Ranji Trophy 2010-11: Super League

[Feed]

Rohit Sharma stands out in the thrilling victory of Mumbai over Railways More... Rohit Sharma stands out in a thriller Published: Sunday, Nov 21, 2010, By Taus Rizvi | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA The Mumbai-Railways contest at BKC ground here on Saturday went down to the wire before the hosts snatched a thrilling two-wicket win. It was Mumbai’s first outright victory in the season’s Ranji Super League. The defending champions overcame a sudden middle-order collapse after No 3 Ajinkya Rahane (94) and opener Sahil Kukreja (54) laid the platform for the win. India star Rohit Sharma (31*) guided the team to victory with intelligent batting against an experienced attack led by Murali Kartik. The win fetched Mumbai five points andput them at the top of Group A. Needing 15 from last six overs, the eighth-wicket pair of Sharma and Rohan Raje guided the team home, but not without some drama. Kartik and JP Yadav blocked all possible opportunities to score. With just six needed in the second last over of JP, Rohit scored three 2s. After scoring the winning runs, he ran towards Kshemal Waingankar and give him a tight hug. The target of 252 may be a small one but the challenge was tough, considering it was the final day of the match. The ball was turning square and Kartik was in his element. Rahane and Kukreja played a wait-and-watch game in the beginning and scored largely in singles and doubles. They made 60 in the first session. The Mumbai batsmen adopted the same approach in the second session too, taking Tea at 188 for 2. But the real drama began in the third session when Rahane was scalped by Yadav.Skipper Wasim Jaffer threw his wicket away by going for an irresponsible reverse-sweep off a Kartik delivery. Kartik tested the Mumbai batsmen by having a strong on-side field and bowling on the leg and middle line. Jaffer sent southpaw Iqbal Abdulla ahead of Prashant Naik but the trick didn’t click. Naik and Ramesh Powar were sent back to the pavilion cheaply. In all, Mumbai lost six wickets in a span of 34 runs. But finally, Sharma and Raje showed them the way. When the mandatory last 15 overs started on the final day, Mumbai needed just 36 runs to claim its first outright win of the season. The scenario was made even simpler for the defending Ranji champions by the fact that they still had seven wickets in the bank. But then the tide turned and how. In the next 10 overs, Mumbai lost five wickets and things came to a point when skipper Wasim Jaffer sent out a message to Rohit Sharma, letting the batsman know that even a draw was acceptable. Rohit, however, wanted to go for a win. And to that end, he trusted his instincts. He started farming the strike after Dhaval Kulkarni’s departure and every time things seemed bleak, he managed to get a vital single and keep the strike. Let-offs again Railways didn’t help matters by dropping Rohit twice, once on three and then again on 14. If they had got him then, they would have completed what many would have called one of Ranji trophy’s greatest comeback win. For Railways skipper Murali Kartik, the presence of Rohit in the end was the vital factor. “I have seen him hit 23 runs off one over in an IPL game and I knew that as long as he was there, Mumbai would win,” said Kartik. “In the last match, the weather played spoilsport for us but this time round, we played the spoilsports ourselves by dropping him twice. We even dropped (Ajinkya) Rahane once.” Indeed, Kartik bowled a restrictive line brilliantly and he was well supported by JP Yadav and Sanjay Bangar. If the Railways had another spinner worth his salt in the team, the result might well have been very different. Of course, Mumbai were helped along by another very good 94 off just 150 balls from Ajinkya Rahane, who continues to be very impressive. The hosts had been struggling to force the pace after an excruciatingly slow partnership for the first wicket, but Rahane set about changing that with ease. He hit 14 fours in his knock. Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer was pretty scathing in criticising himself and his team-mates. Charged too early “See, at the end of the day, if we had got 400 in the first innings after dismissing them for just 201 then it just would not have come down to this,” said Jaffer. “But we didn’t, we let them in, gave them hope and then it got tight.” And then in the second innings, with victory staring them in the eye, Mumbai blinked. “I think the mistake we made was that started the charge too early. If we just kept the wickets in hand, then we would have never felt pressure in the same way,” said Jaffer. At the end of the day, however, it was Railways’ inability to put big runs on board that hurt them. If they had put on another 20-30 runs, they might have been the ones running back to the dressing room with the big smiles on their faces. For Rohit, the confidence in his own ability proved to be the difference. Most players would have been happy to drop anchor but Rohit decided to chance his arm around and in the final analysis it was the guts and glory approach that did the trick. Mumbai have won but only just and this is perhaps the kind of victory which will spur them on to greater heights this Ranji season. “I had got a message that a draw was an option. It could have given us three points. But I stayed positive and did not want to give up so easily,” said Rohit. Sharma held his nerve and didn’t let the opposition get under his skin as he hit a match-winning 31, which allowed Mumbai to register an outright win. It gave them five points. “This was the first time I have had to bat in the fourth innings of a first class game. It is a completely different challenge to bat with tailenders,” Sharma said. Skipper Jaffer said he was disappointed with his batsmen. “If we had done well in the first innings and posted 400 plus we wouldn’t have faced this situation. But Rohit did a good job,” he signed off.

[Feed]

Sriram and Sharma of Assam rob Bengal of three points More... Sriram and Sharma rob Bengal of three points - Hosts’ listless bowling allows Assam to gain first-innings lead on final day A STAFF REPORTER Calcutta: Assam left Bengal red-faced by successfully chasing down a colossal target of 562 runs and ended their Ranji match at the Eden Gardens here with three points in their kitty. Riding on some brilliant knocks by domestic veteran Sridharan Sriram (146), Tarjinder Singh (98) and Gokul Sharma (101 not out), Assam completed a seemingly Herculean task with relative ease ending at 588 for six on the fourth and final day. With the draw, Assam now have six points and have placed themselves one spot above Bengal in Group ‘A’ standings. After losing to Tamil Nadu, Assam had taken three points for first innings lead over Railways and three more here takes to six points from three games. Bengal, which has three from the Delhi tie, and one each from Mumbai and Assam games, tallies five points from its three matches. It was the highest score chased by Assam to win the first innings lead against Bengal. Assam created history in Ranji Trophy by successfully chasing a mammoth first innings total of 562 against Bengal. The match was ended in a draw and by virtue of first innings lead Assam got three points against Bengal’s one. Bengal’s bowling remained as ineffective as it was on the third day. Sourasish Lahiri scalped the most important wicket of the day in Sriram in his first spell, while Abhishek Jhunjhunwala castled a fire-spitting Tarjinder Singh. Strike bowler Ranadeb Bose’s attempts, however, remained facile. After getting a respite, when Abhishek Jhujhunwala dropped him at second slip in the 96th over, Konwar was bowled out by Laxmi Ratan Shukla. Friday’s hero Shami Ahmed, too, did not manage to get any breakthrough. Wicket keeper Wriddhiman Saha stood in for skipper Manoj Tiwary who failed to take the field due to ill health. Sriram built on his overnight score of 89 to notch up his 32nd first class hundred. He lost out on a double hundred when Lahiri took a smart catch off his own bowling. Though Sriram’s dismissal gave the hosts little hope, it was never actually realised. At lunch, Assam were at 398 for five with Singh and Sharma at the crease. For the minnows, help came from unexpected quarters as the duo crafted a sterling sixth wicket partnership of 176 runs. Sharma hit 14 boundaries and one six to score an unbeaten 101, his maiden first class hundred.In the same vein, Singh smashed 15 boundaries to accumulate 98 runs. It is for the second time that Tarjinder was out at nervous 90s. Earlier, he was out for 99 against Tamil Nadu. His last boundary brought in 562 for Assam to level the score. He was dismissed by Jhunjhunwala in the very next ball. The overnight batsmen, Sriram (89) and Arlen Konwar (26), showed determination and a sense of purpose in their range of strokeplay. It almost sounded like Bengal’s death knell when Sriram smashed Ranadeb Bose’s first ball of the day for four. Thereafter, it was a barrage of sweep shots and boundaries that filled the day assisted by Bengal’s mediocre fielding. Bengal looked unimaginative in their bowling and their fielding, too, was questionable at times. Assam skipper Amol Muzumdar, who was ecstatic at his team’s performance, said: “In 18 years of my career, I have not seen a side chase a 500 plus score and come back strong. Everyone deserves a big cheer. It makes all the effort worth it.” Muzumdar felt the result would be a definite fillip before their next match against defending champions Mumbai. “This was a learning curve for the entire team. We are hopeful of a better performance ahead (against Mumbai).” Bengal coach W.V. Raman harped on the need to learn from mistakes. “Of course, it is disappointing. But, we have to try and better ourselves. There are areas of concern that need to be addressed. We have a lot of matches ahead, so I am not giving up hope,” he said. Asked if Ashok Dinda could make a difference, Raman said, “He was missed for sure, but we should not forget to give credit to Shami (Ahmed) who bowled even with a high temperature, and took three wickets.” Meanwhile, Bengal’s squad for the next two ties was announced. Sourav Sarkar, Sayan Sekhar Mondal, Iresh Saxena and Arnab Nandy were the new additions replacing Ashok Dinda, Rohan Banerjee, Arindam Ghosh and Shiv Sagar Singh. Dinda, Banerjee and Ghosh have been rested due to health concerns, while Singh has been dropped due to poor form. Tarjinder keeps everyone guessing Calcutta: In a curious incident on Saturday, the final day of the Bengal-Assam Ranji tie at the Eden Gardens, Assam batsman Tarjinder Singh’s score was suddenly wiped off the scoreboard after he reached his half-century. Everyone was taken by surprise when Singh’s individual score read zero as soon as he completed his 50 in the 140th over of the Assam innings. Surprisingly, his score was neither updated nor changed till he got out for 98. Later, when enquired about the anomaly, the scorer at the Eden Gardens said the score was expunged at the batsman’s request. “I just wanted to focus on my game and not look at the score. I was taking it ball by ball, and did not want the distraction of nearing a century. So, I requested not to display my score,” said Tarjinder after the match. It is rare in cricket history when a batsman has made such a request and it was equally surprising to see match referee Prakash J. Bhatt give in to Singh’s request. When asked about it, Bhatt tried to avoid the issue calling it an insignificant occurrence. “It was a small thing and there is no need to exaggerate it,” Bhatt said. CAB joint secretary Biswarup Dey said the matter did not concern them. “I have only briefly heard about it. It was for the referee to decide on that point. It does not pertain to the Association, and I can’t tell what the implications of the matter will be,” Dey said.

[sandeep]

"stands out"? after scoring 31 to finish a chase, where he's dropped twice? who writes these ****ing headlines.

[The Outsider]

"stands out"? after scoring 31 to finish a chase, where he's dropped twice? who writes these ****ing headlines.

Promotional agents and not surprisingly there is hardly a mention of Rahane who yet again top scored in a low scoring match. I wish Rahul was still posting here. He revealed the dark under belly on Indian sports journalism in a wonderful post on the old ICF. It was nauseating to read.

[Feed]

Delhi stop one short of win as dogged Dahiya from Gujarat defies it More... Delhi stop one short of win Shubhodeep Chakravarty, Hindustan Times New Delhi, November 20, 2010 The one wicket that could have made the difference to Delhi's campaign eluded the home team at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Saturday. Credit to Rohit Dahiya the bowler who shone with the bat. He ensured Gujarat went home with a draw that kept the team on the top of its group with nine points from three matches, including one from here, in the Ranji Trophy superleague. Delhi has seven. Dahiya batted 109 balls and left Delhi frustrated. Nine men surrounded him as Delhi tried to stifle the Gujarat tailenders but Dahiya, Siddharth Trivedi and Jayesh Makla batted with distinction to secure a hard-earned draw with six mandatory overs left as bad light ended play. Gujarat finally showed signs of life on the final day of their match against Delhi at the Ferozeshah Kotla, as they batted the entire day to deny the hosts an outright win. Despite just a wicket in hand prior to close on Saturday, the visitors hung on to finish at 289, a sharp contrast to their first innings' 71. Two wickets down and 252 runs from taking the lead, Parthiv Patel's side was expectedly cautious when play started. Though Salil Yadav (5) departed with just 40 runs being added, his partner, Priyank Panchal, showed a determined side. Offering the full face of the bat to both spinners and seamers, he pieced together a fighting century. Panchal hit 20 boundaries during his knock of 134 but the highlight was his composure. Parthiv gave him good support as he took 112 balls for his 26. The new ball gave Delhi a momentary spell of good fortune. A Pawan Suyal delivery, which seemed like an intended bouncer, failed to rise and struck a ducking Parthiv's abdomen to trap him before the wicket. Captain Mithun Manhas made extensive use of spinner Vikas Mishra, which bore results as well. A well-set Panchal misjudged a delivery from the 17-year-old and paid the price. With half the side sent packing for 244, just before tea, Delhi sensed an early end but Rohit Dahiya had other ideas. It was resilience par excellence as Dahiya anchored himself to deny even an inch of momentum to Delhi. Despite the ring of fielders around him, Dahiya was blissfully unaware of the pressure. He took a mammoth but a match-saving 109 balls to score all of two runs. Though Suyal and Mishra added a wicket each to come tantalizingly close to victory, Dahiya and last man, Ishwar Choudhary, managed to survive till bad light brought the match to an end. At No.8, Dahiya consumed 109 deliveries in 135 minutes and remained unbeaten on two. But his effort was good enough to help Gujarat hold on for a draw with one wicket in hand and salvage a point. After being bowled out for just 71 in the first innings, Gujarat finished their second innings at 289/9. But at stumps they were still 78 runs away from making Delhi bat again. It was Dahiya’s single-minded determination not to get out that ensured that Delhi had only a first innings lead — and by virtue of that just three points — to show for after bowling brilliantly on the opening day. As the umpires decided it was stumps as the light had faded, the glow on the face of Dahiya and the rest of his team-mates was unmistakable. The eighth-wicket partnership between Dahiya and Jayesh Makla gobbled up 79 deliveries and ate into precious time as six mandatory overs weren’t bowled. Delhi skipper Mithun Manhas tried everything from using part-time bowlers to increasing the number of fielders around the bat. But Dahiya ensured that the ball didn’t carry to any of these close-in fielders. Confident of finishing with full points with a bonus, Delhi had to be content with three points. Parthiv was all praise for his batsmen. "It's not a good performance but there are a few positives like Panchal and Dahiya. We will assess our shortfalls and address them.” Delhi assistant coach Sanjeev Sharma, however, observed, “It is not a bad result. We are satisfied because the boys tried their best in the post lunch session and were denied by bad light. Credit to Dahiya for the way he applied himself.” Delhi now travels to Saurashtra for the match starting on November 24 while Gujarat takes on Bengal.

[Feed]

Baroda make hash of 176 against UP More... Baroda make hash of 176 against UP Posted On Sunday, November 21, 2010 at 02:19:21 AM Pacemen Sudeep Tyagi (six for 42) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (four for 37) came up with brilliant bowling spells to steer Uttar Pradesh to a 32-run victory over Baroda in their Elite Group B Ranji Trophy match here. Sudeep Tyagi had figures of six for 42 Chasing a target of 176, Baroda were expected to score a comfortable win over UP but Tyagi’s six-wicket haul and Bhuvneshwar’s four completely turned the tables around as the duo bundled out Baroda for a mere 143 in their second innings. Baroda were in total control at lunch on day four, placed on 81 for two, with just another 94 runs needed for an outright victory. But soon after lunch, Baroda saw a sudden collapse with Tyagi and Bhuvneshwar causing havoc. First, Tyagi removed Kedar Devdhar for a well-made 46 and then in the very next ball he sent back Ambati Rayudu for a duck. In his next over he added another wicket to his kitty by seeing off Rakesh Solanki (3), to suddenly leave the hosts reeling at 95 for five. Yusuf plays a lone hand Now, the responsibility was on dashing Yusuf Pathan and skipper Pinal Shah to consolidate the innings and steer the team towards victory. And they did just that by slowly building up a partnership. In fact, Yusuf and Shah managed to put on a vital 36 runs together for the sixth wicket, with Yusuf doing the bulk scoring to keep Baroda always in the hunt. But Shah failed to sustain and got clean bowled by Tyagi. Yusuf (49)also soon followed his partner back into the pavilion with Baroda’s scoreboard reading 143 for seven. Had Yusuf controlled himself before executing shots when the team needed him to stay at the wicket, the hosts would have got a result in their favour. But it was a good strategy adopted by the rival captain Mohammad Kaif, who wanted Yusuf to hit loose deliveries and get out and he also did just that, falling to Bhuvneshwar. The remaining batsmen simply failed to apply themselves even as Tyagi and Bhuvneshwar ran through the tail, not letting any Baroda batsmen add another single run to the total on which Yusuf departed. Earlier, resuming at an overnight score 279 for eight in the second inning g, UP got all out for 294.

[ZodiaC]

Promotional agents and not surprisingly there is hardly a mention of Rahane who yet again top scored in a low scoring match. I wish Rahul was still posting here. He revealed the dark under belly on Indian sports journalism in a wonderful post on the old ICF. It was nauseating to read.

:omg:

[The Dark Horse]

Promotional agents and not surprisingly there is hardly a mention of Rahane who yet again top scored in a low scoring match. I wish Rahul was still posting here. He revealed the dark under belly on Indian sports journalism in a wonderful post on the old ICF. It was nauseating to read.

So bad for guys like Rahane:((

[Sir john]

i also feel sad for rahane.:(( murli bhai bowl well in this match,but have no luck with him.:((

[King Tendulkar]

Nah I believe the headlines. Sharma you legend:two_thumbs_up:

[f.b.m]

Promotional agents and not surprisingly there is hardly a mention of Rahane who yet again top scored in a low scoring match. I wish Rahul was still posting here. He revealed the dark under belly on Indian sports journalism in a wonderful post on the old ICF. It was nauseating to read.

Link to enlighten us?

[Sachinism]

Link to enlighten us?

2nd that And Outy you're right about Rahane. It's crazy to see very little written about possibly the most consistent batsman in over a year

[putrevus]

No wonder with connections like this NOHIT managed to stay in the team for so long based on one fricking knock. since when getting 36 runs in 15 overs has become a great achievement.

[Sachinism]

Aite lets not take away everything from him, it was still a high pressure situation

[fineleg]

Sir Jadeja lbw b Ashwin 63 Good 50+ and then got out to his allrounder competitor :bubblegum:

[rahulrulezz]

I am fedup of Rohit... On his Ranji performances, he will be selected in ODIs where he will play tuk tuk cricket for first 30 balls, score 5 and get out... Sick of him

[youngindia]

ashwin is not a allroundner by any means at international level ,just useful occasionally vs weaker attacks . only jadeja and irfan have enought talent to be decent. others are all fakes

[The Outsider]

All older posts on the old ICF were deleted during one of their upgrades, so I don't have a link. The poster I am referring to, Rahul, is one of the most brilliant guys I've known. He used to work for a journalistic house in India before moving to the US. I am still in touch with him. I'll try to persuade him to write a post on the inner workings of sports journalism again.

[kabira]

^where is Nairbhai these days? He was planning to move back to India when Star Cricket channel was launched, after that I never heard of him.

[Raghav_12]

ashwin is not a allroundner by any means at international level ,just useful occasionally vs weaker attacks . only jadeja and irfan have enought talent to be decent. others are all fakes

Sir Jogi is at par with Sir Jadeja. Look at his FC record:cantstop::cantstop: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/29976.html Joginder Sharma has an bowling average of 20 and batting average of 30 in FC. Jadeja has bowling average of 30 and batting average of 36.