Ranji Trophy - Super League 2009-2010 - Discussion thread

[Sachinism]

why do our top teams play so dull crcicket. as much as fans of both the finalists might enjoy but they cannot get away from the fact that both of them squandared the chance to win outright.mumbai is specially pathetic with just 1 outright win out of a total of 8 or 9 games. as indian fans we should be expecting more aggresive cricketers coming our way . if teams cannot impose folow on after being 300 odd ahead then god know what would force them to do so. i was watching the mumbai game on neo with former mumbai captain milind rege as the comentator.not a single word came from him, deriding mumbai's ultra defensve tactics. had some other team taken such a defensive approach all the mumbai press would have come howling.....rege rather felt happy with the knowledge that mumbai wld not have to field for long in second innings...

Then people wonder where this mentality of playing it safe comes from and why India prefer the the draw to a win

[Feed]

Mumbai, Karnataka to clash in Ranji Trophy final Mumbai and Karnataka will meet in the final of the Ranji Trophy. Both made the grade by virtue of the first innings lead in the semi-finals against Delhi and Uttar Pradesh respectively. More...

[Chandan]

Ranji semifinal, Day four Mumbai gear up for Ranji title defence Mumbai have made it to the final of the Ranji Trophy. They will meet Karnataka in Mysore from Monday in the clash for the title. The semi-final between Mumbai and Delhi ended in a draw here at the Cricket Club of India on Wednesday but the hosts qualified on the basis of first innings lead. This is the 43rd time that Mumbai have qualified for the final of the premier domestic tournament, which they have won 38 times. And this is their second successive appearance in the final, under captain Wasim Jaffer. Vikas Mishra shines On the fourth and final day of the semi-final, Mumbai added 187 runs to their first innings lead of 289 to set Delhi an improbable target of 477. Resuming on the overnight score of 123 for four, Mumbai lost Omkar Khanvilkar on the fifth ball of the day, caught at first slip off left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra. Iqbal Abdulla was the next to fall, to a ball that turned viciously to hit the leg stump. Abhsihek Nayar, who scored a century in the first innings, was bowled by a Mishra ball that turned and kept low. While Delhi don't have much to boast of in this match, the performance of the 17-year-old Mishra might be the biggest gain for them. The tall spinner with a lazy high-arm action took six wickets in the second innings to add to this first innings tally of four. Delhi in their second innings were a beaten team, batting to survive two sessions. Even Mumbai fielders did not push themselves hard, probably not wanting to risk injury ahead of the important clash. The visitors were 160 for four before the captains agreed to call the match off with the mandatory overs remaining to be bowled. That brought an end to a day of uninspiring cricket. It was almost certain by the end of the third day that Mumbai are through to the final. After the conclusion of the match Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer said: “Whatever the lead, we had decided we would bat again. We had also decided to give as much rest to the bowlers as possible. “Dhawal Kulkarni was not fit for the match and Ajit Agarkar too was not well. These niggles are a concern for us. We are hoping that Dhawal will be fit for the final. Rehabilitation “He and Abhishek Nayar will be at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore for rehabilitation. Abishek needs another session of rehab with the physios there.” Season so far from Mumbai's point of view If you are a great believer in the adage — All’s well that ends well— it’s celebration time. Mumbai has made it to the final of the Ranji Trophy tournament for the 43rd time by defeating Delhi on the basis of the first innings lead. Mumbai, in Jaffer’s words, were reluctant to go for the win as “his bowlers who had bowled more than 1000 overs in last two months wanted rest ahead of the final against Karnataka starting January 11.” Jaffer and others in the Mumbai team management will have plenty to ponder upon before that. A mixture of circumstances have meant that Mumbai will be going into the summit clash with just one outright win under their belt. Just one 100-plus opening partnership, one five wicket haul in an innings and injuries to key players, Ramesh Powar, Abhishek Nayar and Dhaval Kulkarni, have contributed to what Jaffer admits a very “indifferent season” for the defending champs. Seldom did they dominate for all the four days and in most of the matches they had to come back from behind. Difficult Season But as Jaffer told us, “I will take the end result. Everytime we were down someone bailed us out and that’s important. To tell you the truth this has been a very difficult season for me as a captain. “Going into this game too I wasn’t sure about the team combination. The fact that the top-order hasn’t fired in unison had me worried. The team management even tinkered with the idea of playing an extra batsman. But we had a bad experience against Tamil Nadu where we had them 5-50 before lunch on day one but lacked the fifth regular bowler to press home the advantage. I had to come back to the openers slot as some of the combinations we tried during the season didn’t work. So the strategies had to reworked a number of time during the season.” One big question that should trouble them is lack of options in the batting department. Prashant Naik, Sushant Marathe and Praful Waghela were tested in this season but none could cement his place in the side. Jaffer explains, “We have very few choices. The talent is there but what is lacking is big game temperament. Before the semis we were confused about Onkar Khanvilkar’s place. We thought about picking Naik but then stuck to Khanvilkar who hadn’t done that much after the game against Punjab. He proved us right with a 70-run contribution in the first innings.” Only one win The fact that they have moved into the final with just one outright win might not go down too well with purists but Jaffer has reasons, “In a four-day game, it’s a matter of getting the first innings lead. With very few days between the two matches, one needs to give bowlers some rest. For example in this match we had a 289-run first innings lead but with Dhaval Kulkarni already injured, I didn’t want Ajit Agarkar to bowl too many overs. I want him fresh for the finals and that’s why we came out to bat again. In the finals things will be different and we will have to pick as many wickets as possible to win.” Season from Delhi's point of view At one stage, they were bordering on relegation, at another, they were about to be knocked out prematurely, but on Wednesday, Team Delhi finally made its way out of the 2009-10 Ranji Trophy season, but with their heads held high. Delhi fell at the second last hurdle, in the semi-finals to Mumbai, when nobody gave coach Vijay Dahiya’s team a chance to even reach that stage. Plagued with injuries to their senior players right through the course of the season and as many as six members finding their names printed on the back of Team India jerseys, Delhi were forced to bank heavily on their youngsters to step it up on the big stage. While most responded to the call and a few didn’t, Dahiya is satisfied with the overall results. “The positives outweigh the negatives during the course of the Ranji season. The main point to cheer is that the youngsters stepped up and made the most of their opportunities while we were marred by injuries to our main players,” Dahiya said, while speaking to Sportline. Dahiya added: “The likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Aakash Chopra and Chetnya Nanda haven’t been in the squad and I am not even talking about the ones in the Indian team. Players such as (Virender) Sehwag, (Gautam) Gambhir, (Ashish) Nehra haven’t played at all, while Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma have played two matches each. It has been a difficult season but an enriching one.” While he is quick to point out the highs, Dahiya believes that although there maybe negatives to iron out, he is not one to delve into what went wrong. “I am a positive man and do not like to look at the negatives. It isn’t easy for any team to perform under three captains and still come out successful in the season. I am very proud of the squad. The youngsters have shown the way,” he said. A former international wicketkeeper himself, Dahiya was highly impressed with keeper Puneet Bisht both behind the stumps and in front of it too. “Bisht is the real standout from the season, by a distance. He has had one of the best seasons a keeper has seen in the Ranji Trophy. Also when a wicketkeeper is batting well, his form behind the stumps tends to slack, but not with Bisht. He had the second highest dismissals for a keeper in the season,” he added. While there were others too who caught the coach’s eye, one fast bowler and one slower bowler made the cut. “Parwinder Awana has been the work horse for the team and he was rewarded with 28 wickets. Our newest find, left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra helped us get into the semis with a five-for against Tamil Nadu and then went on the scalp 10 wickets against Mumbai. He too has been a revelation and is someone for the future,” Dahiya said. ‘Looking forward to one-dayers’ Although the Ranji Trophy has come to an end, Dahiya has more to look forward to. “Our season is not over, only the four-day format is. We are now looking ahead to the shorter format, the List A matches,” he said. “There won’t be too many changes but we will be blooding some youngsters from the under-22 category. The main thing in giving them a chance is to have choice as a team. When somebody gets injured, it is better to have a pool to choose from, rather than getting caught unawares.”

[Chandan]

Gautam ton studs Karnataka entry into trophy decider The wait is officially over, the chance to end an eleven-year drought imminent. For the first time since they last won the Ranji Trophy in 1998-99, Karnataka made it to the title round of the country’s principal domestic tournament with a command performance in their drawn semifinal against Uttar Pradesh. This will be the fifth Karnataka-Mumbai final, with the latter having won three of the previous four clashes. The final day’s play at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday was a mere formality, the game done and dusted long before as Karnataka opened up a gargantuan 367-run lead on the first innings. Karnataka passed up the option of enforcing the follow on in a bid to keep their supremely successful fast men fresh for the final against Mumbai starting in Mysore on Monday. In some ways, a comprehensive drubbing of last year’s beaten finalists would have been the perfect route to the title round for Rahul Dravid’s men, but Karnataka’s reluctance to ask Uttar Pradesh to bat again made perfect sense, if not for great entertainment. Indeed, had Karnataka chosen to enforce the follow on, there is no denying that they would have completed an innings victory against a team that has been in three of the last four finals, because Uttar Pradesh looked totally dispirited and lacklustre after being rolled over for 208. Even so, there was no disputing who the boss was over the four days at the Chinnaswamy stadium. Dravid’s wondrous double hundred took them to the heights of 575 for seven declared, and once the pace-bowling trio of R Vinay Kumar, A Mithun and S Arvind got into the act, all escape routes were comprehensively shut out for UP. The final day was all about the middle-order getting some batting practice in ahead of the final, and no one welcomed it more than Gautam (100 n.o., 206m, 169b, 15x4). The young stumper, in his first full season, had tapered off substantially after a century early on against Bengal. Desperately needing runs under his belt for self-confidence, more than anything else, the right-hander made the most of the opportunity with a classy century that rubbed further salt into already festering Uttar Pradesh wounds. Piyush Chawla had winkled out the Karnataka top three on Tuesday evening, but while Uttar Pradesh found success at reasonable intervals early on on Wednesday when Karnataka resumed at 43 for three, they were denied even consolation points by Gautam’s third first-class century. Resuming at the overnight score of 43 for three, Karnataka batsmen appeared confident. A sense of triumph was evident, as the team posed for a group photo. Uttar Pradesh players were going through the motions, as some of them appeared reluctant to stop boundaries, allowing Karnataka batsmen to dominate proceedings. R.P. Singh and part-timer Tanmay Srivastava struck once before lunch but that had no impact on Gautam, who drove, pulled and cut almost every bowler during his 206-minute stay in the middle. His 100 came in 169 balls with 15 fours. The feisty 23-year-old was fluent in his driving on the off-side even on a track whose bounce could seldom be trusted. Walking in after the impressive Rudra Pratap Singh had got rid of Ganesh Satish fairly early, Gautam hit his straps straightaway against pace and spin alike, watchful defence and silken strokeplay fusing perfectly. Amit Verma dug himself in for the long grind but couldn’t build on time spent in the middle, trapped in front by Tanmay Srivastava, but that ushered in the best batting phase of the day as Gautam took wings and R Vinay Kumar launched a fierce but calculated onslaught. The pair added 112 (98m, 154b) for the sixth wicket, classic orthodoxy and clean striking combining to make a pretty picture. Dravid watched on in appreciation from the dressing room, but the skipper had to dig his pads out of his kit as RP Singh struck thrice with the second new ball with Gautam still in the 90s. Fittingly, the man who has encouraged his young charges to give shape to their dreams was at the non-striker’s end when Gautam steered Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his 15th boundary and hundred number three. Dravid enforced the declaration at 247 for eight, stretching their overall lead against Uttar Pradesh to 614, more so that the team could celebrate its entry into the final on the field as a unit than anything else.. Thereafter, it was a formality for the sides and the two captains agreed to an early end after the first mandatory over. When play was called off an hour before scheduled close, with UP on 22 for one. With the match ending in a draw, Karnataka reached the final on the basis of their firstinnings lead. It was nostalgia of sorts for the six-time champions, who made it to the final after 11 years. Last time they won the title was in 1998-99, against the same side, at the same M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. There was no outlandish celebration, but a quiet and dignified acceptance of their superiority, and a generous acknowledgement of the sparse gathering’s appreciation. Way to go, boys! Terrific feeling, says Dravid Rahul Dravid wore a contented look when he met the media shortly after Karnataka secured their 12th entry into the final of the Ranji Trophy at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Wednesday. “It’s a terrific feeling,” the Karnataka skipper said. “It’s great for Karnataka cricket and great for a lot of the young boys in the team. We have had some tough years in the middle, so it’s nice to see that we made it to the final and things are beginning to look up a little bit.” Patting his young side for charting this path to the title round, he went on, “Throughout the season, the youngsters have done really well. They have been given a lot of confidence by the team management and the selectors, and they have repaid that faith with both bat and ball. Other than me and Sunil (Joshi), everyone is under 25 years of age. It’s a really young side by any standards. Hopefully, if they keep performing and keep doing well, we will have some good successes over the next couple of years.” Dravid will most likely miss the final against Mumbai beginning on Monday, but he said that wouldn’t mean the end of his team’s chances. “You must remember I have played only four games this year. Of the four games I did not play, Karnataka had three outright wins. I have full confidence that the boys will put up a good show against Mumbai. The boys have got to go out enjoy themselves,” the former Indian skipper said. “In some ways, we’ve got nothing to lose. They have to go out and play good cricket, not worry about who they are playing. Sure, Mumbai is a good team, they play good cricket, they’ve got people who have had success in Ranji Trophy finals. But what matters is how you perform on the day. Our guys are playing some very good cricket this year. I hope they put up a good performance. If they do that, you might win some games, you might lose some games but that doesn’t really matter.” Calling this a ‘truly satisfying’ season, Dravid remarked, “I was telling the boys today, I have played with three generations of Karnataka cricket. I have played with the like of Kirmani and Carlton Saldhana, then obviously with the likes of Srinath, Kumble, Prasad and Joshi. Now to have played with the likes of the Pandeys and the Uthappas, I have played with three generations. There have been some ups and downs in this period but this season has been truly satisfying. It’s been good to see a young group come through. Because they are young, they are going to make mistakes and they are going to face some disappointments, but at least your can look ahead and see that over three or four years, they can be consistently successful.” Dravid set to miss Mumbai encounter If Rahul Dravid were to miss the Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai at the Gangotri Glades in Mysore from Monday, as looks increasingly likely, it won’t be for want of trying. Having astutely masterminded Karnataka’s entry into the final for the first time in 11 years, the 36-year-old will be perfectly justified in hoping to be at the helm during the title clash, but international commitments in Bangladesh have all but scuppered his chances of playing for his State. The five-day Ranji final ends on January 15 and the first Test against Bangaldesh begins in Chittagong on January 17. Dravid has been given time till the evening of January 15 by the Indian team management to report in Chittagong, but that will be humanly impossible because the final ends only the same day. In a bid to get their best player to be a part of the playing eleven, the Karnataka State Cricket Association has appealed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to advance the final by a day so that the match ends on January 14 and Dravid has enough time to join the Indian team the following day. BCCI secretary N Srinivasan told Deccan Herald that there was no chance of the final being advanced, though KSCA officials have made one last-ditch attempt to move the match forward, citing the solar eclipse on January 15. A final BCCI decision, likely to be a ‘no,’ to Karnataka’s request is expected on the morrow. Dravid had been asked earlier, before the developments unfolded, about his availability for the final. “My presence is obviously dependent on a few factors,” he replied. “I spoke with the Indian team management and they expect me to be there by the 15th evening latest. To do that, the game needs to be preponed by a day, otherwise it will be impossible. “If the game is preponed and I can play, it will be great. It will be a great opportunity for me after so many years to play a Ranji final. But if I don’t play, I have full confidence in the team that they will put up a good show against Mumbai.”

[urbestfriend]

To hell with BCCI

If Rahul Dravid were to miss the Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai at the Gangotri Glades in Mysore from Monday, as looks increasingly likely, it won’t be for want of trying. Having astutely masterminded Karnataka’s entry into the final for the first time in 11 years, the 36-year-old will be perfectly justified in hoping to be at the helm during the title clash, but international commitments in Bangladesh have all but scuppered his chances of playing for his State. The five-day Ranji final ends on January 15 and the first Test against Bangaldesh begins in Chittagong on January 17. Dravid has been given time till the evening of January 15 by the Indian team management to report in Chittagong, but that will be humanly impossible because the final ends only the same day. In a bid to get their best player to be a part of the playing eleven, the Karnataka State Cricket Association has appealed to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to advance the final by a day so that the match ends on January 14 and Dravid has enough time to join the Indian team the following day. BCCI secretary N Srinivasan told Deccan Herald that there was no chance of the final being advanced, though KSCA officials have made one last-ditch attempt to move the match forward, citing the solar eclipse on January 15. A final BCCI decision, likely to be a ‘no,’ to Karnataka’s request is expected on the morrow. Dravid had been asked earlier, before the developments unfolded, about his availability for the final. “My presence is obviously dependent on a few factors,†he replied. “I spoke with the Indian team management and they expect me to be there by the 15th evening latest. To do that, the game needs to be preponed by a day, otherwise it will be impossible. “If the game is preponed and I can play, it will be great. It will be a great opportunity for me after so many years to play a Ranji final. But if I don’t play, I have full confidence in the team that they will put up a good show against Mumbai.â€

What the hell? BCCI should have gone extra mile to accommodate bigger stars in Ranji final but it is doing everything to prevent Rahul from playing Ranji final. Advancing the match by a day would have resulted in match starting from sunday and allowed lot of fans to follow the match. Also it would have allowed Sachin and Rahul to play in Ranji finals. But BCCI doesn't care about all this. At least they would have agreed Rahul to join India squa on 16th morning. They want to make sure that best player of Karnataka doesn't play so that Mumbai will find it easy in the final, but they are wrong. How many freebies does Mumbai need from BCCI to win the trophy? :angry_smile::angry_smile::angry_smile:

[PotterManiac]

But I think its all part of the domestic competition..sometimes you get the big starts to play and sometimes you dont, and that is when youngsters can shine..and moreover, Dravid isnt going for a holiday is he? He's going to play for his country...and I dont think the international schedule shoul be tweaked so as to satisfy the needs of the domestic cricket..no way..

[cowboysfan]

sachin is not playing,i think its balances out.we should win without Dravid.

[saneindian]

why do our top teams play so dull crcicket. as much as fans of both the finalists might enjoy but they cannot get away from the fact that both of them squandared the chance to win outright.mumbai is specially pathetic with just 1 outright win out of a total of 8 or 9 games. as indian fans we should be expecting more aggresive cricketers coming our way . if teams cannot impose folow on after being 300 odd ahead then god know what would force them to do so. i was watching the mumbai game on neo with former mumbai captain milind rege as the comentator.not a single word came from him, deriding mumbai's ultra defensve tactics. had some other team taken such a defensive approach all the mumbai press would have come howling.....rege rather felt happy with the knowledge that mumbai wld not have to field for long in second innings...

To be fair to the teams, they do have a point in going for first innings lead. There's just a 3 day gap between Ranji matches, a team like Mumbai has gone onto play 7-8 matches in the space of about 50-55 days. It's bound to take a toll on the fitness levels of the bowlers. So the best strategy is to ensure your main bowlers dont bowl too many overs in a single game. Go back to last ranji season and there were so many outright victories( IIRC, some 30 odd matches out of 55 produced a result. The schedule was a little spaced out resulting in teams ( and their bowlers) going all out for wins. But this year , to accomodate IPL (due to t20 WC) and CL, Ranji trophy was given a crammed schedule and that could explian why teams haven't gone for outright wins.

[vvvslaxman]

What a dedicated player Dravid is. He takes lot of pride in playing for Karnataka. I remember in one of the Ranji match where he was visibl animated . You could see lot of passion. This was when he was going through dream patch in Test cricket.

[saneindian]

Rohit Sharma, like last year's ranji final could prove to be the difference between the two sides. Butyes, BCCI should have done everything it can to ensure bigger stars play in the finals of the premiere domstic tournament. Zaheer, Sachin, Dravid all playing the finals would have made it so much better to follow.

[Dravid]

i like it better this way... saale, the big stars dont play most of the year, come and play the finals and get the glory... i say let the young ones play final if dravid got clearance, am sure sachin, zaheer etc will play too.. then karnataka is def. doomed, atleast this way there is a chance :D

[urbestfriend]

Rohit Sharma, like last year's ranji final could prove to be the difference between the two sides. Butyes, BCCI should have done everything it can to ensure bigger stars play in the finals of the premiere domstic tournament. Zaheer, Sachin, Dravid all playing the finals would have made it so much better to follow.

Thats my point. In my view BCCI should schedule the semi finals and finals when there are no international assignments. But here BCCI is trying to prevent Rahul from playing even when he is willing.

[yoda]

c''mon you can't just prepone a match just to allow one of the players to be available. what about the fans who have bought tickets, etc?

[urbestfriend]

c''mon you can't just prepone a match just to allow one of the players to be available. what about the fans who have bought tickets' date=' etc?[/quote'] Tickets, what are you talking about? They have decided the venue and date of the final only after semifinals.It is not an international match to book the tickets in advance.

[yoda]

Tickets' date=' what are you talking about? They have decided the venue and date of the final only after semifinals.It is not an international match to book the tickets in advance.[/quote'] ok good point, guess they could have scheduled it a day early, still probably inconvenience for some or else they would have done it.

[Lord]

Rohit Sharma' date= like last year's ranji final could prove to be the difference between the two sides. Butyes, BCCI should have done everything it can to ensure bigger stars play in the finals of the premiere domstic tournament. Zaheer, Sachin, Dravid all playing the finals would have made it so much better to follow.

Isnt he with the Indian ODI squad in B'desh?

[saneindian]

^ Right, totally forgot that. With the tri series final being on 13th, Rohit too may not play the ranji finals and may keep warming the bench for the entire series. If he isnt going to get picked (which is more than likely to happen), better to send him back and ask to play the finals.

[Params7]

Well the good news is we're gonna get to see Dravid inflict pain on BL. Bad news is BCCI hasn't stopped being an ass.

[Sachinism]

Agree with OP, they should be allowing the big stars to play, so more people come and watch. It seems like they want to make sure Mumbai have a nice chance

[Feed]

Karnataka : Responding well to captain’s call The man who has played a key role in shaping the team’s fortunes will not be available for the final of the Ranji Trophy against Mumbai next week. More... Ranji Trophy triumph will be perfect birthday gift to Dravid Responding well to captain’s call By R Kaushik, Bangalore, Jan 7, DH News Service: It’s already been a season of plenty for Karnataka cricket, but one important lesson this young side has learnt is not to rest on its laurels. The man who has played a key role in shaping the team’s fortunes will not be available for the final of the Ranji Trophy against Mumbai next week. Karnataka will certainly be the poorer for Rahul Dravid’s absence, but they will also be equally determined to present their skipper with the perfect gift for his 37th birthday, which falls on the opening day of the title clash. The likes of Manish Pandey and Ganesh Satish with the bat, and the mercurial A Mithun and R Vinay Kumar with the new ball, have been the cynosure this season, but the man that has got the parts to perform as a unit has, typically, shied away from the limelight. Tactically and technically, as skipper and as batsman, Dravid has been in a class of his own. His impeccable work ethics and the intensity with which he has approaches every match has rubbed off an enthusiastic and eager young bunch. The selectorial quartet of Syed Kirmani, PR Ashokanand, Raghuram Bhat and R Ananth pulled off a masterstroke by convincing Dravid to handle the reins of the State side whenever he was available. Dravid’s plan was simple -- place faith in youth, give them the confidence and the assurance that they need not look over their shoulders after every failure, and lead from the front, as is his wont. Karnataka’s international stars have always been strongly attached to domestic cricket. Increasingly packed schedules on the world stage made it proportionately difficult for the likes of Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble and Venkatesh Prasad in the later stages of their career to turn out with any regularity for the State side, and it has been no different with Dravid. In some perverse way, Dravid’s non-inclusion in the national one-day side following the Champions Trophy has worked out just fine for Karnataka. With Test matches being as sporadic as they are, the classy right-hander was in a position to devote adequate time and attention to domestic cricket. What has been admirable this season is just how deeply Dravid has been involved in the entire process. With due respect to the selectors and the support staff, this is Dravid’s team, and it is a team that has responded splendidly to its captain’s urgings, each crisis throwing up a new hero, every challenge extracting a fitting reply from a different lionheart. For the likes of Pandey, Satish, KB Pawan, Amit Verma and CM Gautam, the opportunity to observe Dravid’s preparations before a game -- which remain the same, be it first-class or Test cricket -- has been a godsend. Dravid had an influential part to play in Mithun making his debut right at the start of the season, and what a debut that was, too! In the past, Karnataka have suffered from starting poorly. This time, on the road, they registered an excellent outright win over UP in their season opener. At 27 for three, the horrors of years gone by stared everybody in the face before Pandey and Dravid orchestrated a brilliant recovery with a stand of 273. Then, Mithun scythed through the UP batting twice and suddenly, the team was buzzing. A second away win was denied by a combination of poor light and poorer decision-making in Delhi, but the momentum had been gathered. By the third game, Dravid was away on Test duty but already, the boys were turning men. Robin Uthappa kept up the good work by leading the team to three outright wins, and by the time Dravid returned for the knockout stage, the team was ticking over like a well-oiled machine. Minus Dravid’s nous and skill, the boys-turned-men face a true test of character. If the last two months are any indication, there is no reason why they shouldn’t pass that test with flying colours.