Ranji Trophy - Super League 2009-2010 - Discussion thread

[Chandan]

Ranji Trophy Super League, 2009/10 : Round II Second round is starting tomorrow. The matches are as following: Group B: Bengal v Baroda at Kolkata Nov 10-13 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT) Group B: Delhi v Karnataka at Delhi Nov 10-13 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT) Group A: Gujarat v Tamil Nadu at Ahmedabad Nov 10-13 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT) Group A: Mumbai v Orissa at Mumbai (BS) Nov 10-13 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT) Group A: Punjab v Hyderabad at Mohali Nov 10-13 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT) Group A: Railways v H. Pradesh at Delhi Nov 10-13 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT) Group B: Saurashtra v U. Pradesh at Rajkot Nov 10-13 (09:30 local, 04:00 GMT)

[kabira]

which game will be shown live by Neo?? How come two games will be in Delhi??

[Guest Hiten.]

Is Pujara fit to be playing for the upcoming game ?

[Mr. Wicket]

How come two games will be in Delhi??

Is this a serious question, or are you really ignorant of the fact that the Railways side is based out of Delhi and has been playing home games there for a long time?

[kabira]

^no it was serious question. I know Railways play at Karnail Singh Stadium, but did not realize its in Delhi.

[kabira]

Is Pujara fit to be playing for the upcoming game ?

no he is still not fit. Saurashtra will be without two of their main players, Pujara and Jadeja

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Injury-hit Delhi to take on Karnataka at home “You can’t take depleted sides lightly these days,” joked Rahul Dravid, referring to how the injury-struck Australian team turned the tables on fancied India, reports Subhash Rajta. More... Injury-hit Delhi to take on Karnataka at home Subhash Rajta, Hindustan Times New Delhi, November 09, 2009 First Published: 22:49 IST(9/11/2009) Last Updated: 22:51 IST(9/11/2009) “You can’t take depleted sides lightly these days,” joked Rahul Dravid, referring to how the injury-struck Australian team turned the tables on fancied India. That’s true, but to expect Delhi to spring up a similar surprise on the robust Karnataka team seemed a bit farfetched, for they are likely to go into the match without nine of their first-choice players. A depleted Delhi side will face a stiff challenge from Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy Super League tie at the Roshanara Club here Tuesday. Delhi, which was already missing international players Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra who are on national duty, has been hit by a spate of injuries as well. Skipper Akash Chopra is unlikely to make it to the final eleven due to 'degeneration in knee'. A decision on him, however, will be taken Tuesday morning. If Chopra fails to take the ground, the 29-year-old medium pacer Joginder Singh will be making his debut and vice-captain Shikhar Dhawan will lead the side. Leg-spinner Chetanya Nanda, who sprained his ankle during the net-session at Baroda, has been ruled out of the match while Mithun Minhas continues to be unavailable due to a sprained groin. To add to the Delhi woes, their young left-arm seamer Pradeep Sangwan will be away for the Board XI match against the touring Sri Lankans in Mumbai Tuesday. The Delhi attack could have done better in their opening match in Baroda when they failed to press home the advantage after asking Baroda to follow on. The match, in which Dhawan stroked an impressive double century, ended in a draw. Karnataka, on the other hand, are buoyed after beating Uttar Pradesh by massive 185 runs in their own backyard. The performances of youngsters Manish Pandey, who smashed 194, and medium pacer Abhimanyu Mithun, who took 11 wickets on his debut, were the cornerstone of the victory. The side will be missing captain Robin Uthappa, also away for Board President XI match. Rahul Dravid will captain the side in his absence. Dravid, himself in a good nick, hitting 97 and 51 not out against Uttar Pradesh, said he is not taking Delhi lightly. 'Delhi is a good side. It's going to be competitive match whichever side they put in the park. Also, they are playing in the home conditions which obviously will favour them,' Dravid said. 'It should be a good track, hopefully it will have something for the bowlers. As it settles down, it should become a good batting pitch. Hopefully, we will be able to find a result in the match, whichever way it goes.' Chopra chose to remain positive and said it is a good opportunity for the youngsters to prove themselves. 'Every captain wants a fit 15-man squad. But we have some very good youngsters in the side and it is an opportunity for them.' Asked whether his bowling attack is capable of taking 20 wickets, Chopra said: 'We have the same bowlers who helped us to win the championship, so I don't see why they could not do the same.' Squad: Delhi: Akash Chopra (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ankur Julka, Guarav Chabbra, Rajat Bhatia, Yogesh Nagar, Mayank Tehlan, Puneet Bisht, Sumit Narwal, Aditya Jain, Darshan Karjania, Pawan Suyal, Paevez Chikara, Abhishek Sharma, Parvinder Awana. Karnataka: Rahul Dravid (captain), K.B. Pawan, C.M. Gautam, Amit Verma, Manish Pandey, Tilak Naidu, B. Akhil, Sunil Joshi, Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun, Udit Patel, Ganesh Satish, Stewart Binny, S. Arvind, Ryan Ninan. Umpires: Kamlesh Sharma , Vilas Karhadkar Match Refree: Amar Petiwale

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Upbeat Himachal takes on Railways Himachal Pradesh, after grabbing three points from its away match against a strong Hyderabad side, will be aiming to consolidate its position and prove that it has been a worthy promotion from the Plate league. More... Upbeat Himachal takes on Railways NEW DELHI: Himachal Pradesh, after grabbing three points from its away match against a strong Hyderabad side, will be aiming to consolidate its position and prove that it has been a worthy promotion from the Plate league. Himachal will also be approaching its second Ranji Trophy super league game against Railways with an open mind. “We will stay positive and play according to the situation. It should be a good game,” said Himachal coach Rajdeep Kalsi. “Railways are a former champion and they have been doing well. So there is no chance of taking them lightly,” he added. Paras Dogra, who made a century against Hyderabad, Sangram Singh and Bhavin Thakkar will shoulder the batting responsibility while strike bowlers Ashok Thakur and Vikramjit Malik will try to replicate their good showing against Hyderabad. Aiding spinners The wicket at the Karnail Singh Stadium here is likely to provide some assistance to the spinners and Himachal may field two — Sarandeep Singh and Kuldeep Diwan. Railways, after conceding the lead to Tamil Nadu in the opener, will look for a better performance in this game. The host has left out off-spinner Kulamani Parida. In the previous match, after sending down six overs, he was prevented from bowling owing to suspect action. The teams (from): Railways: Murali Kartik (capt.), Yere Goud, Sanjay Bangar, V. Cheluvaraj, M. Suresh, T.P. Singh, Mahesh Rawat, Shailendra Gehlot, Akshay Girat, Deepak Yadav, Sanjib Sanyal, Faiz Fazal, Harshad Rawle, Karan Sharma and Krishnakant Upadhyaya. Himachal Pradesh: Ashok Thakur (capt), Sangram Singh, Bhavin Thakkar, Vinit Indulkar, Paras Dogra, Mukesh Sharma, Ajay Manu, Sarandeep Singh, Vikramjit Malik, Kuldeep Diwan, Vishal Bhatia and Mohinder Sharma. — Sports Reporter

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Saurashtra and Uttar Pradesh : Action sans stars Saurashtra and Uttar Pradesh will sorely miss the services of their star players when they clash in Rajkot today. More... Action sans stars Saurashtra and Uttar Pradesh will sorely miss the services of their star players when they clash in Rajkot today By Suresh Parekh Posted On Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 02:55:03 AM In Rajkot: Saurashtra open their Ranji Trophy campaign against Uttar Pradesh at the Madhav Rao Scindia stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday. But Saurashtra will sorely miss the services of versatile all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who is with the Indian team and Cheteshwar Pujara, the prolific run-getter, who has still not recovered from the knee injury he suffered during Indian Premier League in the South Africa. But Uttar Pradesh, runners-up of Ranji Trophy last year would also be missing some of their key players. Suresh Raina, Praveen Kumar, Sudeep Tyagi are doing Team India duty while Piyush Chawla is also not part of the squad. Kaif doubtful Uttar Pradesh who lost their first match against Karnataka will also be worried about Mohammad Kaif’s injury though he is most likely to feature in the match. “Luckily there is no fracture in the hand. I am recoveing fast and hope to be fit for Tuesday’s game,” Kaif said. “ I have played lot of cricket here in Rajkot but I think the wicket. It looks a good track and it will be good to bat on this wicket. Saurashtra has made rapid strides in the last few seasons and we won’t take them lightly. In all probability, we will field three medium pacers “ added Kaif. This match is also very important for the UP bowler R P Singh. A close friend of Indian Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, R P Singh who is an in and out player in the Indian team is hoping for a comeback despite the poor showing in UP’s first match against Karnataka last week where he claimed just two wickets. Saurashtra, semi-finalists in the last two seasons, may find the opening matches a little tricky as they will be without their star players. Confident skipper “ I think their absence will be felt. But we have the capability to play good cricket without them also. I am confident that the boys will rise to the occassion and do well in the opening tie,” said Jaydev Shah,the Saurashtra skipper. Needless to say,Saurashtra will again bank heavily on Sitanshu Kotak,a real pillar of strenght of the team. “For me, it is another season and I am ready to do my best. I think the first match is always important for any team and it is important that we do well here. “said Sitanshu Kotak Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah also hinted that side may play with the two spinners as wicket may turn on the third day.

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Hyderabad vs Punjab : A battle of equals A battle of equals in the offing provided rain does not play spoilsport. The teams are keen to get on with the proceedings and do enough to gain some points, at least on the basis of the first innings lead. More... A battle of equals Special Correspondent MOHALI: Spells of drizzle on Monday have raised doubts over the timely start to the Ranji Trophy Elite group league match between Hyderabad and Punjab at the PCA Stadium here. Though the square and a vast area of the outfield are very covered, a well-equipped ground-staff here still have their task cut out to set right the soggy surface closer to the boundary ropes. If the teams could get some practice on the eve of the four-day match, it was thanks to the fine indoor facility available here. Notwithstanding the prospects of a delayed start, the teams are keen to get on with the proceedings and do enough to gain some points, at least on the basis of the first innings lead. Last week, the teams hosted their campaign-opening games and ended up conceding leads. If Mumbai took three points off Punjab, Himachal Pradesh returned with a similar tally from Hyderabad. With winter slowly setting in, the conditions here are sure to favour the seam bowlers particular in the pre-lunch sessions. In this department, Punjab looks better. Should it get colder in the coming days, it will be tougher for the Hyderabad players to get their act together. Laxman raring to go Fortunately for Hyderabad, the amiable V.V.S. Laxman is back at the helm after missing the opener due to back sprain. He is gearing up for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. “It is always great to represent your State, after all, this is where it all started,” says Laxman, who played only one match against Rajasthan last season and made his presence felt with a double-century. Ojha, unavailable for this match, is part of the Board President’s XI that plays the visiting Sri Lanka team in a three-day match beginning in Mumbai on November 11. For Punjab, too, it is an equally important game. After letting Mumbai off the hook and then fighting all the way to salvage a draw, Punjab is wishing to repeat its last season’s victory — by nine wickets — over the next four days. Coach Bhupinder Singh is hopeful of this young Punjab team doing well with fast bowlers Harmeet Singh, who plays for Deccan Chargers in the IPL, Love Ablish and M.S. Gony doing the job expected off them in friendly conditions. Given the head-to-head record of the two teams in the past three seasons, it should be anybody’s game. In the 2006-07 season, Hyderabad won the home game by one wicket. In the following season, Hyderabad snatched the first innings lead here but last December, Punjab scored a crushing nine-wicket victory. A battle of equals in the offing provided rain does not play spoilsport. The teams: Hyderabad: V.V. S. Laxman (capt.), Tirumalasetti Suman, Ambati Rayudu, Anoop Pai, Arjun Yadav, Abhinav Kumar, Syed Quadri, Munagala Praneet Arjun, Alfred Absolem, Ashwin Yadav, Anirudh Singh, Lalit Mohan, Ibrahim Khaleel and Mohammad Khader. Punjab: Ankur Kakkar (capt.), Sunny Sohal, Ravi Inder Singh, Uday Kaul, Taruwar Kohli, Pankaj Dharmani, Gaurav Gambhir, Rahul Sharma, Manpreet Singh Gony, Harmeet Singh, Luv Ablish, Bharat Loomba, Varun Khanna, Chandan Madan and Vishwas Bhalla.

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Powarless Mumbai take on Orissa It's not often that you associate the word 'even' with a contest involving Mumbai and Orissa. More... Powarless Mumbai take on Orissa Derek Abraham / DNA Tuesday, November 10, 2009 3:22 IST Mumbai: It's not often that you associate the word 'even' with a contest involving Mumbai and Orissa. The 38-time Ranji Trophy champions can be merciless when it comes to steamrolling minnows. However, the four-day Super League Group A clash beginning on Tuesday at the Brabourne Stadium, will be anything but one-sided. The reasons are aplenty. No Ramesh Powar, no Rohit Sharma, no Ajinkya Rahane, no Abhishek Nayar. This effectively means that a 'rookie' middle-order will take the field and with dark clouds hovering already, batting will not be all that easy. Powar's absence is an even bigger blow given his current form with both ball and the willow. The positive factor, of course, is the presence of Zaheer Khan. More so, after his impressive show against Punjab a few days back. Ajit Agarkar and Dhaval Kulkarni provide the much-needed solidity to the attack. With a tinge of grass, the 22 yards, like Mumbai coach Pravin Amre put it, is a "true, result wicket". Orissa skipper Shiv Sundar Das felt the toss will be a crucial factor. "The wicket has good bounce and carry. Whoever bats first would want to post at least 300 on the board," the former India Test opener said. To put things in perspective, both sides are chasing different goals. While defending champions Mumbai would love to register their first 'outright' win this season, the priority for Orissa would be to put up a better show than the one against Gujarat wherein they lost to Parthiv Patel & Co by a mammoth 159 runs. Mumbai go into the match with three points from the drawn affair with Punjab but sans four key players. While Sharma, Rahane and Nayar are set to turn out for the Board President's XI against Sri Lanka, Powar has been ruled out due to a side strain. DNA has reliably learnt that five players -- Prashant Naik, Sushant Marathe, Aditya Tare, Ankit Chavan and Iqbal Abdulla with a combined First Class experience of 31 matches -- will fight for those four slots. "It's a great chance for the youngsters coming in. They know this is a rare opportunity as they will have to make way when the others get back. However, getting to represent Mumbai, may be for one match, is a big achievement in itself... So make the most of it," Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer said, adding that his side's aim is to score "at least 400 and then focus on picking up 20 wickets". Orissa need to turn back the clock by a year for some inspiration. They had managed to bowl Mumbai out for 180 in Cuttack in the 2008 season and Das wants that kind of performance again. "Our strength lies in pace bowling (former India player Debasis Mohanty and Basanth Mohanty) and we would like to repeat what we did last year," Das said. Das would, however, want to forget whatever happened in the latter half of the match. Orissa were skittled out for 108 and Mumbai, riding on a double hundred from Rahane in the second innings, beat them comprehensively. Whatever said and done, Mumbai are still the stronger side, at least on paper. However, it will require Jaffer to shoulder a huge chunk of the responsibility. A few quick Mumbai wickets could see Orissa in the driver's seat. The Squads (From) Mumbai: W Jaffer ©, A Agarkar (vc), S Kukreja, V Samant (wk), Z Khan, D Kulkarni, P Naik, S Marathe, O Khanvilkar, I Abdulla, A Tare Orissa: SS Das ©, B Mohanty, R Das, D Behera, N Behera, S Biswal, S Jena, D Mohanty, R Mohanty, P Mullick, P Patel, B Pati, D Singh, P Das, H Das (wk).

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Depleted Bengal take on balanced Baroda Bengal will have to play out of their skins when they take on an experienced and balanced Baroda team in the Ranji Trophy Super League match at the Eden from Tuesday. More... Depleted Bengal take on balanced Baroda - Pacer Sayan Sekhar mondal is set to make his debut A STAFF REPORTER Calcutta: Bengal will have to play out of their skins when they take on an experienced and balanced Baroda team in the Ranji Trophy Super League match at the Eden from Tuesday. Bengal’s five points in their opener in Pune had come against a young Maharashtra side, struggling to cope with the demands and pressures of first-class cricket. Moreover, Bengal, this time, will be without four of their key players — Manoj Tiwary, Wriddhiman Saha and Ashok Dinda will be doing duty for Board President’s XI against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, while Rohan Gavaskar has been ruled out because of a groin injury. The return of Sourav Ganguly will boost the players’ confidence, but as the former India captain admitted, his presence shouldn’t raise expectations. More than being a battle between Sourav and the Pathan brothers, it will pit Baroda coach Paras Mhambrey against a side whose nucleus was formed during his tenure as Bengal coach three seasons ago. “Paras knows us inside out… May be we will have to think out of the box,” said Deep Dasgupta, who led Bengal during Mhambrey’s reign. Mhambrey, though, is not reading much into it. “It’s true that I know them well, but they also know my methods and tactics. I don’t think it will give any of us an advantage. At the end of the day, you will have to perform on the given day.” Roger Binny, too, feels Paras’ knowledge about Bengal won’t be a major worry. “Every match is recorded these days and it’s not a problem to watch a team or player closely. So even without being associated with a side, you can be aware of their positives,” explained the Bengal coach. Bengal are aware that the Pathan brothers can tilt the scales with their all-round display. “They are definitely good players. But stars don’t matter and it all boils down to performance,” said captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla. “We’re aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the Pathan brothers…,” said Binny. Baroda, on the other hand, are drawing strength from their presence. The wicket, with a fair sprinkling of grass, is sure to provide lateral movement in the first session. That has probably led the Bengal think-tank to include rookie Sayan Sekhar Mondal in the playing XI. Sayan, who is from Durgapur, was CAB’s best under-19 cricketer last season. Sourav will bat at No.5, while Arindam Ghosh will fill up the No. 4 slot. Baroda managed just one point from their opener and will be further handicapped by the absence of left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar, one of the three bowlers hauled up for suspect action. But the grass on the wicket has prompted Baroda to delay naming their side. However, it remains to be seen how much of the grass is retained before the start. TEAMS Bengal (likely): Deep Dasgupta, Arindam Das, Avishek Jhunjhunwala, Arindam Ghosh, Sourav Ganguly, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Dibyendu Chakraborty, Sourashish Lahiri, Sourav Sarkar, Ranadeb Bose, Sayan Sekhar Mondal. Baroda (from): Connor Williams, Pinal Shah, Satyajit Parab, Azhar Bilakhia, Jacob Martin, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Rakesh Solanki, Murtuja Vahora, Ajitesh Argal, Swapnil Singh, Shatrunjay Gaekwad, Ketan Panchal, Firdaush Bhaja, Bhargav Bhatt.

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Karthik Vs Parthiv? The Ranji game today will witness an intense battle between two proud individuals for the 2nd wicket-keeper’s slot, though both deny such rivalry! More... Karthik Vs Parthiv? By Abhishek Singh Posted On Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 03:16:14 AM Contests within a battle make cricket such a compulsive viewing. Ahmedabad fans are in for a treat because they will witness an intense battle between two proud individuals right here when Gujarat take on Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy Elite Division tie today. Can it get any better for rival skippers Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik than a chance to prove to the selectors who is best fitted for the second wicket-keeper’s slot? It is probably advantage Parthiv because Gujarat start clear underdogs against star-studded Tamil Nadu, who have in their ranks the likes of Badrinath, Laxmipathy Balaji, Murali Vijay, R Ashwin and Yo Mahesh. BAT’S THE WAY For more than two years now, Parthiv and Karthik are locked in a battle of who’s the better batsman. Both have their wicket-keeping blues, and know that strong batsmanship is their ticket to the Indian team. In an obvious attempt to downplay their individual rivalry, the two insist it will remain a Gujarat vs Tamil Nadu contest. Parthiv repeated his old line. He said: “If you perform consistently you will get noticed and be picked. So, my focus is just to better my performance and not think about selection.” While Karthik said: “I am not concentrating on the comeback as my priority is to play for Tamil Nadu. In the last match we had narrow win, and in this one we would like to better our performance.” BETTER SIDE On paper, Tamil Nadu is a superior side compared to Gujarat, who went into the last match without their key bowlers — Mohnish Parmar and Amit Singh, whose names figure in the BCCI list of chuckers. Gujarat registered an out-right win over Orissa but the real test for Parthiv Patel’s side would be to carry on the momentum against Tamil Nadu. Mohnish and Amit’s chances of playing against Tamil Nadu look bleak as BCCI has given clear instructions to umpires that bowlers who have already been reported for chucking can be prevented from bowling if their action looks suspicious. So it could be a huge risk to field both Mohnish and Amit in the match and Parthiv Patel would like to play it safe. PRASING BCCI On their availability, Parthiv said: “Whatever BCCI is doing is for the betterment of the game and the players. We wil l decide on the playing XI only after looking at the wicket. A decision on playing Mohish will be taken just before the match.” Gujarat bowlers have a tough ask against Tamil Nadu’s strong batting line-up. The pressure will be on Siddharth Trivedi, Ashraf Makda and Mehul Patel, who had an impressive debut against Orissa. Accepting the fact that Gujarat are up against a better side, Parthiv said: “No doubt they are a good side but we are concentrating on our game and not on the opposition. The side which plays well will win and we would love to keep our momentum going.” Teams: Gujarat: Parthiv Patel (captain/wk), Bhavik Thaker, Niraj Patel, Salil Yadav, Siddharth Trivedi, Digant Popat, Timil Patel, Mehul Patel, Jayesh Makla, Ashraf Makda, Hitesh Majumdar, Hem Joshipura, Jay Desai and Rujul Bhatt. Tamil Nadu: Dinesh Karthik(captain/wk), U Sushil, R Suthesh, Srikkanth Anirudha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Aushik Srinivas, S Badrinath, L Balaji, Chandrasekhar Ganpathy, Kaushik Gandhi, Rajamani Jesuraj, Arun Karthik, Suresh Kumar, Yo Mahesh, Abhinav Mukund and M Vijay.

[Jai Ho]

B->

[bharat297]

They are both crap keepers in my opinion, but Karthik is a better batsman

[Params7]

I wish they would play Ranji Trophy as an individual tourny and play for their team and not as a platform to try and get picked to the national team, they'll never be successful that way.

[Chandan]

Scores after first session: Baroda 73/3 v Bengal No one has scored notably from Baroda as yet. Sarkar has taken a wicket. Is Ganguly the skipper? Delhi 87/5 v Karnataka For delhi Dhawan and Tehlan are the only ones to get double digit scores. This time Vinay Kumar has snared 3 wickets while Mithun has taken one. Gujarat 101/3 v Tamil Nadu Parthiv is batting on 32 Mumbai v Orissa : match delayed due to wet outfield. Punjab 103/3 v Hyderabad Ravi Inder Singh has hit a half ton again. Railways 73/2 v H. Pradesh Sarandeep playing from HP has taken 2 wickets U. Pradesh 104/3 v Saurashtra Kaif gone for just 14 while T. Srivastava could make just 4. UP tottering.

[Sooda]

Naman Ojha seems to be ahead of PP in the wicketkeeping stakes Played in the emerging players and is now in the Board Pres team vs Lanka. Chandan, I think Laxmi Shukla is captaining Bengal... I always think Connor Williams --baroda skipper- should have played more cricket for India. he played after that huge ball tampering outcry and the unofficial test in SAf and did ok for his first test overseas. Should have played a bit more, wasnt like we were blessed with many decent openers in those days

[Sachinism]

Delhi 154ao Vinay Kumar 8/32 :adore: Parthiv 86* - in the runs again, he doesn't stop scoring (He only averages 39 :WTF: I thought he would have averaged a lot more) Punjab 152-5, all 5 have been taken by M Arjun

[Shane]

Delhi 154ao Vinay Kumar 8/32 :adore:

Jai Karnataka! Vinay Kumar iz a Legend! :isalute: