Feed Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Karthik disappointed with pitch for Ranji final Dinesh Karthik, the lone centurion for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy final, has blamed the Chepauk pitch for spoiling his team's chances of winning the title More... Karthik disappointed with pitch for Ranji final Nagraj Gollapudi January 24, 2012 Dinesh Karthik, the lone centurion for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy final, has blamed the Chepauk pitch for spoiling his team's chances of winning the title. The pitch became the focal point of the debate after Rajasthan amassed 621 runs across the first three days, taking advantage of a surface that was devoid of any bounce or pace. Though the game was drawn, Rajasthan took the title on first-innings points. The Rajasthan opening pair of Vineet Saxena and Aakash Chopra remained unconquered on a tedious first day when only 221 runs were scored. "To some extent, yes," Karthik said, when asked if he would blame the pitch for Tamil Nadu finishing as runners-up. "Because after playing eight quality games you come up for the final only to realise it is going to be so toss-based. Any game for that matter should not be toss-based. There should be a pitch for both batsmen and bowlers. That is the key to sport, a contest." Karthik's previous century in a Ranji final came when Tamil Nadu played Mumbai at the same venue in the 2003-04 season. Incidentally the pitch for the final was the same surface Tamil Nadu had played Madhya Pradesh (group game) and Maharashtra (quarter-finals). In both those games, Tamil Nadu managed to bowl out the opposition at least once, but in the final they were made to toil fruitlessly. The fears of a weary pitch were realised completely: if the lack of pace on the dry pitch kept the fast bowlers parched, the spinners were hurt by the lack of bounce. Describing the pitch, Karthik said it was initially slow to start on day one and the cracks started getting wider over the subsequent days. "It is a little annoying to bat on (after day 3) you cannot play freely. If you are a positive player, there are not many shots you can play because you are not going to get value for your shots. That is why the run rate remained consistent at 2 to 2.2 types." On the penultimate day, the pitch had become extremely slow. Still, Karthik's century was the best innings in terms of strokeplay. It did not come easy, Karthik stressed. "It was far more difficult to bat than on what it was at the start of the match. The wicket was slow throughout the game but it became slower from the third day and the odd ball was keeping low and the cracks were opening." Karthik failed to understand why such an important match could not be hosted on a better pitch, which would have retained the balance between bat and ball. He even cited the examples of venues like Mumbai and Baroda being fit to host the domestic season's most important match. "I am disappointed at the fact that we cannot play on a wicket like a Wankhede or Baroda (Moti Bagh) wickets which are conducive to both batting and bowling. The scoreline would have been much more different." However, Karthik credited the Rajasthan bowlers for maintaining accurate lines and the batsmen for their admirable patience. Tamil Nadu suffered a setback as soon as they started their innings after the new ball pair of Rituraj Singh and Pankaj Singh sent back their top order by bowling fast and keeping the length full. Being in the field for the first eight sessions had affected the hosts' batsmen mentally and physically. "It is very easy for me to say that the Rajasthan bowlers bowled well and they definitely did that. But there is no doubting the fact they had a cushion of 620 runs," Karthik said. "And they bowled to their strengths, bowling in straight lines consistently." At the same time the, Karthik did not blame his own bowlers for failing to stall the opposition. "Our bowlers did a fantastic job throughout the season but this was the game where the Rajasthan batsmen applied themselves and the wicket was very good to bat on (on the first two days) and they did not make any mistake at all." Karthik appreciated Saxena's relaxed demeanour throughout his marathon knock of 257, spread across 907 minutes. "It is very difficult to concentrate for such long periods of time without making a mistake and that was fantastic. Nor did he play a false stroke." Comparatively, Tamil Nadu were hurt by the lack of partnerships: if Rajasthan had one double-century and two century partnerships, the highest for the hosts was the 76-run alliance between Karthik and R Prasanna for the fourth wicket. "To put it simply, there were about fifteen sessions in the game and they won all fifteen whether it be batting and bowling. Their lowest partnership must have been close to a hundred. We could not even get one hundred partnership and they had a double-hundred partnership. That is how good they were." Despite failing to win the title once again, Karthik said there was no need for any drastic measures. In fact, he said the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association had supported the players by retaining the group across the last few years. If anything, he said Tamil Nadu should be proud. "In all honesty, to finish No.2 is nothing to be ashamed about. It was a proud achievement the way we have played our cricket. It was the only game in the entire Ranji Trophy we had lost and it says a lot about this team." Karthik said the bowling attack, led by L Balaji was a big improvement over the previous years. However, he picked one area of improvement. "I would love to see a pool of spinners to choose from. At the moment I see four spinners - two left-armers and two off spinners - (so) I would like see a leg spinner who can come and help us." Link to comment
MCcricket Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 How can he complain, it was his home ground , lol it wasn't the case of the game being played at Rajasthan, anyways his knock was the best knock in that game. Link to comment
Chandan Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 Steady decline in domestic cricket but BCCI is not concerned Bedi laments the steady decline in domestic cricket NEW DELHI, January 25, 2012 VIJAY LOKAPALLY A century of centurions! This domestic season was a feast for batsmen who plundered runs on placid tracks. Statistics may not always reflect the true course but the Ranji Trophy this season was an exception as 106 batsmen crossed the 100-mark. The aggregate was 156 centuries. The decline in domestic cricket has been steady, if not rapid. Sparse spectator presence, in some cases nil, dull pitches and lack of intensity right through the competition have shown India's domestic cricket in poor light. An eyesore, confessed a cricket fan. As far as Bishan Singh Bedi is concerned, domestic cricket has lost its appeal and value. "In fact, it has lost both in a big way thanks to misappropriation of our priorities. No one in the BCCI (Board) seems concerned. Ranji Trophy is our valued tournament. Not the IPL (Indian Premier League). "The IPL is unreal. Ranji Trophy is the real cricket. If you have your priorities wrong, then this is what you will get. "Mark my word, this IPL will strike a fatal blow to Indian cricket and the day is not far. FLAWED FORMAT Without grudging Rajasthan's back-to-back Ranji victories, Bedi posed a valid question. "Does Rajasthan, the National champion, have one player worthy of a place in the Indian team? Not really, but then it is not Rajasthan's fault. I would question the format and the technical committee's role here. Bedi pointed out how former champions Delhi, Bombay, Karnataka would have five to six players in the National team on the strength of having won the Ranji Trophy. Rajasthan had just two outright victories and runner-up Tamil Nadu a mere one in the entire tournament. "I don't want to be harsh but it is fact that the technical committee is dead to requirements of present day cricket. It is killing the bowlers and creating over-rated batting monsters. The former great said, "I remember vividly we had incentive for winning matches. "There is hardly any now. No one is concerned about our domestic cricket. I don't want to be harsh but we must face the reality. People don't want to watch this kind of cricket. "Occupation of the crease is not the requirement of modern cricket. It is actually anachronism. A team bats for 245 overs and wins the final on first innings lead. Are we not an entertainment industry? "Then how do you expect people to pay and watch such dull and meaningless cricket? And all this happened in the backyard of the BCCI boss. IN BEDI'S OPINION, IT WAS IMPERATIVE THAT THE BOARD PAID ATTENTION TO THE MOST IMPORTANT AREA THE QUALITY OF PITCHES. 廗E HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ON A WAR FOOTING. WE HAVE TO BE SERIOUS ABOUT OUR PITCHES. FIRST-CLASS CRICKET SHOULD BE PLAYED AT CENTRES WITH PROPER PITCHES. "IF IT MEANS PLAYING ON UNCOVERED PITCHES, SO BE IT, BUT IT SHOULD BE MADE MANDATORY TO PREPARE GOOD PITCHES. BEDI MADE A PLEA TO ALLOW THE BOWLERS TO ENJOY SOME HELP FROM THE PITCHES. "TAKING FIVE WICKETS IS NO LESS IMPORTANT THAN SCORING A CENTURY. GIVE THE BOWLERS RESPECT AND PRIORITY AND IDENTIFY YOUR BEST PLAYERS AS THOSE WHO PERFORM IN DIFFICULT CONDITIONS. IF YOU DON'T VALUE YOUR BOWLERS I CAN SEE A FUTURE WHERE BATSMEN WOULD FACE ROBOTS AS BOWLERS. WHO WOULD WANT TO BOWL WHEN THE PITCHES ARE PREPARED WITH BATSMEN'S INTERESTS ONLY? ACCORDING TO VETERAN STATISTICIAN RAKESH SANGHI, THE AGGREGATE FOR RANJI TROPHY (ELITE) WAS 49,664 RUNS WITH 47,103 OF THE RUNS COMING IN THE LEAGUES STAGE. OF THE 156 CENTURIES (IN ELITE AND PLATE), 18 WERE DOUBLE AND ONE TRIPLE. SHOCKINGLY, IN KEEPING WITH THE TREND THOUGH, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SIX YEARS, NO BOWLER COULD TAKE MORE THAN 40 WICKETS. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Indeed!! If you go and check the stats, you see how easily the batsmen have accumulated runs, yet we have hardly any top international material in the top ten, if you leave out Mukund. Iframe: Open in new window Interestingly, the man who says that he should be included in the Indian team replacing one of the declining greats in the middle order, Badrinath, is not even in top 50. Anyone knows how much he scored this season and at at what average? Anyway,coming to Ranji Stats, when we check the bowling stats, it either shows terrible bowlers in the competition or extreme struggle in most unhelpful conditions on most placid tracks with least help from other ends or all. Iframe: Open in new window Otherwise how do we have 156 centuries and not even half that number of 5 wicket hauls? Link to comment
Manny_Pacquiao Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 uncovered wickets aren't the solution, bedi saab. we had that in the ranji trophy for a few seasons, it didnt do us any good. ranji is basically the same thing it has always been. flat pitches, lack of interest is nothing new. we still produced good players. the problem is that indian cricketers almost never play ranji or list A the moment they reach the international level. even the irani cup is no longer what it once was, neither is the challenger. how can you identify quality players if you dont see them play against the best in the country? u will end up with substandard players most of the time. nobody really cares about indian FC anymore. i think THAT is the bigger. i dont blame a young player for taking it easy and preserving himself for the IPL season. plenty of indian cricketers make it to the IPL with crap FC records. there is no incentive to be a good FC player - you would be doing an unnecessary amount of work for little financial reward. Link to comment
NeutralCat Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Whats new? Are you actually surprised by this? Indians need to wake up, our team is worse than the Bangladesh team and we will soon be below them on the table. When the most corrupt board in international cricket tries to run the game world wide this is what happens. Link to comment
saneindian Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Isn't it the job of the BCCI's technical committee to recommend changes to Ranji format? I wonder what the likes of Sourav Ganguly as the chairman are doing? Or does the BCCI stonewall all their suggestions carrying on with the current format as t helps them with the votes? And about the pitches, these pitches are monitored by an appointed pitchs committe and then captains and match referre give their report on pitches. Do they not criticise the tracks which are dead and do not promote good cicket? or again the suggestions from the are thrown into the dustbin by the BCCI? Hopefully BCCI could be brought under the ambits of RTI to see much more transparency with such issues. Link to comment
Chandan Posted January 25, 2012 Author Share Posted January 25, 2012 I think all these technical committee etc are dead now. Remember earlier we used to have coach and captains' conclave after the end of every season to have a discussion about pitch and such things? I think we've not had even one such conclave since IPL started in 2008. It is dead and so is India's domestic cricket. Very soon, Indian cricket will dead too. Link to comment
Sir john Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 hundred in losing cause. Link to comment
Cricket Tragic Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Just because it was his home ground does not mean that he had a say on the kind of pitch. Link to comment
The Dark Horse Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Pitch was bad, but the beat us fair and square. Link to comment
Sir john Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 he got hurt.sn he say this thing. Link to comment
Manny_Pacquiao Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 pitches are the responsibility of the state associations, not the BCCI. state associations are usually run by politicians, not ex players. not much control to be had when u have politicians running the show. they are only it to embezzle money and have no real interest in cricket. Link to comment
Stuge Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Rules in Ranji Sucks .. Period !! Link to comment
The Dark Horse Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 he got hurt.sn he say this thing. KDK fan :acute: Link to comment
Prakat Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 BCCI is Homer Was watching the Simpsons and there was a part which reminded me of our current situation. In this scene, BCCI is Homer Simpson, Marge is the fans, the kids are the budding cricketers, Vodka is the IPL and Mayonnaise is money. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsvRxBVyuvw]Homer drinks vodka + mayonnaise - YouTube[/ame] Link to comment
NeutralCat Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Yep but a more corrupt, evil version of Homer. Link to comment
BeautifulGame Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Its not his fault the pitch was ****.He has every right to criticize them. Link to comment
rkt.india Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 I dont understand why people blame IPL behind everything. Was situation better before 2008, no? was there thousands of audience before 2008, no? Was there better pitches before, no, worse than these, most raging turners? Was we produced any great batsmen last decade between 2001-2008, no? Now we have more audience due to TV broadcasts and media coverage than we had ever. Actually our domestic cricket was never that great so that we could perform overseas consistently. We still can do well at home which was the case before and now. We always thrived on individual successes and we got some good individuals despite a pathetic system. Link to comment
Old guy Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Yep but a more corrupt' date=' evil version of Homer.[/quote'] +1:angelic: Link to comment
Old guy Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 see the strike rate of dinda.. and he is still not selected :cantstop: Link to comment
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