Ranji Trophy 2010-11: Super League

[rkt.india]

Cant believe they allowed that useless Maneria score a hundred ...never looked a top order batsmen in that wc .

he played well and aggressively and he is not a top order batsman..he is an allrounder he bats at 6 or 7 and bowls left arm spin too but now i think he is concentrating more on batting...and u19 is just a step...players improve after that a lot when they play fc...he has scored 3 consecutive 100s in 3 knock out ranji games...against Mumbai, karnataka, and now baroda...do you think its that easy?

[Sir john]

does he know some one in the Board ?

no

[saneindian]

Cant believe they allowed that useless Maneria score a hundred ...never looked a top order batsmen in that wc .

What a useless comment. This guys has now scored 3 100s in 3 knock out games QF, SF and now the final. I don't remember any other batsman doing tht in recent times. Thats a massive achievement. Mind you he scored those runs at crucial junctures! All this after his career was almost over due to a strage medical condition and put him out of cricket for almost 8-9 months. From the looks of it, he has changed his batting style and looks lot more fluent now. In that u-19 WC, he looked ungainly, but now has a very languid elegance to his batting. One to watch out for.

[Sir john]

What a useless comment. This guys has now scored 3 100s in 3 knock out games QF, SF and now the final. I don't remember any other batsman doing tht in recent times. Thats a massive achievement. Mind you he scored those runs at crucial junctures! All this after his career was almost over due to a strage medical condition and put him out of cricket for almost 8-9 months. From the looks of it, he has changed his batting style and looks lot more fluent now. In that u-19 WC, he looked ungainly, but now has a very languid elegance to his batting. One to watch out for.

good thing about maneria is that he will play for :rr: :yes:

[Chandan]

FINAL, DAY FIVE RAJASTHAN CREATE HISTORY VADODARA: A long-cherished dream was realised on Saturday when Rajasthan clinched their first Ranji Trophy title in the 77-year history of India's premier domestic cricket competition. Hrishikesh Kanitkar's men were declared winners by virtue of their first innings 33-run lead over five-time champions Baroda at the Moti Bagh ground here . With that they buried the ghost of their past eight unsuccessful attempts, the last one coming way back in the 1973-74 season when they lost to Karnataka in the final. When stumps were drawn, signaling Rajasthan's victory, the entire Rajasthan team celebrated like there was no tomorrow. The cheering, singing and dancing went on long after Kanitkar had lifted the coveted trophy. "I really can't describe how I am feeling right now. I have played a lot of cricket before but this title is something special. I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life," said skipper Kanitkar before receiving the trophy. "It's an honour to play with these guys. It was a team effort ; each and every guy had stood up and contributed for us throughout the season," the veteran added. Giant-killers Rajasthan notched up their maiden Ranji trophy title after defeating hosts Baroda on the basis of their first innings lead in the finals of the Super League cricket tournament here on Saturday. Resuming their second innings at 201 for four, Rajasthan amassed 341 in 129.1 overs and then reduced Baroda to 28 for four in 14 overs with Deepak Chahar wrecking havoc with three wickets in his seven overs for 15 runs. Earlier, skipper AL Menaria (101), who was dropped twice yesterday, added another 25 runs along with overnight batsman RR Parida (89) en route to his 149-ball century before being caught and bowled by Aditya Waghmode. Parida also couldn’t hang around too long and was trapped in front of the wicket by BA Bhatt. Murtuja Vahora then struck twice to remove Madhur Khatri (18) and Vivek Yadav (13). Deepak Chahar then became Swapnil Singh’s victim as Rajasthan slipped to 282 for nine. But last man and wicketkeeper Rohit Jhalani cracked a 80-ball 43 -- studded with seven fours -- to add 59 runs with Pankaj Singh (24) to take Rajasthan to 341 in the second innings. Chahar and Pankaj Singh then spitted venom and mowed down the top order at the Moti Bagh Stadium here. The first wicket to fall was KH Devdhar (5) when he failed to negotiate Chahar’s short quick delivery and hooked it in the air as Saxena took the catch at square leg. Two balls later, Pankaj scalped opener JA Kolsawala (13). His good length delivery angled across as going for a drive, Kolsawala edged it to wicketkeeper Rohit Jhalani as Baroda slumped to 18 for two. In the sixth over, Chahar claimed his second wicket removing Swapnil Singh. His delivery squared up Swapnil and took his blade’s outside edge to Chopra at second slip. Chahar struck again, dismissing Waghmode to claim his third wicket. He induced a leading edge off the batsman and completed an easy catch as Baroda were reduced to 24 for 4. Later, Rajasthan skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar attributed the victory to the team effort. Unsung Parida on Song Having resurrected Rajasthan's second innings and culled any hopes that Baroda had of producing a dramatic turnaround, Rashmi Parida and Ashok Menaria had been accorded contrasting receptions as they walked off the field after the fourth day's play. While almost the entire entourage of Rajasthan Cricket Association officials and supporters had literally descended upon Menaria, clearly one of the up and coming homegrown poster boys in the team along with Deepak Chahar; the phlegmatic Parida had quietly acknowledged the cheers and walked off as if it was just another worthy day in the office. After adding only 11 to his overnight score and being dismissed by Bharghav Bhatt for 89 on Saturday, the experienced right-hander and his critical contribution had once again been pushed to the background, especially since his younger teammate brought up his third century. And it did seem like Parida's two crucial half-centuries in the final might not get the credit they deserved in the backdrop of Rajasthan's maiden Ranji Trophy title triumph. But as the visitors finally got done with the celebrations following their victory via first innings lead, it was the 33-year-old, in his maiden full season as a professional for Rajasthan, who basked in the spotlight having been named Man of the Final. Originally from Orissa, Parida, however, has almost throughout his 16-year-long career thrived on being an unsung contributor to his team's cause. Having donned a similar role for his home state and Assam in the past, the veteran's performances this season too have been overshadowed by the mammoth run-scoring of fellow professionals, skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar and opener Aakash Chopra. Though the fairytale that Rajasthan have scripted this season has widely been attributed to the Kanitkar-Chopra combine, Parida did chip in with useful inputs in the middle, including a 190-run knock. "I haven't gotten as many opportunities because Hrishi and Aakash have done most of the scoring at the top of the order. Probably I have saved my best for the final," Parida had said on Friday evening. At the Moti Baug ground, he had scored a typically hard-earned 56 in the first innings to stretch Rajasthan's score to 394. It was in the second innings, though, where Parida, who finished with an average of 60.70 in nine matches this season, really proved his worth. Walking at the precarious situation of 10/3, he blunted the Baroda bowlers and set the scene up for Menaria. And even though the hosts had gotten rid of the duo within the first 10 overs on the fifth morning, they struggled to dismiss the Rajasthan tail quickly. And by lunch, with one wicket still remaining, the game seemed to be up for Baroda. Rajasthan had started their campaign by bowling out Hyderabad for a mere 21 runs on the first day of the season. For a brief while, Pankaj Singh and Chahar, who finished with figures of 3/15 and seven wickets in the match, did look like repeating their heroics. But though Baroda did avoid that ignominy, finishing at 28/4; the celebrations had begun long back and were certain to continue long after as Rajasthan entered their name into the illustrious list of Ranji Trophy winners after a 80-year wait. We wanted this victory more - Kanitkar Rajasthan were hungrier than Baroda for victory, and that was the reason they won the Ranji Trophy for the first time, according to their captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar. "We wanted this victory more," he said at the end of the game. "And we were willing to do whatever it took." Rajasthan's self-belief was tested the most when they were reduced to 11 for 3 in their second innings, leading only by 44. They then slipped to 61 for 4, and another wicket could have meant a sub-200 target for Baroda. Rajasthan teams of the past have been prone to folding up. But Kanitkar said they were prepared to defend anything their batsmen gave them. "Yes, Rajasthan have had a reputation for collapsing. The match was pretty open at 11 for 3," he said. "We thought that it could be possible that we might get a lead of only 150. But we decided even if that happened, we would defend it. At no point did we think that it had gone out of our hands." Though Baroda's bowlers were in control, and the pressure of the final was immense, Kanitkar said keeping the belief as a team was the most crucial factor. "We knew we were capable, but it doesn't come off right always. Now maybe I can sit back and say that we knew it all and stuff like that, but that was not the case. But you have to keep the faith, and if you do that there is a chance that things will work out. Keeping the faith as an individual is one thing, but as a team is even more important." Rajasthan needed some luck, and they got it when Ashok Menaria was dropped twice in successive overs. If either catch had been taken, the visitors would have been barely 100 runs in front with half the side gone. But Menaria survived, and along with Rashmi Parida, took the game away from Baroda. "You know, luck also favours those who try the hardest. And we knew that we were going to try the hardest. That made the difference." It was Rajasthan's first Ranji final since 1974, but Kanitkar said that they tried to approach it like a normal game. "We respected the fact that it is a Ranji final, but I told the boys not to think about the opposition and the result. Just play how you have played throughout the season, I said, and I think we were able to do that. When things were needed of us, people delivered, it didn't matter who delivered, but someone did. In the first innings Robin Bist and I got a few runs. In the second innings, Menaria got a brilliant century. Rashmi Parida was just unbelievable throughout the game." After overcoming heavyweights Mumbai and Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan had the momentum, and were expected to win the title against a young and inexperienced Baroda side. Kanitkar had intentionally played things down before the start of the game, so that no one got complacent. "It is easy to think that we were expected to win against Baroda. That's where the experience came into play. The three professionals - Aakash Chopra, Parida and I - kept a low profile and did not let the pressure of a Ranji final get to the guys." They succeeded and sealed their maiden title in their ninth appearance in the final. Brief Scores: Rajasthan 394 & 341 (A Menaria 101, R Parida 89; M Vahora 4/94, B Bhatt 2/117) vs Baroda 361 & 28 for 4 (J Kolsawala 13; D Chahar 3/15)

[Chandan]

From the bottom of Ranji table to top, a Rajasthan fairytale State team gets three Ranji veterans from outside to guide local youngsters to domestic cricket’s peak Rajasthan Cricket Association secretary Sanjay Dixit and cricket director Tarak Sinha had a crisis meeting a couple months before the start of the Ranji Trophy season. Their team had finished at the bottom of the lower division the previous year and they were desperate to make amends. Keeping in mind the time-tested formula of ‘youth and experience’, they roped in domestic cricket’s prolific but ageing batsmen — Hrishikesh Kanitkar (36), Aakash Chopra (33) and Rashmi Ranjan Parida (33) — to guide the relatively young but talented bunch of local players. Five months on, the rag-tag bunch didn’t just help Rajasthan take a U-turn but drove the team all the way to the peak to Indian cricket’s premier domestic tournament—their first ever Ranji Trophy triumph. What clicked for Rajasthan? Eighth time lucky! Having come close to the coveted title seven times in the 1960s, Hrishikesh Kanitkar has done what theMankads, Durranis, and Raj Singhs failed to do. Their Ranji Trophy success is a result of a well-thought out plan by the Rajasthan Cricket Association. It all started with the appointment of Tarak Sinha as the director of the Rajasthan Cricket Academy last year. Sinha is believed to have chalked out a thorough strategy for the state’s senior team. The recruitment of three ‘outsiders’ —Kanitkar, Aakash Chopra and Rashmi Ranjan Parida — has gone a long way in helping them lift the trophy. “It wasn’t easy. We have been working on this for the past one year. We got three guest players who could give us the edge. They played the big brothers for the youngsters and then they delivered themselves,” Sinha told DNA from Jaipur. Sinha had ensured the players planned a lot of practice matches in New Delhi before the season commenced. The RCA conducted a talent hunt programme in 32 districts and the deserts of the state to find raw talent. Seamer Deepak Chahar, it must be said, is one of the finds. “Catch them young is what we had kept in the mind. We got good players who are being groomed at the academy. We have had some good young players in Vaibhav Deshpande, Ashok Menaria, Chahar and so on,” the 60-year-old informed. It’s an amazing journey that kicked off with the Kanitkar-led team first dominating the lower division to earn the right to join the Elite teams at the quarter-final stage. Their win over Baroda in the final on Saturday—courtesy their narrow 33-run first innings lead—was their third big scalp of the season. Domestic powerhouses Mumbai and Tamil Nadu had been beaten in quarters and semi-final respectively. A beaming Dixit, on the sidelines of the final at Moti Baug ground here, was elated that the plan had worked. “The players should get all the credit. But as an official I am happy to say that there has been no unnecessary interference from anyone. The 15-man squad has been almost unchanged throughout the season,” says the man, who is in charge of an association that had only been in the news because of a bitter power struggle between officials and long-drawn court cases. Delhi-based coach Sinha, who has produced Indian stars like Manoj Prabhakar and Ashish Nehra, says getting the three veterans to Rajasthan was the turning point. “Kanitkar, Chopra and Parida taught the youngsters how to deal with big occasions. Talent was always there, the old hands guided them,” he says. While Kanitkar, Chopra and Parida raised their game whenever needed, it was 18-year-old Deepak Chahar who set the ball rolling quite literally. The right-arm fast bowler ended up with remarkable figures of 8/10 on his first-class debut as Rajasthan bowled Hyderabad out for a record-low of 21 in their opening match of the season to set up a huge win. It was Sinha who had spotted Chahar in the district of Hanumangad during the RCA’s state-wide ‘talent search programme.’ “Here was an extremely talented fast bowler who almost ended up being wasted. We just had to iron out a few flaws after which he was a complete product,” explains Sinha. Kanitkar and Chopra then took over and, with the rest of the batsmen chipping in at crucial junctures, went about battering their opponents into submission by posting huge scores themselves. Chopra scored his maiden triple-hundred in the Plate semifinals to gain promotion for Rajasthan to the Elite League. Meanwhile, after being overshadowed by his fellow professionals, Rashmi Parida saved the best for the last and was named man-of-the-match in the final. Besides, taking the correct big decisions, RCA also didn’t miss out focusing on finer points. When talented batsman Ashok Menaria suffered a groin injury at the start of the season, the former India under-19 captain was sent to Germany for treatment. A fit Meranria returned to repay the favour. His centuries in quarters, semis and the final— a Ranji record — went a long way in scripting the fairytale this season. Young guns rise to the occasion On the face of it, Rajasthan's fairytale ride towards their maiden Ranji Trophy crown looks like an outcome of importing three of the most prolific batsmen on the domestic circuit. Though Kanitkar, Chopra and Parida did play a crucial role, others, including local cricketers, executed their roles to related stories Glory for Rajasthan after 77 years of hardwork perfection. The trio of new-ball bowlers Pankaj Singh and debutant Deepak Chahar along with rookie batsman Ashok Menaria stood out in their memorable sojourn over the last 10 weeks. Pankaj, Rajasthan's lone man standing for half a dozen years, finally found an able ally in Deepak Chahar who made a sensational debut with a 12-wicket match haul, including eight for 17 in the first innings, against Hyderabad. The duo carried on the momentum with an incredible combined tally of 83 wickets in nine matches. "When you have a partner who complements you and starts competing with you, it tends to bring the best out of both," Pankaj said. For Pankaj's younger partner, though, his maiden first-class season was one to prove he was made up for the "higher level". The reason? During his stint at the Rajasthan Cricket Association's coaching academy two years ago, former India coach Greg Chappell had rejected the bowler. "I was shortlisted in the initial list of 25. But he rejected me," Chahar said. "So I went up to him and asked him why I wasn't selected. He said I was not made for higher level." Chahar acknowledged the help of Pankaj and the other seniors. "Right through the season, he (Pankaj) was standing at mid-off, trying to egg me on," said the swing bowler. While Pankaj and Chahar were wreckers-in-chief, Menaria's innings in the knockouts showed that the left-hander, who led India during the Under-19 World Cup, is a good bat. He suffered a groin injury during the U-19 World Cup that led to a lengthy recovery process. He came back to smash a century each in the quarterfinal against Mumbai, the semifinal against Tamil Nadu and the crucial final against Vadodara.

[Chandan]

January 16, 2011 Posted by Aakash Chopra Ranji Trophy, 2010-11 Local players made the difference The Rajasthan team poses with the Ranji trophy While the feeling is yet to sink in completely, the big question has already popped up – What was it that catapulted “Team Rajasthan”, bottom till the previous year, lost in the abyss of oblivion, straight up to the topmost honour of bagging the Ranji Trophy? After all, creating history isn’t expected of underdogs. Perhaps, that’s exactly what worked in our favour -- the surprise element, and our reputation. Even though the professionals came in handy, it was the local talent in Deepak Chahar, Ashok Menaria, Pankaj Singh and Vivek Yadav, that came to the fore and made all the difference. Yet, Rajasthan’s resurrection wasn’t just about a bunch of young lads with fire in their belly. The dream was in the making for the past two years. The regime change under Sanjay Dixit brought in path-breaking changes that were meticulously conceived and executed with cricket as the top most priority. Cricket think tank, Tarak Sinha, whose Sonnet Cricket Club has produced more Test and first-class cricketers than the number of cricket academies thriving in the capital, was then roped in to head the academy. While his technical fluency helped the game grow, his guidance helped the academy find its long lost perspective. Instead of doing anything fancy, Rajasthan went only as far as Mumbai for inspiration and adopted the system which worked wonders for them i.e. organizing days’ matches at all age-group levels, among other steps. While most states were busy promoting their domestic T20 leagues, Rajasthan quietly put their house in order to prepare the kids for the longer format. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Rajasthan’s Under-16 team has also reached the semi-finals - another first in their history. The emergence of Chahar and Menaria isn’t a mere coincidence either. Chahar was ignored by Greg Chappell and it was Sinha who brought him back into the fold. Menaria’s season was as good as over after his groin injury, but RCA didn’t leave any stone unturned to get him up and running in double-quick time. Batting professionals in Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Rashmi Ranjan Parida, and myself, were then brought in, much to everyone’s surprise. But they had everything sorted well in advance, for batting was the real bane. Fortunately, everything fell in to place just right. And it wasn’t just the cricket we played in the last two-and-a-half months which brought us here, for we had spent both quality and quantity time in the off-season to get rid of the chinks in our armoury. Rajasthan had identified both its personnel and their roles way back in August while most teams were not even thinking about the season yet. You would be surprised that the squad which defeated Vadodara in the Ranji finals is almost identical to the one which played in the Buchi Babu tournament in August. This shows consistency in the selection process which not only provides continuity but also stability. Due credit should be given to president C P Joshi, who allowed things to run its course and never interfered. In the end though, it was the dressing room that made all the difference. This is one of the happiest I’ve ever been a part of, with players not only looking after each other but also feeling genuinely happy in each other’s success. The camaraderie, the self belief which grew with every game and the deep desire to make it happen sealed the deal in Rajasthan’s favour. The season which could have well finished in five games has lasted twice as many. ---------------------------------------------------------- What a terrific way to prepare for a domestic season! Hope some of the other state associations also take lessons here instead of going on aspree of setting up twenty twenty leagues! If this is the way each association prepares for the coming FC season, I have no doubt in my mind that our competition will improve considerably with board taking care of the pitches provided! RCA's story is quite inspirational and hope it motivates other associations too.

[Chandan]

Strategy and implementation play vital roles in a team game The RCA needs to plug loopholes, writes Makarand Waingankar In a team game nothing is impossible if one is good at strategy and implementation: England proved this recently. Sometimes a loss can hurt you in the right place and that's what happened to Rajasthan which was at the bottom of the Plate division in the previous season. As revealed by the Secretary of Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) Sanjay Dixit they had planned in March last year and picked professionals who had experience. In the 60s both Rajasthan and Baroda had more professionals in the team than the locals who were not allowed to blossom. The trend continued until the BCCI put an end to it by setting a limit of three professionals per team. Whether to play professionals or not is debatable. On one hand you are blocking opportunities for three locals, but if the locals are not quality players then the team suffers. In the Plate division some associations don't entertain professionals and for a number of years they have been performing poorly. The RCA's think-tank thought of graduating to the Elite group and for that they needed to have three professional batsmen of experience. In the earlier seasons RCA concentrated more on professional coaches like Greg Chappell and Manoj Prabhakar, but it didn't work. In Hrishikesh Kanitkar they saw a batsman who also had the experience of leading a State side and Air India, which has many international players. He is quietly competent and more importantly is a shrewd captain. Aakash Chopra having played first class cricket for more than a decade was the perfect choice for opening. A good opener is especially important for a weak team, or the team flounders. Rashmi Ranjan Parida was asked to handle the situation that arises after 50 overs and he did it admirably. It's a combination of various strengths and effective strategy. This became evident when Mumbai played Rajasthan. The professionals in the Rajasthan team stuck to their plans and scored cautiously to bat Mumbai out of the game. They batted two days against Tamil Nadu and put the opposition under pressure with some very good field setting. And fortune favours the clever. Luck favoured when on a greenish track Wasim Jaffer opted to bat; in the final, Pinal Shah obviously relied on the advice of seniors in the team management to put Rajasthan in on a pitch that was to crumble in the later stages of the match. When Baroda was playing two left-arm spinners who got them to the final after they rattled Karnataka, it would have been ideal for Baroda to bat first so that the Bhargav Bhatt-Swapnil Singh pair worked its magic when the pitch became more dusty. The Ranji win will now give the team a chance to play in the Irani Trophy and perhaps one more game against the touring team. To Deepak Chahar and other locals such opportunities mean a lot. Irani Trophy matches have always produced players. Mumbai medium-pacer Umesh Kulkarni picked four wickets and was selected for the Australia tour in 1967-68. A decade later Dilip Vengsarkar after hitting Bedi and Prasanna for seven sixes at Nagpur walked into the Indian team. The RCA will have to root out any loopholes in the system as the infrastructure at Jaipur is one of the best in the country. ------------------------------------------------ Irani trophy will certainly be good opportunity, especially if our national players take part in it. But I doubt that they will. This year, the international schedule is so packed that its unthinkable that they'll be able to find time for domestic cricket! And I hope no one gets to walk into national side even after an outstanding performance in Irani because we don't want another addition in the already long list of players who vanish after showing initial promise due to various reasons and untimely debut is certainly one of them! Birth in BP XI against a touring party will be good opportunity though!