Ranji Trophy 2012-13

[Chandan]

Mumbai v Baroda, Ranji Trophy Quarter-final, 1st day Jaffer, Tendulkar centuries crush Baroda The Report by Sidharth Monga January 6, 2013 Mumbai 272 for 3 (Jaffer 137*, Tendulkar 108) v Baroda Scorecard The last time Sachin Tendulkar played first-class cricket in Mumbai, his team fell to arguably its worst defeat in Test cricket. The last time Wasim Jaffer played in Mumbai, he scored a hundred to get his side three points but had to leave midway to tend to his father who had suffered a heart attack. On Sunday in Mumbai, albeit against a limited Baroda attack, normal services resumed as the two scored centuries to take Mumbai to a position of strength in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final. This was Jaffer's 31st Ranji century, which takes him level with Ajay Sharma as the highest centurions in Ranji Trophy. Jaffer is now just 44 short of reclaiming his record of most runs in Ranji Trophy, which he lost to Andhra's Amol Muzumdar in the first half of the tournament. Tendulkar, too, took a step towards records. This was his 80th first-class hundred, just one behind Sunil Gavaskar's Indian record of 81. Also, with 18 centuries in this competition, he is two behind Gavaskar's 20. The two came together with Mumbai 35 for 2 after choosing to bat first. Jaffer had already survived an lbw decision when South African umpire Adrian Holdstock - part of umpires exchange programme - reprieved him off an inswinger from left-arm quick Gagandeep Singh. Tendulkar squashed all nerves by batting with intent, and racing away to 23 off 32 without taking any risks. A straight drive between the stumps and the non-striker stood out. Tendulkar now settled in for a big innings, and Jaffer began to look comfortable. It was a slow pitch, and scoring was not easy, which showed in how Tendulkar once ended up dragging a lofted shot to cow corner while he intended to hit it straight down the ground. He stopped taking risks then. Jaffer, who cut one wide of Yusuf Pathan at first slip just after lunch, began to score more freely with some beautiful flicks through wide mid-on and midwicket. The two were complimenting each other again. No wicket fell in the middle session as Mumbai went from 77 for 2 at lunch to 193 for 2 at tea. Tendulkar's strike rate had dropped to around 50, but Jaffer's had risen to about a run every two balls. Jaffer began the final session not out on 92, and soon made his only mistake of the day after an uncertain start. As he edged a cut off Gagandeep to slip, Baroda's captain, Yusuf, couldn't hold on to a fairly simple chance. Jaffer then went on to bring up his century with an exquisite cover-drive off the same bowler. Tendulkar wasn't far behind, and brought his three figures up with a nudge fine of long leg and scampering for two. A spectator, a middle-aged man, charged onto the field, and embarrassed Tendulkar by insisting to touch his feet in reverence. You could see Tendulkar wasn't comfortable with the notion, but it seemed he had no choice. Murtuja Vahora, Baroda's spirited right-arm fast bowler, finally broke through Tendulkar's defence with a beauty that swung prodigiously in to sneak through the small gap between bat and pad even as Tendulkar strode forward. The off stump went cartwheeling, and Vahora was overjoyed. Jaffer, though, had become even more fluent, ending unbeaten on 137. Nightwatchman Dhawal Kulkarni did his job with an unbeaten 0 off 15 balls. ------------------------------ Tendulkar rolls back the years at Wankhede Shashank Kishore Ž· Mumbai Ž· Jan 6, 2013 It was January 4, 2011. A warm summer day in Cape Town. The sun beat down and India were in a spot of bother at 28 for two, trailing by 336 runs in the series deciding Test against South Africa. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were trying to bounce India out, but Sachin Tendulkar, batting at his customary No. 4 position, was at his vintage best. In the end, he had reached his 51st Test century, a knock that helped India end the series locked at 1-1. It is a little more than two years to that day January 6, 2013 and Indian cricket has gone into freefall in the interim period. There have been the whitewashes in England and Australia and Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, both of whom Tendulkar has shared many memorable partnerships with, have retired. Then came the reversal against England at home, followed by news of TendulkarÃÔ One-Day International retirement and an ODI series defeat to Pakistan. Enough to send any Indian cricket fan into depression. Through this entire period, there was just one century from Tendulkar, which came in the Asia Cup in Dhaka against Bangladesh. As he said later, the monkey was finally off his back the century was his hundredth in international cricket but the match didnÃÕ give India the desired result and cost them a place in the final. That, incidentally, was TendulkarÃÔ penultimate ODI. Two years since that day in Cape Town where he raised his bat in celebration, the eyes were firmly on him once again. This time in a Ranji Trophy quarterfinal clash against Baroda. Not too many people were at Wankhede Stadium but many, presumably, were watching the live telecast at home and many more were on Twitter either raking up his retirement debate again or describing every single shot of his to the ones who had tuned in to watch IndiaÃÔ batting collapse against Pakistan in Delhi. Mumbai had lost two early wickets when Tendulkar walked out, a situation that he has been accustomed to since his early days in international cricket, and more so since July 2011. However, his approach hasnÃÕ changed one bit, right from the time he drove into the stadium a good 90 minutes before play began. A few throwdowns before the game and then, once he walked in to bat, marking a leg stump guard, pacing down the pitch to get the attention of the man handling the sightscreen and then a look up to the heavens before facing his first delivery. Everything on the checklist ticked, the first boundary arrived off a straight drive, a shot so many of us have grown up with. Then that unrelenting competitive spirit, that has been his hallmark came to the fore, against a bowling line-up consisting of bowlers who were infants or not even born when he made his Ranji debut. No chances were offered, aggressive strokes met with purpose, the deft touches and paddles had a signature touch to them, the focussed running between the wickets everything made for yet another day in the office for Tendulkar and it helped put Mumbai firmly in the driverÃÔ seat. They say that when Tendulkar starts off with a straight drive, it is a sign of his good form. That became clear as the innings progressed. He delighted the Sunday crowd to 10 fours and a six, each of which brought back memories of his exploits in the international arena. If the straight drive was the same as against Brett Lee at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2008, the flick was the one he employed against Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar at Centurion in 2003 and the paddle sweep remninded one of the clash with Shane Warne in 2001. That was all a long time ago, when an odd failure was accepted like it would be with any other player. Now, the outlook to every Tendulkar dismissal has changed. Every failure of late has brought with it newsroom debates, where his mode of dismissal, footwork and everything else has been analysed threadbare. Cut to the Ranji quarterfinal in Wankhede, and Tendulkar, to his credit, clearly hasnÃÕ let all the negative press affect his preparation. Mumbai are firmly in front and thereÃÔ every chance of them making the last four. And TendulkarÃÔ availability for the remainder of the tournament would mean great news for Mumbai and for himself, as it will give him more opportunities to get into his groove before India lock horns with Australia in a four-Test series starting February 22. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Saurashtra v Karnataka, Ranji Trophy Quarter-Final, 1st day Jackson keeps Saurashtra steady The Report by Siddarth Ravindran in Rajkot January 6, 2013 Saurashtra 272 for 5 (Jackson 83) v Karnataka Scorecard All the pre-match talk had centred on how the pitch would behave at the Saurashtra University Ground in Rajkot. With no first-class matches played at the venue so far, neither captain knew how the track would behave. The ground had been used so little that even the scorers didn't know what the two bowling ends are called, and the Karnataka manager wondered whether it would be an under-prepared wicket. All those worries proved unfounded as though the outfield was a bit bumpy and the dressing rooms were pretty basic, the surface had little in it to trouble the batsmen, and Karnataka's bowlers struggled to maintain any sustained pressure through the day. Still, they managed to prise out five wickets and kept Saurashtra to 272 for 5, a total that will not worry the visitors too much. Sheldon Jackson, the 26-year-old batsman who has finally established himself in the Ranji side this season nearly seven years after making his domestic one-day debut, made his fifth fifty-plus score of the campaign to lead Saurashtra's effort. He pounced on the many short balls offered to him by the spinners, regularly picking boundaries with powerful cut shots. When the quicks pitched it short, he was quick to pull, as he showed Abhimanyu Mithun in the first over after lunch. After tea, with the sun out, a pleasant breeze blowing across the ground, and Jackson's partnership with Aarpit Vasavada for the fifth wicket nearing a century, Saurashtra's batsmen had little to worry about. Jackson himself was closing in on his second hundred for the season, and with KP Appanna bowling defensively at his pads with six men on the leg-side, a bit of patience would have got him there. Instead, he swung Appanna towards wide long-off; Lokesh Rahul sprinted back and to his left from mid-on and with the high ball swirling in the wind, completed a superbly judged tumbling catch that had the entire Karnataka team running towards him in joy. It was Rahul's fourth catch of the day, and sucked the momentum out of the innings for the final 45 minutes of the day. Vasavada remained unbeaten on 49, shelving the strokes he displayed before Jackson's dismissal to ensure Saurashtra lost only five wickets on the day. For most parts of the day, Saurashtra's batsmen were comfortable in the middle. Their most important player, Cheteshwar Pujara, who delivered victory in their must-win final league match last week with an aggressive double-century began in the same vein today. He took Stuart Binny for 14 in the over before the first drinks break, with two cuts behind point and a whip off the pads. He had sprinted to 37 off 48 when he flicked K Gowtham to leg slip, to the elation of Karnataka's fielders. The day's play took place with the players aware that India's ODI squad for the England series would be picked in the evening, with Pujara and perhaps Mithun standing a chance of selection. Pujara had only a cameo role, after Mithun provided one for the highlight reel by breaking Sagar Jogiani's off stump into two in the ninth over of the day. Mithun returned to get the wicket of captain Jaydev Shah as well, who poked a catch to gully. The other opener was Saurashtra's most experienced player, Shitanshu Kotak, who played a typically patient innings, leaving plenty outside off. He used his feet well against the spinners, skipping down the track often as he progressed to 46 before he too gave a catch to Rahul. It was a day both teams won't complain too much about, and with the pitch playing true on the first day, the focus over the next few days will shift to the actual cricket instead of the nature of the surface.

[saneindian]

5-er for Ankit Rajpoot. Another young pacer to keep an eye on has had a very good debut FC season. Services have a lead of 129. Up need at least 350 in their 2nd innings to have any hopes of making it to the semis.

[express bowling]

Rkt Do you know about any new145 k pacer in our domestic cricket ? Would Rajpoot qualify ?

[rkt.india]

Rkt Do you know about any new145 k pacer in our domestic cricket ? Would Rajpoot qualify ?

Sandeep Warrier is talked to be 140 plus. He was bowling quicker than Sreesanth in Ranji. Rajpoot has potential, just 19, tall and can already hit 140, has good outswinger too.

[rkt.india]

Rajat Paliwal seems to be another find of the season.

[express bowling]

Sandeep Warrier is talked to be 140 plus. He was bowling quicker than Sreesanth in Ranji. Rajpoot has potential' date=' just 19, tall and can already hit 140, has good outswinger too.[/quote'] Thanks.

[diga]

Will services upset UP, the best team of Ranji, captained by Kaif- who -would -have been- the Ind-captain-if - not- for-dhoni?

[diga]

UP 81-3 still trailing by 40 odd runs to make services bat again..

[Magneto]

Will services upset UP' date=' the best team of Ranji, captained by Kaif- who -would -have been- the Ind-captain-if - not- for-dhoni?[/quote'] Kaif would have never been India captain. He was hardly an India regular to start with.

[Lord]

Will services upset UP' date=' the best team of Ranji, captained by[b'] Kaif- who -would -have been- the Ind-captain-if - not- for-dhoni?

:hysterical::hysterical:

[diga]

Kaif would have never been India captain. He was hardly an India regular to start with.

sarcasm... there are many on ICF who think Kaif is the answer to Dhoni-TiNA :giggle:

[diga]

why is sandeep sharma of Punjab not playing? Is he not one of the top wkt takers of ths season?

[Cevno]

Kaif did captain India in a few games, no ? Was harshly removed from the Test Side tbh. Wasn't a ODI player though.

[Lord]

why is sandeep sharma of Punjab not playing? Is he not one of the top wkt takers of ths season?

injured:((

[Cevno]

Someone to do draw up a list of promising Seamers in Ranji and start a thread to track them. Same with spinners.

[saneindian]

Services on the verge of claiming a huge scalp,, just goes to show on a good pitch with a decent pace attack what teams can achieve in FC cricket. As for the Wankhede pitch, a perfect borefest so far to put any spectators away. Couldn't have chosen a worst match to be shown live.

[Cevno]

Why are services playing in Indore, btw ? Isn't that the MP home ground ?

[diga]

Services on the verge of claiming a huge scalp,, just goes to show on a good pitch with a decent pace attack what teams can achieve in FC cricket. As for the Wankhede pitch, a perfect borefest so far to put any spectators away. Couldn't have chosen a worst match to be shown live.

the rules encourage that kind of play.. We need a points system based on county ckt to encourage some positivity, where the points are awarded only for first 100overs in 1st innings & after that only for victory.. Else, every team will play to conserve their bowlers for next rounds

[saneindian]

The venues for Ranji QFs were decided through toss of a coin and the teams which won the toss were to host home matches. Services' home ground at Palam in Delhi is being used a base by the England team for their first two practice matches before the ODI series. Hence the neutral venue at Indore. Thank god for that, the pitch at Holkar stadium has been among the best result oriented tracks this season.

[kubrickian]

As for the Wankhede pitch, a perfect borefest so far to put any spectators away. Couldn't have chosen a worst match to be shown live.

+1. These are the worst kind of pitches in longer version and tests. Bowlers are rendered ineffective and batsmen can make centuries. First side batting has big advantage because of toss.