will appeal against the 2.7 decision. It’s possible that the percentage of the match fee may be reduced. In another match between Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, former Mumbai left-arm-spinner and match referee, Sanjay Patil banned Dinesh Karthik for a match on a number of counts. Karthik, who has appealed against the decision, would continue to play until the BCCI’s Disciplinary Committee gives a ruling. In another incident match referee Raju Mukherji docked a 50 per cent match fee fine on Rajasthan coach Parthasarathi Sharma after the Rajasthan-Tripura match. The ruling of the BCCI’s Disciplinary Committee on the Karthik and Uthappa case would have an important bearing on the remaining part of the Ranji Trophy. Both Jadeja, who had brought Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel under a level 2 offence last year and Patil have been distinguished first class cricketers of their State. They get no pleasure in punishing another cricketer, but they know the mindset of the players — whether their act was intentional or not. The match referees may be stifled should the BCCI committee overturn their decisions.

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Confident Punjab to take on depleted HP Himachal Pradesh has four points from as many matches this season and with Punjab sitting pretty on the third place with ten points, HP will hope to get their campaign back on track at Mohali. More... Confident Punjab to take on depleted HP Tags : sports, cricket Posted: Tuesday , Dec 01, 2009 at 0455 hrs Mohali: With two losses and two draws after the fourth round in the Ranji Trophy Super League, Himachal Pradesh has looked like a team, which is much more capable of giving out a spirited performance this season. After losing out the momentum against Tamil Nadu on the final day after dominating on the first three states, the visitors will be hoping for a revival of fortunes against hosts Punjab in the fifth round match of Super League, which begins at PCA Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday. Himachal Pradesh has four points from as many matches this season and with Punjab sitting pretty on the third place with ten points, HP will hope to get their campaign back on track at Mohali. Skipper Ashok Thakur has been declared fit and will lead the side instead of stand-in skipper Paras Dogra and HP coach Rajdeep Kalsi sounded confident ahead of the clash. “The conditions are almost similar here as compared to HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala and the wicket looks grassy. The team has been performing well but it is only the last day wobbles which are costing us vital points and we are keen to improve them. Ashok Thakur has been declared fit and will be leading the side. Vikramjeet Malik has been bowling well right from the start of the season and he will be raring to go in this match,” said Kalsi on Monday. Tamil Nadu are the group A leaders with 17 points followed by Mumbai with 12 points and Kalsi is confident of making it to the last eight despite Hp lying at seventh place in the group. “Anything can happen and we will be taking it match by match,” said Kalsi. Punjab, meanwhile are looking to field the same XI and with youngster Taruwar Kohli and pacer Manpreet Gony in fine form, will look to continue the winning run. “The team has been playing well as a unit and with Gony also coming back into form, we are hoping that our bowlers will be keen to perform well,” said Bhupinder Singh Sr, Punjab coach.

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Mumbai test awaits Hyderabad Hyderabad Nov. 30: Hyderabad face an uphill task against mighty Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy Super League at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here from Tuesday. More... Mumbai test awaits Hyderabad Hyderabad is at the bottom of the table with four points Lalith Mohan called for ‘suspect’ action has been dropped for this match HYDERBAD: It is the Platinum Jubilee year for Hyderabad Cricket Association. But as things stand, there is very little to cheer about. The Hyderabad Ranji squad, now in Elite Group, is staring at the possibility of being relegated to the Plate Group. So, when the host takes on the formidable Mumbai, second in the points table, the next four days could well give a hint in which direction the team is heading. Hyderabad desperately needs an outright win at least in one game from its next three matches including this one to improve upon its current position — at the bottom of the table with four points. Blame it on inexplicable selection policy like dropping T. Suman, the third highest run-getter from the first three matches. It is said that the dashing opener Suman was told to discipline himself and since he failed to do so, he is ignored. But, unfortunately those who were given more chances continued to be inconsistent like Abhinav Kumar, Ambati Rayudu, southpaw S. Anoop Pai and captain N. Arjun Yadav. With left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan called for ‘suspect’ action during the game against Orissa last week and dropped for this match (Amol Shinde replaced him), there is no specialist spinner. The lack of a quality leg-spinner is also badly felt and the only one around, Paramveer Singh with some potential never figures in the game-plan. So, again a lot depends on the consistent duo of medium-pacers M.P. Arjun and Alfred Absolom with likely support from fast bowler S. M. Shoaib, who is back in the side for this match. “We are in search of an outright win and given its position, Hyderabad can push us really hard and that itself should ensure a very good match,” says Mumbai coach Pravin Amre while reminding that he would opt for three seamers and only one spinner — Romesh Powar. For his part, Hyderabad coach Venkatapathi Raju says that his team has to face the reality of being at the bottom. “But, it is not a hopeless situation as yet. The thing this team is not as bad as the points position would indicate,” he remarked. “It all depends on how quickly the batsmen learn from the mistakes as we need at least two big innings from the top order,” he said. Defending champions Mumbai sit pretty on 12 points from four games with a win and three draws. They will once again bank on their batsmen as Sahil Kukreja and skipper Wasim Jaffer look in ominous touch. Mumbai’s attack will be led by the experienced Ajit Agarkar with Dhawal Kulkarni for company. The side will also look up to Ramesh Powar and Iqbal Abdulla to do the slow-ball duties. Skipper Wasim Jaffer hinted first up that the wicket at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, near Hyderabad, won't encourage bowlers much. So, the rules are simple: Win the toss, bat first and for as long as you can. However, Jaffer hasn't been lucky with the toss even once this season. "I hope luck favours us this time," coach Pravin Amre said. As the defending champions take on Hyderabad in a four-day Super League Group A encounter starting Tuesday, all eyes are on comeback man Ramesh Powar. The off-spinner missed three consecutive games due to a side strain and his return will do Mumbai a world of good. Jaffer, though, has a problem. Left-arm spin twins Iqbal Abdulla and Harmeet Singh have shared 26 wickets in just two games -- 14 of them in Mumbai's only outright victory of the season against Himachal Pradesh. Mumbai, with 12 points from four games, go into the game as favourites while Hyderabad, with just four from as many games, are at the bottom of the table. "We are looking to win all our remaining games. We are not taking Hyderabad lightly and we know they will come hard at us," Jaffer said. When asked if he would field three spinners along with pacers Ajit Agarkar and Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaffer said, "I don't think spinners can make much of an impact on this wicket. It looks like a batting beauty and playing an extra batsman would make more sense." Powar's return can only be at the cost of young Harmeet who has had a great start to his first class career. Mumbai though need Agarkar and Dhawal to fire with the new ball. Hyderabad, on the other hand, have tasted success in the pace department. Pacers Alfred Absolem and MP Arjun have been their top performers. Teams (from): Hyderabad: N. Arjun Yadav (capt), Abhinav Kumar (wk), Anirudh Singh, S. Anoop Pai, A. T. Rayudu, M. P. Arjun, Ahmed Quadri, Alfred Absolom, Ashwin Yadav, S. M. Shoaib, Ibrahim Khaleel (wk), Amol Shinde, D. Rushi Raj, P. Sashank Nag, Akshit Reddy and Vishal Sharma. Coach: S. L. Venkatapathi Raju. Mumbai: Wasim Jaffer (capt), Rohit Sharma, O. J. Khavilkar, Sahil Kukreja, Harmeet Singh, Iqbal Abdulah, Ajit Agarkar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Usman Malvi, Romesh Powar, Prasanth Naik, Ajinkya Rahane, Abhishek Nayar, Avishkar Salvi and Vinayak Samant. Coach: Pravin Amre.

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Delhi opt for green top to tide over blues vs Saurashtra ; Kohli to lead New Delhi Nov. 30: Two draws and a loss in three games this season have placed Delhi in an unenviable position. They take on Saurashtra at the Roshanara Club grounds here in the Ranji Trophy Super League from Tuesday, aware that if they lose this one, their season is as good as over. More... A Virat task for young skipper NEW DELHI: Reeling under the innings rout suffered at the hands of Uttar Pradesh last week, Delhi comes up against an upbeat Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy Elite group match at the Roshanara Club ground here on Tuesday. The host, which escaped defeat against Karnataka in its last home game at the same venue a fortnight back, will be without Aakash Chopra, who is due to get married on December 2. A draw won’t suffice with Delhi feeding at the bottom of the Group B points table along with hapless Maharashtra, two rungs below Saurashtra. Realising this the team management has asked for a lively pitch that is expected to aid the seamers. It’s a huge gamble considering that one of the reasons behind Delhi’s woes so far has been their lack of application by their batsmen. Save for Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, the rest have been pretty listless. Adding to the long list of problems is the unavailability of regular skipper and prolific run-scorer Aakash Chopra, who will tie the knot on Wednesday. Kohli will lead Delhi in the absence of Aakash Chopra against Saurashtra in what would be a crucial match for the hosts. It will be baptism with fire for the young skipper as many of the first choice players are unavailable due to injury and other reasons. "We are used to players not being available; Sehwag, Gautam, Ishant are usually turning up for India. Aakash not playing will give youngsters an opportunity to make their presence felt," Kohli said on the eve of the match. Injured and depleted The onus will be on Ankur Julka, Abhishek Kapoor and Vikas Mishra, who have been awarded a place in the squad for their good performances in the age group matches. They will be replacing Aakash Chopra, Shikhar Dhawan, Yogesh Nagar and Chetanya Nanda. It will, however, take a huge effort from the newcomers to rise to the occasion. Delhi have just four points from three games, and a failure to get their act together this time would mean inching closer to relegation. Another worry for the hosts is the question mark over Ashish Nehra. Though named in the squad, Nehra didn’t turn up for practice on Monday. “He was there for practice on Sunday and will come for the match,” said coach Dahiya. The areas where Delhi could potentially score over their opponents will be their strong fast bowling attack. Back in the big league, Ashish Nehra will lead the attack, if available, comprising of the fast-improving Pardeep Sangwan, dependable third pace option Parvinder Awana and the in-form Sumit Narwal. Of course their having beaten their opponents the last time they met helps too. Spinning woes While the pace department looks quite robust, Delhi are struggling to find a replacement for injured leg-spinner Chetanya Nanda, out for the season due to surgery on his elbow. “I will return only for the one-day games,” said Nanda. Strong opposition Saurashtra, on the other hand, present a well-balanced look. While Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravinder Jadeja, Jaydev Shah and Shitanshu Kotak form a solid batting line-up, medium pacers Jayesh Odedra, Kamlesh Makwana and Sandeep Jobanputra can be expected to have a say at the Roshanara ground. “Delhi are a very good side and we are not taking them lightly. I feel it’s going to be an exciting contest, and the team playing well right through will win,” said skipper Jaydev Shah. Unlike the home team’s batsmen, their opponents are collectively firing and wouldn’t mind the lightly-rolled green track one bit. Saurashtra openers Chirag Pathak and Sagar Jogiyani scored big hundreds in the game bringing the total number of tons scored by Saurashtra batsmen this season to five — the most by any team so far. Run-machine Cheteshwar Pujara scored a double against Maharashtra two weeks back. Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah, expectedly isn’t reading too much into history. "That’s past. Consider the present: Delhi are coming from a loss, and we almost beat Bengal in the previous game. The momentum is with us," he said on Monday. If Delhi, with just four points from three matches, is not unduly worried about being relegated it is only because of the assurance provided by Maharashtra which has just one point from three outings. So far in the season, Delhi has looked like a disintegrated unit in the absence of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and the unfit trio of Ashish Nehra, Mithun Manhas and Chetnya Nanda. Last week, Shikhar Dhawan suffered a fracture in the match against UP. Though Ashish Nehra and Manhas are expected to be back in action, coach Vijay Dahiya is fast running out of ideas with the replacements doing little to inspire any confidence. Looking at the green pitch, Kohli has made it clear that he would prefer a four-man pace attack. “We are without some of our key players but we are capable to providing shock value,” was how one of Delhi’s youngest captains ever issued a veiled threat to the opposition. Saurashtra’s batsmen have been on a roll in the past two matches, against Maharashtra and Bengal. On both occasions, Saurashtra enforced the follow-on but eventually settled for three points. With seven points from three outings, Saurashtra is still in the hunt for a place in the semifinals. Roaring form The visiting team’s top-five batsmen are in roaring form. Veteran Sitanshu Kotak, prolific run-getter Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, openers Chirag Pathak and Sagar Jogiyani have scored centuries in the last two matches. “Toss will not be so crucial,” said Saurashtra’s captain Jaydev Shah on Monday. “We are here to go for five points and I expect the pitch to help the bowlers right through the match.” So far, left-arm spinner Rakesh Dhurv (13 wickets), medium-pacer Sandeep Jobanputra (12) have been the two main wicket-takers for Saurashtra. The teams (from): Delhi: Virat Kohli (captain), Gaurav Chabra, Ankur Julka, Mithun Manhas, Rajat Bhatia, Puneet Bisht, Mayank Tehlan, Pradeep Sangwan, Sumit Narwal, Parvinder Awana, Pawan Suyal, Vikas Mishra, Abhishek Kapoor and Aditya Jain. Saurashtra: Jaydev Shah (captain), Chirag Pathak, Sagar Jogiyani, Shitanshu Kotak, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Pratik Mehta, Rakesh Dhurv, Sandeep Jobanputra, Sandip Maniyar, Balkrishna Jadeja, Kamlesh Makvana, Sheldon Jackson, Jayesh Odedra and Vishal Joshi.

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Confident TN takes on cautious Orissa Riding high on its back-to-back victories Tamil Nadu will gun for full points against Orissa in the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy Super League. More... Confident TN takes on cautious Orissa Special Correspondent SAMBALPUR: Riding high on its back-to-back victories Tamil Nadu will gun for full points against Orissa in the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy Super League group ‘A’ game at the Veer Surendra Sai Stadium here from Tuesday. Having secured 17 points from four games, TN is expected to go full throttle against the host, which is beginning to get into the groove, though a bit late as the league stage nears its end in two weeks time. TN began by gaining first innings lead in the first two rounds but defeated Punjab by an innings in the third and annihilated Himachal Pradesh in the fourth after conceding the first innings lead. The team’s ascendancy so far has been laudable and another victory here in the next four days will lift the side to an unassailable position. Orissa’s problem has been its batting. Skipper Shib Sundar Das and Bikash Pati are yet to give the team a solid start and only the odd innings in the middle-order has been the team’s saving grace. After a big loss at the hands of Gujarat, Orissa was lucky to come away with one point from Mumbai after rain interrupted the proceedings. Playing at home against Railways, Orissa managed a point from the rain ruined game. Orissa got a full match last week at Hyderabad and it made the most of it by gaining the first innings lead and three points from the drawn game which it should have won. Orissa has five points from four games. “True, our batting is a cause for concern especially the top-order. A good opening partnership will enable us to put up a good first innings total,” felt Das after the morning practice. Orissa is yet to cross the 300 mark in any innings. “Our bowlers have done a great job despite our failure to score substantially in any match,” felt its coach Abakash Khatua. “We are hoping for a turnaround despite taking on the best side of the group.” TN will be without its dependable bat S. Badrinath who is on National duty while its bowling has a settled look. The team is unlikely to disturb the winning combination on what looks like a slow and low wicket except bringing in Badrinath’s replacement in either Rajagopal Sathish or R. Prasanna. The teams (from): Orissa: Shib Sundar Das (captain), Bikash Pati, Niranjan Behera, Rakesh Mohanty, Pravanjan Mullick, Rashmi Ranjan Das, Haladhar Das (wk), Debasis Mohanty, Alok Sahu, Basanta Mohanty, Dhiraj Singh, Preetamjit Das, Dipak Behera, Santosh Jana and Subhrajit Sahu. Tamil Nadu: Abhinav Mukund, S. Anirudha, K.B. Arun Karthik, K. Dinesh Karthik (captain, wk), S. Suresh Kamar, C. Ganapathy, R. Ashwin, L. Balaji, V. Yomahesh, R. Aushik Srinivas, R. Sathish and R. Prasanna. Umpires: Ravi Shankar and Sanjeev Dua. Match referee: Sumit Dutta.

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Puzzle aplenty for Parthiv's Gujarat vs Railways With nine points in kitty, Gujarat is placed fourth in the Group A of the Ranji Trophy elite division. A loss in this match could be a big dent in Gujarat’s hopes of reaching the quarter-final stage. More... Puzzle aplenty for Parthiv Bowlers’ poor show, loss to Punjab bother Gujarat skipper on the eve of the tie against Railways By Prasanth Menon Posted On Tuesday, December 01, 2009 at 03:30:09 AM In Valsad: Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel on Monday looked anxious on the eve of his side’s Ranji tie against Railways at the Sardar Patel Stadium here. A loss in this match could be a big dent in Gujarat’s hopes of reaching the quarter-final stage. With nine points in kitty, Gujarat is placed fourth in the Group A of the Ranji Trophy elite division behind Tamil Nadu, Mumbai and Punjab. So far, they have won only one match — against a lowly Orissa. Their next two matches ended in a draw. An embarrassing defeat in the last match against Punjab was a severe jolt to Gujarat. Gujarat need to do some instant damage control. So, a few wrinkles on Parthiv’s forehead were natural. Parthiv, however, can take heart from the fact that Railways have fared worse. All the four matches they have played ended in a draw. An embarrassing defeat in the last match against Punjab was a severe jolt to Gujarat. Gujarat need to do some instant damage control. So, a few wrinkles on Parthiv’s forehead were natural. Parthiv, however, can take heart from the fact that Railways have fared worse. All the four matches they have played ended in a draw. With only four points to show, they are placed sixth in Group A. But with the likes of Murali Karthik and Sanjay Bangar in side, writing them off won’t be wise. Gujarat’s strength is batting. Whenever their batsmen have scored runs, the team has performed well as a unit. Though the opening slots remain an area of concern, the middle-order has raked up some big runs. Parthiv still holds the key in batting as he has been in sublime form. He is the second highest run-getter this domestic season, scoring 450 runs at an average of 75. The only time the batsmen failed to deliver was in their last match against Punjab. And the result was there for all to see. But Parthiv wants to move on. “We have to put that match behind us. It was just one bad game. Nothing worked for us in Mohali. But this game offers us the home advantage and we will like to cash in on it,” said Parthiv. The Gujarat skipper has found some positives in the lost match also — the six-wicket haul of Salil Yadav. “It was heartening to see the way Salil bowled in the last match. In Mohnish’s absence, we needed someone in the spin department to attack opponents and Salil did that in the last match. I think the six-wicket haul will boost his confidence and we will bank on him to deliver again,” said Parthiv. Still, bowling remains Gujarat’s weak link. Despite a five-wicket haul against Hyderabad, pace spearhead Siddharth Trivedi has looked nowhere near his best. Ashraf Makda has been ordinary. The newcomer, Mehul Patel, has bowled well in patches without much luck. With Mohnish Parmar out, the spin department, too, lacks sting. Gujarat has made one change to the squad that played against Punjab. Seamer Tatsat Brambhatt has replaced Digant Popat. Brambhatt may replace an out of form Ashraf Makda, who is also suffering from a back injury.