Ranji Trophy - Super League 2009-2010 - Discussion thread

[urbestfriend]

I am going tomorrow to watch

[Desi Cartman]

Dilli will Wins :dd: PS: GO U.P.

[Zelig]

Down with Dravid :hitler:

Manish Pandey:hail:

[The Outsider]

Manish Pandey:hail:

Don't worry the cowlasher army will be left naked by UP phhhaaaasht bowlers - I am just worried about Dravid :((

[Zelig]

Don't worry the cowlasher army will be left naked by UP phhhaaaasht bowlers - I am just worried about Dravid :((

Bookmarked!:eyedance:

[urbestfriend]

Don't worry the cowlasher army will be left naked by UP phhhaaaasht bowlers - I am just worried about Dravid :((

hahaha...we spanked UPites asses once in their home,we'll do it again in our home :--D

[Guest Hiten.]

Don't worry the cowlasher army will be left naked by UP phhhaaaasht bowlers - I am just worried about Dravid :((

Dravid is a walking wicket :creep:

[ViruRulez]

Preview of Ranji Semifinals, 2009-10 It might be close contested game though Karnataka seems to have an edge but Dravid has also been unlucky many times as a captain :P

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UP look to turn tables in semifinals A humiliating 185-run defeat in the season opener against Karnataka have turned them into a bunch of wounded lions, and now they want to turn the tables in the Ranji semifinal, reports Sharad Deep. More... UP look to turn tables in semifinals Sharad Deep, Hindustan Times Bangalore, January 03, 2010 Their ‘on-field’ co-ordination is something all opposition teams admire. It’s this strength that has kept Mohammad Kaif and his team in the reckoning in the domestic circuit since their maiden Ranji Trophy win in 2005-06. A humiliating 185-run defeat in the season opener against Karnataka have turned them into a bunch of wounded lions, and now they want to turn the tables in the Ranji semifinal. On match eve UP appeared more confident and vowed not to repeat earlier mistakes. UP dropped catches of Rahul Dravid and Manish Pandey in the first match, and this came back to haunt them. “We are committed not to repeat those mistakes. We chased 400-plus on this ground last season to take the first-innings lead,” said UP coach Gyanendra Pandey. While the UP batting is strong, the bowling combination, led by Rudra Pratap Singh and Praveen Kumar, could also worry Karnataka. They will share the new ball, backed up by Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, while leggie Piyush Chawla and Praveen Gupta will shoulder the spin burden. There was, however, a bit of confusion about the pitch earmarked for the match. “We still don’t know which wicket we will be playing on,” said Kaif. “One expects such things at a smaller centre, but I didn’t expect it at a Test centre. Anyway, it doesn’t bother us because we have played here before and we know what to expect. It usually becomes slow and low as the match progresses. There are cracks and it will be interesting to see how they are affected by wear and tear.” Kaif conceded that there were lessons from the Meerut loss. “We didn’t know much about some of their players, like Pandey. Now, we have had an opportunity to watch them in a match situation and have seen videos.” Karnataka skipper Dravid also thought the pitch deserved closer attention. “Normally, we have tried a 3-1 combination this season, but this wicket looks a bit different,” said Dravid. “We have enough options and a final call will be taken in the morning. In Meerut UP were caught a little cold by some of the younger boys. They hadn’t seen them before and didn’t know what to expect,” said Dravid. “Now I think they will be better prepared and more aware of what we have to offer. We respect them, they are very professional and disciplined,” he added.

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Brabourne identity: It’s Ishant versus Jaffer Mumbai versus Delhi is El Classico of Indian domestic cricket. But the Ranji Trophy semifinal that begins here on Sunday between these two teams is bereft of some big names, reports KR Guruprasad. More... Brabourne identity: It’s Ishant versus Jaffer KR Guruprasad, Hindustan Times Mumbai, January 03, 2010 Mumbai versus Delhi is El Classico of Indian domestic cricket. But the Ranji Trophy semifinal that begins here on Sunday between these two teams is bereft of some big names. Still the coaches of both teams have promised that the fight for a spot in the final will be fought as keenly as ever. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Ashish Nehra are touring Bangladesh with the Indian team and are therefore off the Delhi roster. Similarly, Mumbai will miss Rohit Sharma and Zaheer Khan. And Sachin Tendulkar has opted out of both the international tour and the Delhi tie. Inarguably, Ishant Sharma is the biggest name in the match. And the seemingly sporting track at the Cricket Club of India here would have pleased the lanky pacer, as both the teams went through the nets on Saturday. Tackling Ishant and Pradeep Sangwan would top the list of Mumbai’s priorities. Captain Wasim Jaffer said he will open the innings. He has been playing one-down this season. “I will open the innings with Sahil (Kukreja),” Jaffer said. “We have not been getting the starts. I have to take the responsibility to see off the new ball and post a good total.” Apart from Ishant and Sangwan, Delhi’s bowling looks impressive with the presence of in-form medium pacers, Parvinder Awana and Pavan Suyal. Injury woes for Mumbai Delhi’s pacers are not Mumbai’s only worry. Injury to Dhaval Kulkarni, their second most effective bowler, may force him to sit out. “It is unlikely Dhaval will play,” Jaffer said. Dhaval’s absence will weaken hosts’ bowling, which is already being blamed for not getting enough outright wins. It should be noted that Mumbai’s only win of the season came against Himachal Pradesh. “They have been playing mostly on flat tracks,” Jaffer said in support of his bowlers. Ajit Agarkar, who has also accounted for some useful runs with the bat, has fever and is a doubtful starter. But Jaffer is hopeful of Agarkar’s recovery. Abhishek Nayar is expected to be back in the team in place of Sushant Marathe. With his options narrowed down and bowling attack considerably weakened, the sporting wicket may not be any consolation for Jaffer. Delhi confident The visitors would be bolstered by the return of Ishant and leg-spinner Chetanya Nanda. Aakash Chopra has a knee injury and will be replaced by Mayank Tehlan, who is expected to open with Shikhar Dhawan. None of the Delhi batsmen are in the list of top 15 run getters in this season. And it is their team effort, which has brought them to this stage. Apart from Dhawan, who is in sparkling form, Delhi would largely depend on Bhatia, Manhas and Bisht, who has been the team’s top-scorer. ‘Result wicket’ Both Jaffer and Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya agreed that the wicket is “result oriented and would help both batsmen and bowlers”. Asked whether he is missing big names, Dahiya said it does not matter. “Playing Mumbai is always special and tough.”

[Zelig]

Karnataka won toss and elected to bat in their game against UP. In the other game, Mumbai v. Delhi, :mi: won toss and will bat first.

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Which pitch is it? KSCA keeps Kaif guessing More... Which pitch is it? KSCA keeps Kaif guessing By R Sathish Paul Posted On Sunday, January 03, 2010 at 02:01:14 AM Karnataka skipper Rahul Dravid had his fingers crossed on the eve of the Ranji Trophy semi-finals and did not read too much into Karnataka’s outright victory against Uttar Pradesh in this season’s opener at Meerut. “We can take confidence from the win in Meerut, but to be honest, I think UP were caught a little cold by some of the younger boys. They hadn’t seen them before and didn’t know what to expect. Now I think they will be better prepared, they will be more aware of what we have to offer,” he said. “We respect them; they are a very professional and disciplined side. They have been in the semi-finals and finals consistently in the last few years, and they have always had a good bowling attack” Rahul added of his team’s opponents who have made it to three finals in the last four years. Talking of his team Rahul said, “For a lot of our young boys, it is the first experience of knockout games this season. This is a great opportunity for them to perform well on a big stage. We have been in good batting and bowling form, we are confident of putting up a good display”. On the pending decision of the selection of the eleven, the Indian star said, “We are just a little uncertain about what combination to put out. Generally, we have played a 3-1 combination this season, but this looks a different wicket. Fortunately, we have enough options at our disposal. A final call on the combination will be taken in the morning. I think form and momentum is with us, though I expect a fair contest,” he said. IN THE DARK On the other hand visiting skipper Mohammad Kaif was left to assume and seemed rightly miffed about not knowing which wicket, of the two that were groomed, they would be playing on. “We still don’t know what wicket we will be playing on. You can understand that in a smaller centre, but in Bangalore, an established Test centre, it is a bit surprising that we still don’t know what wicket we will be playing on”, he exclaimed “That doesn’t bother us too much, however, because we have played here before and we know what to expect. It usually becomes slow and low as the match progresses. Already, there are a few cracks, it will be interesting to see what kind of effect they have with wear and tear,” he noted. Talking of the opposition, Kaif said, “In the Meerut match, we didn’t know much about some of their players, like Pandey. Now we have had an opportunity to watch them in a match situation and have seen videos. “Karnataka are a good side, they are playing in home conditions. It will be a tough match, an even contest” he said.

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Bowling worries for Mumbai Mumbai has only one outright win in the eight matches including the quarter-final while Delhi had two in the seven they have played so far. More... Bowling worries for Mumbai How bad is mediocrity? Not much if one considers the fact that Mumbai and Delhi have made it to the semi-final of the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy, and starting today at the Cricket Club of India they will clash for a berth is the final. Mumbai has only one outright win in the eight matches including the quarter-final while Delhi had two in the seven they have played so far. If that’s not enough, Delhi even went through the embarrassment of an inning defeat against Uttar Pradesh. But if that’s what the format, where teams shut shop after getting the first innings lead promotes, so be it. Missing links The similarity between Delhi and Mumbai does not end there. Both teams have struggled with injuries and key players getting call ups for the national team. To their credit both teams have been able to find replacements that have just about done the job. Mumbai had Ramesh Powar, Ajit Agarkar and Abhishek Nayar missing games due to injury. But Harmeet Singh, Usman Malvi, Omkar Khanvilkar and Sushant Marathe have chipped in with crucial contributions. In today’s game too they will be without Dhawal Kullarni who has not recovered from the side strain he picked up during the quarter-final against Haryana. Mumbai’s weakest part of its unconvincing campaign in this season’s Ranji Trophy championship was further undermined a day before its long established rivalry against Delhi in the semifinal. Skipper Wasim Jaffer and coach Pravin Amre left the Patiala Dressing Room, Cricket Club of India, with a grim information on the fitness of new ball operators Dhawal Kulkarni (side strain) and Ajit Agarkar (feeling feverish). Though short on scalps in the Super League and quarterfinal, the two had sent down 420 overs from the first week of November. In the case of Kulkarni, the unforgiving schedule of travelling and playing seems to have taken its toll. While Jaffer and Amre were almost certain that Kulkarni’s services would not be available for the crucial match, they were hoping for positive news on Agarkar’s state of health before the toss on Sunday. In the absence of Kulkarni and Agarkar, Mumbai’s bowling department would comprise seamers Avishkar Salvi, Usman Malvi and Abhishek Nayyar and spinners Ramesh Powar and Iqbal Abdulla. “Kulkarni has to take a call, but his chances look bleak. We will see how Agarkar feels tomorrow morning. If Agarkar is ruled out then Sushant Marathe (additional batsman) will be in,” said Jaffer. Jaffer who batted at No. 3 and 4 after the first match against Punjab has decided to open the innings with Sahil Kukreja. “Rohit (Sharma) is not there and I will open the innings. Kukreja has big scores against Delhi (199 in 2007-08 and 229 not out in 2008-09). “This wicket will be a sporting one. We respect Ishant Sharma, he’s a top class bowler. But we are not under pressure,” said Jaffer. Delhi has suffered a bit more, as their coach Vijay Dahiya observed, “There are not many Delhi players in the top-10 run getters or wicket takers list of the season, but everyone has contributed when required. Even if we discount players like Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma who have been on national duty, Chetanya Nanda was not there throughout the season; Mithun Manhas and Shikhar Dhawan missed four games each; Aakash Chopra missed three games (he will miss this one too due to a knee injury), Virat Kohli played just two games , but even after missing all these guys we stuck together as a team. Players like Aditya Jain, Gaurav Chabra, Pawvinder Awana, Vikas Mishra, Pawan Suyal and Punit Bisht have performed really well.” The Delhi team had a long net session. Batting disorder One of the biggest worries for Mumbai this season has been the failure to get good starts. They have had just one hundred plus opening partnership and plenty of combinations have been tried out. This match will see the return of captain Wasim Jaffer to the opening slot where he will partner Sahil Kukreja who has regained his touch in the last few games. Jaffer though didn’t read too much into the issue when he said, “Sahil has 450-plus runs this season. He has got runs against Delhi in the past, a double hundred and a 199, which counts a lot. I will be opening with him and hopefully we will be able to give a good start. Rahane, Abhishek and Omkar should follow at three, four and five. With Rohit not being there, I have to take the responsibility. If I see through the new ball, the chances are that we will be able to post a big total.” Ishant factor The One man whose performance will be followed with extra interest is fast bowler Ishant Sharma. He has not had the best of outings for the Indian team and has been keeping the opinion makers alive. But Dahiya was not worrying much about Ishant’s predicament. “Sometime too many suggestions can puzzle a young mind. I keep reminding people that he is just 20 and if too many things are thrown at him, they will confuse him. We sometimes feel that he is a bit low on self confidence as there are too many things happening too fast. “One day he is the best bowler. After three games people doubt if he belongs here or not. That sort of things can play on your mind. There is nothing wrong with his at all.” Mind the gap! Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya and Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer have expressed their angst over the little gap between two Ranji games. Dahiya said, “I’ll like to see more gap between two games. It’s cruel on fast bowlers. For a team like Delhi that has not changed its combination but for injuries and players going on international duty, there has not been any gap.” Jaffer agreed, “There is not much rest for the bowlers. If there a chance where we can give them rest we do that unless we have to absolutely push for a win. Problem is with the scheduling. One travelling day and three more days should do. Most of the matches we haven’t asked our bowlers to bowl in the nets as they end up bowling 40 over in the matches.”

[cowboysfan]

rohit not playing in the semis.

[Laaloo]

Mumbai 86/3 2 wickets for ishant so far

[Indus_Army]

Decent first day for Karnataka - 256/4 off 95 overs. Manish pandey fell in the 94th over:mad: Runrate is a bit on the slower side, but after the two quick wickets, RD & MP have fought hard. At one point, Pandey was on 1 off 29 balls. Good recovery by Bombay and their day isn't done yet..293/4 off 78 overs Abhishek Nayar has compiled his ton in quick time. Way to go:two_thumbs_up:

[urbestfriend]

I had been to stadium to watch Karnataka vs UP match. Karnataka had a decent day but they are not safe yet. RP singh bowled a dream of a spell in which he claimed two wickets in same over. Chawla also bowled well , his line and length was immaculate.UP adopted negative tactics against dravid, bowling leg stump line with all the fielders on on side. UP bowlers never allowed Karnataka batsmen to get away bowling good line and length. Manish really impressed me with his shot making. He is never afraid of taking the bowlers on and it paid off. He hit 3 fours to Shukla in an over. But at the end he played one shot too many losing his wicket at the end to PK. If he is little patient, it could've been a near perfect day for Karnataka. Now task is cut out for Karnataka batsmen , they should try building partnership and Shouldn't go to any extravaganza shots . Rahul is still there and Karnataka has two genuine batsmen to come. If karnataka plays sensibly in the morning session tomorrow without losing too many wickets , they can bat UP out of the match.

[cowboysfan]

I had been to stadium to watch Karnataka vs UP match. Karnataka had a decent day but they are not safe yet. RP singh bowled a dream of a spell in which he claimed two wickets in same over. Chawla also bowled well , his line and length was immaculate.UP adopted negative tactics against dravid, bowling leg stump line with all the fielders on on side. UP bowlers never allowed Karnataka batsmen to get away bowling good line and length. Manish really impressed me with his shot making. He is never afraid of taking the bowlers on and it paid off. He hit 3 fours to Shukla in an over. But at the end he played one shot too many losing his wicket at the end to PK. If he is little patient, it could've been a near perfect day for Karnataka. Now task is cut out for Karnataka batsmen , they should try building partnership and Shouldn't go to any extravaganza shots . Rahul is still there and Karnataka has two genuine batsmen to come. If karnataka plays sensibly in the morning session tomorrow without losing too many wickets , they can bat UP out of the match.

thanks for the report Urbestfriend.

[Sachinism]

I had been to stadium to watch Karnataka vs UP match. Karnataka had a decent day but they are not safe yet. RP singh bowled a dream of a spell in which he claimed two wickets in same over. Chawla also bowled well , his line and length was immaculate.UP adopted negative tactics against dravid, bowling leg stump line with all the fielders on on side. UP bowlers never allowed Karnataka batsmen to get away bowling good line and length. Manish really impressed me with his shot making. He is never afraid of taking the bowlers on and it paid off. He hit 3 fours to Shukla in an over. But at the end he played one shot too many losing his wicket at the end to PK. If he is little patient, it could've been a near perfect day for Karnataka. Now task is cut out for Karnataka batsmen , they should try building partnership and Shouldn't go to any extravaganza shots . Rahul is still there and Karnataka has two genuine batsmen to come. If karnataka plays sensibly in the morning session tomorrow without losing too many wickets , they can bat UP out of the match.

:two_thumbs_up::two_thumbs_up:

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Ranji Trophy: Nayar's unbeaten ton lifts Mumbai against Delhi All-rounder Abhishek Nayar cracked an unbeaten 111 after coming into the Mumbai side following an injury lay-off to help the holders recover from a difficult pre-lunch period on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Delhi in Mumbai on Sunday. More...