Indian domestic season 2013/14

First topic message reminder :

This kicks off with the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy on the 26th.  

Round 9, day 3.
Group A.
Punjab thumped Jharkhand by an innings and 173 runs to book themselves into the next round. Rajwinder Singh took the remaining 1 wicket to finish with a 5for and end the Jharkhand first innings at 216. Jharkhand were even more listless 2nd time around getting bowled out for only 127 in under 35 overs, Gurkeerat Singh taking 4 wickets and Rajwinder and Rahul Sharma taking 3 each. Opener Rameez Nemat was the only Jharkhand batsman to resist in the 2nd innings, scoring 48 following his first innings knock of 81.
Mumbai, the traditional Australia of Indian domestic cricket, came out of a seemingly lost situation to fight back and put the match on an even keel at the end of day 3. Having lost the top order even before they wiped out the 99 run first innings deficit against Gujarat, Hiken Shah found considerable lower order support to push Mumbai to 273 in their 2nd innings, thus setting Gujarat a 4th innings target of 175. Gujarat lost 3 wickets for 28 in response, including skipper Parthiv Patel, and opener Samit Gohel, the only half-centurion of the match so far. Gujarat promoted Akshar Patel above Venugopal Rao and Manprit Juneja, and his brisk scoring took them to 67-3 at close, still needing 108 more runs to win the game and book themselves a quarter final place.
Karnataka opener Karun Nair, not out on 92 overnight, completed his hundred in the morning, he was out for 105 to Ashish Nehra, and Karnataka were eventually bowled out for 289, 87 ahead of Delhi. Delhi’s mostly listless batting continued in the 2nd innings as well. They ended the day at 132-6. Virender Sehwag was out for 11 to complete a terrible Ranji season for him, where he averaged only 19.
Group B.
With Dinesh Karthik well set on a half-century, and 102 of the 185 runs already in the bag with only 1 wicket down, Tamil Nadu looked on course to make it to the next round, But Bengal spinner Saurasish Lahiri had other ideas, and he picked up 7 wickets to engineer a dramatic collapse that saw Tamil Nadu being reduced to 158-9 from a comfortable 102-1. But the last wicket partnership between Malolan Rangarajan and Aushik Srinivas took TN to 180, but with the target only 5 away, Writtik Chatterjee dismissed Rangarajan to all but book Bengal into the next round.
Baroda left-arm seamer Gagandeep Singh took 7 wickets to restrict Rajasthan’s first innings to 333, a lead of 97. But Pankaj Singh, smarting from yet another selectorial rejection, took all his frustrations out on the Baroda batsmen, dismissing 3 out of their top 4 and causing major discomfort to all the batsmen. Irfan Pathan, working his way back slowly and playing only as a batsman, scored an unbeaten 52 to as Baroda closed the day at 112-6, only 15 ahead of Rajasthan.
As the game resumed after a 2nd day washout, Railways batsmen Arindam Ghosh and Mahesh Rawat pushed their unbeaten partnership to 6 short of 300 as the Utter Pradesh bowlers went wicketless on another day of bad weather intervention. But there was enough time for Ghosh to push his score to 167 not out and Rawat to 163 not out.
Group C.
Goa has given themselves a chance to make it to the next round from Group C with a crucial win against Andhra. Andhra, 119 behind by the first innings, were bowled out for 160 in their 2nd innings. A bonus point was within Goa’s reach, but they couldn’t manage it as they lost their openers in the chase of 42 to end with 43-2.
Contending for the 2nd position from Group C to the next round along with Goa, Jammu & Kashmir took a crucial first innings lead against Tripura. Skipper Parwez Rasool made 83 and opener Adil Rishi made 78 as J & K made 325 in their first innings, a 45 run lead over Tripura, who ended the day at 103-2. A win will take J&K pass Goa, but if Tripura can hold them to a draw, J&K will take 3 points to draw level with Goa. As both teams have won equal number of games, it’ll all then come down to the quotient.
Maharashtra, not enforcing the follow-on after taking a first innings lead of 209, were shot out for 134 as Assam spinner J Syed Mohammed took 7 wickets. But chasing 344, Assam were 94-4 in their 2nd innings.
After conceding a 63 run first innings lead to Kerala, Hyderabad batted much better in their 2nd innings, led by Hanuma Vihari’s 145 and Syed Quadri’s 74, they reached 329-5 by stumps.

i am surprised, why pakaj singh never got considered for India

KP_fan wrote:i am surprised, why pakaj singh never got considered for India

You are not alone there, KPF. They say he's not quick enough. But then Indian selectors have given opportunities to the likes of military medium bowlers like R Vinay Kumar, their quicker bowlers, Varun Aaron is mostly injured and Umesh Yadav needs to find greater consistency. Pankaj has been a very consistent domestic performer for several years now, considering the below average seam bowling resources , Pankaj is certainly due a chance to at least fail at the highest level.

Raj win
Mumbai win
and Bengal win
to book berths in QF
all close fought encounters

and J&K is through.....will give the likes of Rasool and Pankaj from rajasthan a chance to show their skills in K.O stages

well he is vocally asking some questions...the regime of Srnivasan may not like it

Ranji Trophy 2013-14

'Abhi nahin toh kabhi nahin'
Rajasthan's fast bowler Pankaj Singh on the desperation to represent India, and the pain of being ignored by national selectors despite consistently strong performances
Nagraj Gollapudi
January 2, 2014
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It has become a norm. Every season for the past five years Rajasthan fast bowler Pankaj Singh has finished among the top wicket-takers in the Ranji Trophy. He has helped Rajasthan to successive Ranji Trophy titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12, finishing as the top and third-highest wicket-taker respectively in those years. This year, his 39 wickets puts him only behind Himachal Pradesh's Rishi Dhawan in the wicket-takers' list.

Despite the consistency Pankaj has failed to feature in any India or A side for more than three and a half years. Every year he finishes the season with one question: what more I should do. On Wednesday, after stumps, he rushed to the box where national selector Roger Binny had been sitting, to try and find the answer. Pankaj failed to meet Binny, but in the following interview he lays bare the pain of a domestic performer who is desperate for some answers.


Pankaj Singh finished with a five-for, Tamil Nadu v Rajasthan, Ranji Trophy, Group B, 2nd day, Chennai, December 23, 2013
With 39 scalps, Pankaj Singh is the leading wicket-taker in the top tiers of the Ranji Trophy this season © ESPNcricinfo Ltd
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Players/Officials: Pankaj Singh
Matches: Rajasthan v Baroda at Jaipur
Series/Tournaments: Ranji Trophy | Indian Domestic Season
On Wednesday, immediately after the day's play, you walked into the box where Roger Binny, the national selector, was watching the match from. Why did you do that and, though Binny had already left, was it the first time you had done something like that?

It was the first time I had wanted to go and talk directly to a selector. I knew this was Rajasthan's last match of our Ranji season, and so I knew we would not be able to meet anywhere else. I wanted to know what are the things I should do (to get picked for the national squad), what is going wrong with me. That was because I wanted to get an answer as to what else I could do to get there because I want to be there (in the Indian team).

How tough is it to keep performing and yet not get to know what exactly the selectors are thinking?

Ultimately I want to play for the country, a dream, a goal virtually every domestic player aspires to at some point. Now steadily as my age is increasing, I have started to doubt whether I would be able to reach that dream. Also the criteria which are needed to make the India team, which I have been achieving in domestic cricket in the last four years, and still if the selection is not happening then I would obviously like to know what more I should do.

The other option is to keep silent and continue playing which I have been doing. But my intention was to understand exactly why I am being sidelined or if they have given up on me. Then if that is the case I do not need to fight within myself or with people/things, then I can just calm down and plan my future. And if the selectors say that we have seen enough of you and we are not going to select you then I don't need to put myself under pressure each time hoping my name would be included every time a selection meeting happens.

I know that every year I cannot perform the way I have in the last four years. I am going to turn 29 so the age is going to soon turn against me. I know I can still play for four to five more years. And if I am just left to play domestic cricket, then my goals would not be that strong. And without goals I would not be able to put in this kind of effort, hard work and perform.

But in 2010-11, when Rajasthan won their first Ranji Trophy I was 26. I had taken 53 wickets that first-class season. I had many expectations considering India were going to tour many places like West Indies and England. So many other fast bowlers were picked and replaced others who were injured or unfit. But I never was included. So now I have reached a stage where I have started to think: abhi nahin toh kabhi nahin (if not now then maybe never). If it is khatam (end) then maybe I could even leave playing cricket possibly in two years. So these were the questions I wanted to ask.

Was it a mix of fear and anger that drove you to take that call to meet the selector?

Possibly. The Indian selection system has predominantly never given chances to a bowler over 30. Since four years I have waited ab mera number aayega, ab mera number aayega. Nahin aa rahan hein (My chance would come. It has not come). So even if I speak to someone it might not come and the selector might even get angry, or someone might inform me the areas I am falling short of. At least this way I could improve or at least I would tell myself that I did my best and only then I left.

Were you optimistic about a call-up for the New Zealand tour?

Definitely. Not just this time, but last year when we were playing in Kolkata against Bengal in our Ranji season opener, I picked nine wickets. A national selector, who was present, walked upto me and said I had bowled really well. I was expecting a call-up for the home Test series against England but I did not get included. Till now I have no idea where I fell short. Even the selector appreciated my performance. Then in Mohali, against Punjab, the same selector said I was doing well. Even this season I started slow but started to get wickets steadily. At the start of this season I did not believe my name would be discussed. I knew I was not being counted in the top 10 fast bowlers in the country considering I had not been called for any A tour or Emerging Trophy series or even a national camp for fast bowlers.

But the selector might have just said that to encourage you?

I know that is not bad. But if a selector is encouraging me, I am doing well, and I am (still) nowhere. These are the people who are going to pick you in the team, make your career. Even this season, in Chennai against Tamil Nadu I took a five-for, all top-order wickets. Sandeep Patil (national selection panel chairman) while taking a walk said, "very well bowled. Good bowling." I did not say anything. As a player I can only perform and that I am doing from the last four years.



"Why would I like to continue to play if I am not going to play for India. I am not going to play just for money. I have earned enough and invested in the right places. Every player has a reason to continue playing"

Say if a selector calls up and informs you that you are not part of our plans. What will you do?

I will play maximum of one or two years then. Simple. Why would I like to continue to play if I am not going to play for India. I am not going to play just for money. I have earned enough and invested in the right places. Every player has a reason to continue playing. A good player does not hang in just to earn money. The main thing is dedication towards the job. Say if I had been picked and not performed then I would be angry to prove myself and play for another four or five years.

Can you talk about the challenges a player like you goes through when not part from the Indian set-up?

The biggest challenge is you are unable to decide what you should. You doubt whether your state association is weaker and not promoting you. Then sometimes you doubt if selectors are backing a player(s) from a particular zone. No player wants to think such questions. When you are performing you do not want to raise such doubts in your head. But if the same questions keep repeating in my mind then I am bound to doubt the system.

So how do you motivate yourself?

It because of the meeting my dream, the zid (stubbornness). Having come from a small place, Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, to this place where I am now, I do not want to give up.

What are the things you have worked on in the interim?

Many times I heard I was not quick, so I worked on my pace. But importantly started first by working on my fitness and strengthening to make sure I was bowling at lively pace. In the last two years even I felt I was bowling quick - consistently 135kph. Barring Umesh Yadav, show me one fast bowler in India who has bowled consistently over 140kph. I have tried to tick every checkbox a selector thinks with regard to a fast bowler.

There is a feeling that your age was a factor, as you could not be picked for an A team where opportunities need to be given to youth primarily. But is it not unfair on you considering you are almost the same age as some players who have been on A tours in recent years?

Yes. But right from when I was 26, I have never been considered or included. There are other players like Vinay Kumar and RP Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni who are around my age and still have played or been included in the squad. I am not nitpicking. Some of these guys have played more cricket than me, but my numbers show I am doing much better than many other fast bowlers.

Kulkarni is better than Singh IMO....Kulkarni should be around the odi/t20 side.....also is Irfan back playing yet, or is he pretty much finished?!

Round 9, day 4.
Group A.
Mumbai are without their internationals Ajinkya Rahane, Zaheer Khan and Rohit Sharma. They are missing key players Abhishek Nayar and Dawal Kulkarni due to injury. They were down for the first 3 days of this decisive game against Gujarat. When Akshar Patel and Venugopal Rao were knocking off the 4th innings target of 175 without much fuss in a 5th wicket partnership, an early exit for the defending champions seemed just a formality. But Mumbai has a reputation of being the champion of champions in domestic cricket, not without a reason. They showed why by engineering an absolutely dramatic collapse to snatch victory from nowhere. Gujarat were 135-4 at one stage, with Akshar Patel batting on a half-century. But parttimer Suryakumar Yadav gave Mumbai the much needed breakthrough, and that was the spark that Mumbai needed. By the time Gujarat added 12 more runs, they were bowled out, handing Mumbai a 27 run win and a place in the next round, while that 40 minutes of madness ended Gujarat’s challenge for this season where they performed with credit otherwise.
Delhi were bowled out for 201 in their 2nd innings and set Karnataka a target of 115 to win their 5th consecutive match. The tabletoppers duely obliged as they overhauled the target with no fuss whatsoever as opener Mayank Agarwal led the way with a stroke filled 68 not out as his side won by 8 wickets. Earlier, HS Sharath and Sreyas Gopal took 3 wickets each to finish off Delhi’s challenge in the 2nd innings.
Following-on against Haryana, Odisha ended the day at 228-6 to play out a draw. But the innings lead, coupled with Jharkhand’s loss to Punjab yesterday meant Haryana managed to just about stay in Group A and Jharkhand got relegated to Group C a year after they were promoted.
Group B.
Irfan Pathan scored more than half the runs that Baroda managed in their 2nd innings, but his 84 could push Baroda only to 167 that set Rajasthan a target of 71. Rajasthan lost 4 wickets in the chase, but they reached the target in relative comfort to knock Baroda out and draw level with them on the points table.
The weather marred game between Railways and Uttar Pradesh ended with the first innings not getting finished as the teams shared 1 point each. Responding to Railways first innings score of 518, Uttar Pradesh reached 231-3 as Tanmay Srivastava scored 103.
Group C.
Jammu & Kashmir created history and more when they edged Goa out by the thinnest of margins in terms of quotient to book themselves into the Ranji quarter final. Some stubborn lower order resistance from Tripura meant their 2nd innings could be stretched to 272. The J & K skipper Parwez Rasool led his side’s bowling effort, taking 7 wickets. J & K had to score 228 in 45 overs to win the game and go through. Or else they had to finish with a draw and a better quotient than Goa who were tied on points and number of wins. J & K ended their 2nd innings on 87-2 that gave them a better quotient of 0.001 over Goa, 6 runs less, or one more wicket down, they’d have been out. Rasool, who scored 83 in the first innings, remained not out on 35 at the end to round off a brilliant all-round game for him in arguably the most important match of his career so far.
Assam, set a target of 344 against Maharashtra suffered a heavy 128 run loss as left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar took 4 wickets to finish with 10 in the match.Though Deeraj Jadhav resisted with a half-century, Assam could only manage 215 in their 2nd innings
Hyderabad were bowled out for 429, setting Kerala a target of 367. Kerala comfortably batted out the day with VA Jagadeesh and Nikilesh Surendran scoring half-centuries.

In the quarter finals, Karnataka are pitted against Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai will take on Maharashtra, Bengal play Railways, and Jammu & Kashmir encounter Punjab. b

KP_fan wrote:Raj win
Mumbai win
and Bengal win
to book berths in QF
all close fought encounters

Rajasthan did win, but they couldn't make it to the next round. Its Railways, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal from Group B.

maharashtara-Mumbai QF will be shown live....and will feature father and son gavaskars as commentators.
Zaheer and Nayar are back for Mumbai

Rohan Gavaskar is a decent commentator. Have lost a lot of respect for Shastri and Sunny, though the latter still remain a lot more dignified as a commentator even when willingly working within the 'Srinivasan' framework, but Ravi has completely lost it, and bringing in young comentators like Rohan would be a good idea.

Vijay Zol and Sanju Samson have hit 100s vs Pak -u19 in the finals.

Two real stars to keep an eye out for and hope Zol plays the Ranji QF

he doesn't mince words and talks staright

NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir is nothing if not intense. Even sitting at home on a leisurely winter morning, he finds it hard to relax when the talk veers to cricket. In a candid chat with TOI, Gambhir opened up about his game and the recent controversies plaguing Delhi cricket.

Excerpts...

You defied a lot of people to stage Delhi's Ranji matches at Roshanara instead of the Kotla. Yet, Delhi failed to qualify for the quarters...

I'm not against playing at the Kotla but we needed a result-oriented pitch. We got to a stage where we needed four outright wins from five games. The Kotla is so flat. The Roshanara is seamer-friendly and I thought if we bat better than the opposition, we have a chance.

Did the decision go against you?

No. The Roshanara decision kept us in the hunt till the end. We got 13 points from two games. It produced results either way. If we had played dull draws at the Kotla, we would have been out before the Karnataka game. The batting let us down. Mithun (Manhas), Rajat Bhatia and I needed support. We lacked quality spinners but the Punjab game was the turning point. If we had batted better in the first-innings, we would still be in the competition.

The Kotla curator has lashed out at you for demanding a turner...

If as someone looking to make a comeback I am willing to open on green tops, if as captain I'm willing to take the heat, then why are people against result-oriented tracks? The wicket that had been prepared at Kotla wouldn't have produced a result in eight days. No one can accuse us of playing on a rank turner because we played three games at home on an absolutely lush green wicket.

Then there was the selection controversy over a young pacer who wasn't from Delhi...

I don't have agendas. If I see someone who is good, I don't care where he stays and which club he plays for. We picked this guy who had not played a single league game because all the seniors agreed he was good. If there's a good Delhi boy, we will pick him. I've played my whole life for Delhi, I know what is good or bad for Delhi cricket.

Are you happy with the selection structure?

Maybe there should be a three-member selection committee only, without a chairman, plus the captain and coach. Why should a chairman have extra powers? Selectors should be on the same platform.

The recent DDCA elections hogged all the limelight...

There should be more focus on the cricket. Ultimately, DDCA is there to promote Delhi cricket. They are not there to promote themselves or set agendas. The primary job of DDCA is to look after cricket, see where Delhi cricket is going at all levels. They should not be pleasing people or worrying about XYZ or proxies. The cricket should do well.

India would love to have Sehwag back in peak form, but he seems to be out of touch...

He is one of the greatest. Every batsman goes through these phases. The problem is we make such a big deal out of it. Eventually it's up to Sehwag as well. You have to keep working hard, keep believing. He's working hard.

As your body goes through wear and tear, is it necessary to keep making changes to your batting; go along with your limitations, so to speak?

I haven't faced that stage yet where my body doesn't follow the mind. But the more physically fit you are, the more mentally fit you are. It helps you concentrate.

Do you and Sehwag talk about the game off the field?

No, we don't. We are completely different characters. In the middle, of course, you try and help each other but it's not important to discuss your own game off it. My way of preparing is completely different from his. I love discussing my game with people who have similar mindsets...

Like Gary Kirsten?

Yes, someone like that. I could discuss a lot of cricket with him. He was intense, he was gutsy. We had similar mindsets. Sehwag has always been flamboyant, more talented, looking to take the opposition on. He's always played the same way.

Last time India went to NZ, you were at the peak of your game. This time you're looking to make a comeback as well...

That is history. I've been working as hard as I ever have. If you push me to scrutinize my purple patch, I would say at that time I was not desperate to get big runs. I was not even thinking of becoming the No. 1 Test cricketer. It was my first proper foreign tour, there was a lot of talk about my skills outside the subcontinent so I was just setting small goals. Maybe later I got more desperate for runs, too edgy about low scores, maybe more intense.

There's a view that playing in shorter formats allowed errors to creep into your game...

Nobody was saying this when I was scoring runs. When you're playing well, you want to use that form and play all formats. It's the same game. My stance, the weight of my bat, my backlift stays the same. It's the mindset that changes. I never thought the shorter format got me into bad habits like nudging or playing tip-and-run or jabbing to third man.

It's a mental thing, then?

Opening needs mental toughness. Whether you are in form or not, you still have to face the new ball. You need to be technically good enough to survive but the rest is mental. I started as an opener and I'll finish as an opener. I don't look at soft options.

Are you happy with the Ranji points system?

There should be more reward for an outright win, more gap between points between a win and a first-innings lead than the current six and three points. And why not play the matches over five days instead of four?

Tiwary may be back...unlucky guy......he should have been playing for India

Calcutta: Everything is suddenly going Bengal’s way. While the first-half of the season saw them deliver lopsided performances, things now appear to be falling into place as the Ranji Trophy approaches its business end.

Not only have they won back-to-back matches to qualify for the quarter finals in a thrilling fashion, their squad has now been bolstered with the injection of key members before they take on Railways, in a grudge match, beginning from Wednesday, at the Eden.

Manoj Tiwary, who has been a prolific scorer for Bengal in the last few seasons, could be part of the playing XI that takes field in the quarter-final tie.

Manoj, who missed the entire group stage of the competition because of a knee injury he picked up back in July, has been named as the 17th member of the Bengal squad, announced on Friday.

However, Manoj would play only if he gets the fitness certificate from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) on Monday. “I’ll be leaving for NCA on Sunday. They will be assessing my fitness level the day after. If I get the green light, only then will I return… Else, I’ll be staying back in Bangalore,” Manoj said.

“For sure, no one would be more pleased than myself if I get a chance to play the quarter-final match. Hope I’m deemed fit. But at the moment, I’m just keeping my fingers crossed.”

Manoj attended Bengal’s training session, on Friday, at the Eden, where he did some knocking for around 20 minutes or so, facing only spinners. “Manoj was supposed to go to the NCA on January 15… He is going earlier in order to test his fitness so that he can play this game. He’s really very keen to play this match,” a Bengal selector said.

Captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who, in the absence of key players, has almost single-handedly carried the responsibility of scoring runs when it mattered, was happy with the development.

“No wonder Manoj is a quality player… It will be a huge boost if we can have him in our side. At present, we are playing pretty well and momentum is with us. His inclusion will only add to our strength,” Shukla stressed.

Apart from Manoj, senior batsman Arindam Das and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha are back as well, replacing the injured Sandipan Das and left-arm spinner Jitendra Shaw.

“We managed to cross the line in Chennai despite the absence of some of our key players. Now that they are back, we’ll certainly be able to go out all guns blazing against Railways,” Shukla said.

Saha and Tiwary will certainly make Bengal a better side and Railways will have an even tougher job.
Railways are a n institutional side with no major BCCI backing or even facilities like many other association sides have. They don't have big name players either, yet they are here, performing consistently and topping their group

Bengal would have loved to have Mohammed Shami also available, would have made them even more formidable.

Players in the India ODI squad for NZ won't be able to play the QF games. meaning Karnataka will miss Binny, Mumbai will be without Rohit Sharma and Rahane and Bengal without Shami. Uttar Pradesh will have to take the field without Raina and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

msp83 wrote:Bengal would have loved to have Mohammed Shami also available, would have made them even more formidable.

they have taken sib sankar Paul out of the dinosaur park.,...and he is picking wickets   
and dinda dada is the Steyn of Ranji

BCCI turns down the requst to allow the NZ bound players to finish the QF

anji Trophy 2013-14

Unfair to not release players for Ranji - Prasad
Nagraj Gollapudi
January 6, 2014
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Bhuvneshwar Kumar is ecstatic after striking, India v Australia, 2nd Test, Hyderabad, 1st day, March 2, 2013
Venkatesh Prasad: "Bhuvneshwar Kumar has not played since the first ODI in South Africa. If he had played Karnataka, it would only help his match fitness." © BCCI
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News : Three home games in Ranji quarters
Players/Officials: Venkatesh Prasad | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Mohammed Shami | Ashok Malhotra
Series/Tournaments: India tour of New Zealand | Ranji Trophy | Indian Domestic Season
Teams: India
Venkatesh Prasad, the Uttar Pradesh coach, is disappointed over the BCCI's decision to not allow six New Zealand-bound India cricketers to play the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals. Suresh Raina and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (UP), Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane (Mumbai), Stuart Binny (Karnataka) and Mohammed Shami (Bengal) could have played in the quarters starting on January 8. However the BCCI decided to let these players depart with the rest of the India ODI squad for New Zealand on January 12, the last day of the quarters.

Prasad, the former India seamer and bowling coach, had sent a written request to the board via the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association on January 2, the last day of UP's final-round match against Railways in Lucknow. "They did not approve," Prasad told ESPNcricinfo.

The biggest disadvantage, Prasad reckoned, was that the Ranji competition would be diluted. "You want the best players in the tournament to compete," Prasad said. "It also helps the youngsters in the squad who can only learn from the international players."

Prasad failed to understand the hurry in sending the players specifically on January 12 when India are scheduled to play their first match only a week later. "They could have departed a day later. In any case they are playing their first match on January 19," Prasad said.

The national selectors and the Indian team management should have taken the initiative, Prasad felt. "Just imagine Bhuvneshwar going to New Zealand with confidence and rhythm having played this match," Prasad said. Bhuvneshwar, Prasad pointed out, has not played a game since a month and would have only benefitted from playing against a quality opponent like Karnataka. "Bhuvneshwar has not played since the first ODI in South Africa," Prasad said. "If he had played Karnataka, it would only help his match fitness."

According to a senior BCCI official, most of the players were returning after a full tour of South Africa and it was only just that they relax. "They have just come back from South Africa. Also, they leave shortly for what will be the start of a hectic year. So this is the time where they need to relax and recuperate."

Ashok Malhotra, the former India batsman and currently Bengal coach, agreed with Prasad that international players "add to glamour quotient," thereby enhancing the image of the Ranji Trophy. Malhotra said he is yet to hear from the Cricket Association of Bengal, whom he had asked to check if Shami could be allowed to play the quarter-final against Railways. "I don't mind having Shami even till the 11th in case the Indian squad is leaving the next day," Malhotra said. "By playing or being there he increases the morale of the Bengal side."

Venki is absolutely right. But not at all surprised by the actions of the enlightened lot at the BCCI.

msp83 wrote:Venki is absolutely right. But not at all surprised by the actions of the enlightened lot at the BCCI.

some BCCI babu must have passed a verdict " too risky" and closed the file

Manoj Tiwary won't be available for Bengal's quarter final game against Railways as he's not yet completely fit.

--most pitches in the Ranji QF were reportedly grassy and assitaing seam bowlers......buut also most teams did not have genuine pacers to be effective all day.

the only team to be bowled out was Punjab who from 146-7 got to 300+.....was a big recovery on the back of Bhajji's 92 and Sandeep sharm's 50...opportunity missed for J&K......300 is probably a bit too much for them.


--Karnatak has the upper hand over UP....who were let down by RPS breaking down with hamstring and we can already see Imtiaz is not playing.

--Mumbai alos staged a late recovery....with suryaprakash yadav cracking a 120 at a SR of 87.

--the only batting first side that is even or in less dominating position than the bowling side is Bengal v. Rlways

In general there is an attempt to leave grass on the ptiches...whihc gave early help to seamers..... but takes spin and reverse out of the equation and with most sides having barely medium pace bowlers.....recovery is easy for the batting side until the second new ball is taken

Ranji Trophy Quarter Finals, day 1
Jammu & Kashmir, playing their first ever Ranji Quarter Finals had a fine start against Punjab as their bowlers dismissed the Punjab top order for not a lot on the board. Yuvraj Singh failed and Jiwanjot Singh, Ravi Inder Singh and Gurkeerat Singh failed to build on starts as Punjab found themselves floundering at 146-7. But a lower order rally led by skipper Harbhajan Singh, returning after injury turned the tables on J & K. Harbhajan added 105 with Sandeep Sharma, scoring a 79 ball 92 in the process. After being dropped on 40 of Parwez Rasool, Harbhajan laid into his offspinning counterpart and rival skipper, tonking him for 36 in 8 balls before Rasool eventually had him caught of an attempted slogsweep for a game changing 92. Sandeep, quiet but rock solid in his skipper’s company, then opened up, moving from 12 to 51 after Harbhajan’s fall before he was last man out, as Punjab were bowled out for 304 with Umar Nazir taking 4 wickets and Ram Dayal 3. Sandeep wasn’t done yet, he then dismissed J & K opener Obaid Haroon in the very first over of the innings. Punjab would have had another wicket as Manprit Goni induced an edge from Bandeep Singh that was held in the slip, only for Goni to overstep. J & K went to stumps at 11-1.
After surviving the new ball, Mumbai lost their way against some disciplined bowling from Maharashtra as they were reduced to 101-4. But Vinit Indulkar, returning to Mumbai after almost 8 years, and playing his first Ranji game in almost 4 years then put together a solid partnership with the exciting but often inconsistent Suryakumar Yadav to put the innings back on track. Indulkar played a solid game, cutting out as much risk as possible while Yadav took the bowling on right away. Eventually Indulkar was out for 82 just before the 2nd new ball was available, and then the new ball accounted for 2 more wickets including Suryakumar for a stroke filled 120 of 139 balls as Mumbai closed the day at 306-7 with Iqbal Abdullah and skipper Zaheer Khan at the crease. Samit Fallah and Anupam Sanklecha took 3 wickets each for Maharashtra.
Karnataka lost 3 of their top 4 for ducks, including KL Rahul and Manish Pandey, They wer 15-3 at one stage. But Besides the 3 ducks, there were a couple of hundreds and another one on the verge of one as they went to stumps at 297-5 against Uttar Pradesh. It was that kind of a day, Robin Uthappa, coming back after missing out on most of the league games due to injury scored a hundred just when his side needed it the most. After surviving a testing early spell from RP Singh and then surviving a catch of a no-ball in the 80s of the same bowler, Uthappa brought up his hundred. He then gave Ali Murtaza the charge, missed the ball by a country mile and was stumped. When Uthappa went for exactly 100, Karnataka were only 135-4. But another hundred partnership followed, as the centurion from the last game Karun Nair was joined by last season’s topscorer CM Gautham who has been struggling for impact this season. But Gautam chose the best moment to come back to form and Nair was as resolute as he was in the last game. After putting 162 together, Nair went in the last over of the day, again exactly for 100. To compound UP’s problems, they lost RP to a hamstring injury soon after lunch.
Bengal youngsters Sudip Chatterjee and Abhimanyu Easwaran rescued their side from 3 for 2 and took them to 166-2 then Easwaran got out for 65 that started another collapse as the Railways bowlers fought back to reduce them to 233-8 before an unbeaten 9th wicket partnership of 41 between Wriddhiman Saha and Ashok Dinda took them to 274-8 at stumps. Chatterjee made 96 and Easwaran scored 65. Anureet Singh took 4 wickets before he experienced some cramp in the last session, and skipper Murali Kartik, who bowled only 46 overs in the league stages for just the 1 wicket took 2 for 58 in his 18 overs.

The first day belonged to the batsmen and seamers but Wankhede offers good bounce that should keep the spinners interested, and the Baroda wicket where Punjab are playing J&K is expected to help spin as the game progresses.

Rasool was ripped apart for 36 runs in 8 balls......by none other than Bhajji...damaging for Rasool's team and damaging for his opportunity to shine on the big stage.

If Bhajji does well with the ball..here and in the games to follow........he might now challange Ashwin's position.

KP_fan wrote:Rasool was ripped apart for 36 runs in 8 balls......by none other than Bhajji...damaging for Rasool's team and damaging for his opportunity to shine on the big stage.

If Bhajji does well with the ball..here and in the games to follow........he might now challange Ashwin's position.

An unbeaten half-century from Rasool to lead his team's fight. Benefits of being an all-rounder.......

Rasool gets a hundred and J&K running in a very close fight for first inning lead....though the way the game is going and given that we have 5 days an outright result is possible.

Karanataka, Bengal and Mumbai have a clear upper hand on their opponents batting second.
Zol misses an opportunity to impress clean bowled by Zaheer

those who saw the Mumbai bowling reported shardul Thakur has lost 10 kilos was looking fitter , bowling around 140kph....

i thought he was just a medium pacer last year when he was playing for Mumbai-A vs visiting Eng

Quarter Finals, day 2
Jammu & Kashmir, the side that progressed from Group C, are giving Punjab a real tough fight. Resuming at 11-1, J&K lost 2 early wickets before skipper Parwez Rasool stabilized things in the company of opener Adil Rishi. They scored 81 runs together at over 4 an over, but Punjab cameback through Yuvraj Singh who got Rishi just before lunch for 65. They then picked up a couple more quick wickets soon after lunch, but the J&K skipper Rasool, just like his counterpart on day one, played a captain’s knock to lead the recovery that eventually took them to 277, only 27 behind Punjab’s first innings score. Rasool made a busy 103. For Punjab Sandeep Sharma took 4 wickets. Sandeep managed to reverse the ball in the process, very encouraging signs for a bowler who has already proven his ability to swing the new ball on any track.
Mumbai’s lower order resisted hard, with Iqbal Abdullah leading the way with 49 not out. Skipper Zaheer Khan chipped in with 39 and Mumbai finished with 402 in their first innings. Mumbai’s bowlers, led by Shardul Thakur then gave plenty of trouble for the Maharashtra batsmen, Thakur, bowling close to the 140 KPH mark (rather unusual for domestic batsmen though nothing special in international cricket) took 2 early wickets including the season’s highest scorer Harshad Khadiwale, and Zaheer dismissed Vijay Zol to reduce Maharashtra to 21-3. Zaheer at one point, employing no fielder in front of the wicket to Thakur. But Ankit Bawne counterattacked well though he was ones dropped and then caught of a no-ball and got valuable support from Kedar Jadhav. But Vishal Dabholkar got Jadhav for 51 and then Thakur returned to get Bawne for 84 as Maharashtra ended the day at 219-7 with Thakur taking 4 wickets.
CM Gautam joined Robin Uthappa and Karun Nair in scoring hundreds, and he too was out for exactly 100. In the Karnataka lineup, 5 scored 0s and 3 others made hundreds as they were bowled out for 349 with young Uttar Pradesh seamer Amit Mishra taking 6 wickets. The uttar Pradesh top order accumulated 0s and 1s and they did it a lot more quickly, and found themselves floundering at 65-6. At that point the Karnataka fielders decided to be generous and competed with one another to miss catches or run-out opportunities. Parvinder Singh and Piyush Chawla took advantage and led a recovery. Chawla, let off twice, was eventually out for 56, but Parvinder carried on the fight as Vinay Kumar ran out of options. Eventually, Robin Uthappa managed to convince the skipper to give him the last over instead of Manish Pandey and he then managed to tempt Parvinder to a poke outside off and the batsman, surprised by the movement that Uthappa got, edged behind for 92, as UP went to stumps at 221-9. Abhimanyu Mithun took 4 wickets while Vinay took 3.
Wriddhiman Saha stretched his overnight half-century to 87 as Bengal were eventually bowled out for 317 in their first innings. Then their seamers Ashok Dinda and Shib Shankar Paul set about dismantling the Railways innings. Dinda took 3 wickets and Paul took 2, as Railways were reduced to 42-5. Out came Mahesh Rawat, the railways wicketkeeper. With Arindam Ghosh at the other end, with whom he shared a double hundred partnership only last week, Rawat then counterattacked brilliantly. He smashed the first 6 balls he faced from Dinda for boundaries and never looked back after that. While Ghosh, a Bengal reject took his time and showed a solid technique. At stumps, Rawat is on 105 and Ghosh on 78, and Railways reached 233-5, only 84 away from the Bengal score.

what's SA umpire doing here

Thakur generated good pace throughout the day and troubled the batsmen with his line and length. Rohit Motwani, Maharashtra’s captain, was the first to bite the dust, in the second over of the innings. Bowling from round the wicket, Thakur set Motwani up with a three short deliveries, pushed him on the backfoot and then bowled an inswinging full toss from wide of the crease. It landed directly on Motwani’s pad and Dennis Smith, the South African umpire, had no hesitation in raising his finger.

Two overs later, Thakur opened up Harshad Khadiwale, the season’s highest run getter, and the ball held its line to take the edge and Vinit Indulkar lapped up an easy catch at third slip

After Venkat, India haven't produced a quality umpire so far. Perhaps things have reached a low that they've to get umpires from outside even for domestic games.

mumbai has crashed heavily and Karanatak moderately opening a window for Maharashtra and UP to fight back.

the Bengal vs. Rlys and Punjab vs. J&K games are running neck and neck

all four QFs heading for a result....

when BCCI wants...they can get result oriented pitched produced

They indeed can produce quality pitches if they really want.

Individuals to watch out for:

--Rasool is having an excellent game with 3-fer so far in the 2nd inning.....following his hundred. I would love to see him get the remainder wickets and a 50+ score in the 2nd inning.....and also hope J&K can fight their way forward

--KL Rahul is playing a gem of a knock in testing conditions......more than Gambhir this guy is emerging as the next opener to look at.

--Mumbai has crashed horrendously......and if there was a moment for Zol to play a career defining knock.....it is now and here....get a big 100..win the game and stamp his claim to the selectors.

--Finally shardul Thakur needs to demonstrate he has the energy and fitness to last 5 dyas...let's see if he can keep coming back at the maharastra batters in the 2nd inning with the same intensity.

Agree on Rasool and Rahul, and Zol is already marked out as one for the future. But I doubt whether Shardul Thakur is all that good really. Credit for him, he had a good first innings, but his overall record is nothing great, and he has been far too inconsistent in his career so far. Perhaps if he builds on this new start and maintain the consistency for a couple of seasons, then....... He's a bit quicker than the usual medium pacers in the Ranji Trophy though.......

Rasool has completed his 5for as Punjab are bowled out for 296, handing J&K a target of 324 to move into the semis. More runs from the J&K skipper would enhance his sides and his own cause

Rasool did finish with a 5-fer......now a hundred to seal a win would be a fairytale...althouhg it's a mountain to climb

msp83 wrote:Agree on Rasool and Rahul, and Zol is already marked out as one for the future. But I doubt whether Shardul Thakur is all that good really. Credit for him, he had a good first innings, but his overall record is nothing great, .

I made the same point about Jalaj Saxena also.

people work on their game at the FC level and improve.......there are many such bowlers who added a yard or batsmen who gained several notches.

and what they are doing in the current form and...... how their current Ranji season looks like is what is important and not the previous periods of mediocrity.

there is as much room for the hard-working their way up Ranji players...as there is for teenaged prodigies from junior cricket.

I haven't seen the Mumbai game....but if Sharadul has worked his pace upto 140kph and is getting wickets..andd can sustain that form.....than that is alll that matters

any more potential 'Dravid's coming through?

Quarter Finals, day 3
For the 3rd day running, the Jammu & Kashmir-Punjab game remained even. Like on the first couple of days, there were a few twists and turns in the course of the day. Punjab lost 3 wickets in the first hour of the day and found themselves in a very precarious situation at 50-5. But Yuvraj Singh, who survived the tense first hour, found life a bit easier in the company of Mandeep Singh. Mandeep batted with confidence and Yuvraj too, looked the part at last. But after all the hard work, Yuvraj gave it away, as he tried to launch Parwez Rasool over long-on 2 balls after hitting him for a 6, but didn’t time his shot and was caught in the deep for 40. Gurkeerat Singh came out all guns blazing, and ran away to a 43 ball 50. Just as J&K looked a bit out of sortes, the skipper stepped up, he got Gurkeerat, and then Harbhajan Singh first ball to bring his side firmly back in the context. But Manprit Goni used the long handle in Mandeep’s company and added a half-century partnership to stretch Punjab’s innings. After Goni got out, Mandeep completed his hundred in VRV Singh’s company, but Rasool got him soon after for a fine 101 to complete his 5for as Punjab were bowled out for 296, setting J&K a target of 324. The J&K batsmen took on the Punjab bowlers with opener Adil Rishi playing a number of shots over the infield. Though J&K went at about 4 an over, Punjab managed 2 wickets including that of Rishi for 34 as J&K ended the day at 77-2, needing another 247 more with 8 wickets remaining. If J&K manage to negotiate the first hour without too much damage, then Punjab could find life to be rather tough.
Maharashtra’s lower order did a Mumbai on Mumbai and added 90 for the last 3 wickets to drag their first innings to 280, still 122 behind Mumbai as Shardul Thakur finished with 6 wickets. Then the Maharashtra seamers, backed up by some excellent fielding dismantled the Mumbai batting in the 2nd innings as they were bowled out for 129. Anupam Sanklecha led the way with 4 wickets, while Samit Fallah and Srikant Mundhe took 3 each. Maharashtra ended the day at 28-1, with Zaheer Khan picking up Chirag Khurana in the final over of the day. Maharashtra need another 224 to upset the domestic giants and book a semi final place for themselves, their first in 2 decades if they reach there.
Uttar Pradesh Left-arm spinner Ali Murtaza took 6 wickets as Karnataka, leading by 128 in the first innings, were bowled out for 204 in their 2nd effort. Robin Uthappa went early, and Karnataka’s experiment of promoting lower order batsmen skipper Vinay Kumar and Abrar Kazi to counter the new ball failed as they both got out to Murtaza. But KL Rahul, already getting some comparisons with Rahul Dravid stayed through all that and led the recovery for his side. Even as Murtaza and co were running through the Karnataka batting, Rahul played very well and took them pass 200. When he reached 92 with Abhimanyu Mithun for company with only an injured HS Sharath to bat, the fast bowler played an injudicious slog and was bowled, and Sharath was then given out offering no shot the next ball, with Rahul watching it all at the non-striker end, not out on 92. UP are 55-1 in their 2nd innings.
Mahesh Rawat was out for 119 and Arindam Ghosh missed his ton by 3 runs, and as the overnight pare got dismissed after putting on a big partnership, Ashok Dinda ran through the Railways lineup, taking 6 wickets as Railways were bowled out for 314, 3 runs short of the Bengal first innings score. But Railways hit back soon after, they reduced Bengal to 7 for 2 and then 40 for 4, as Anureet Singh took 3 wickets. But India reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla led the recovery for Bengal, taking them to 133-4 at stumps. Shukla came out all aggression, scoring a run-a-ball 50 and remaining not out on 63 with Saha on 30 for company.

KP_fan wrote:

msp83 wrote:Agree on Rasool and Rahul, and Zol is already marked out as one for the future. But I doubt whether Shardul Thakur is all that good really. Credit for him, he had a good first innings, but his overall record is nothing great, .

I made the same point about Jalaj Saxena also.

people work on their game at the FC level and improve.......there are many such bowlers who added a yard or batsmen who gained several notches.

and what they are doing in the current form and...... how their current Ranji season looks like is what is important and not the previous periods of mediocrity.

there is as much room for the hard-working their way up Ranji players...as there is for teenaged prodigies from junior cricket.

I haven't seen the Mumbai game....but if Sharadul has worked his pace upto 140kph and is getting wickets..andd can sustain that form.....than that is alll that matters

KPF, Shardul was bowling mostly in the late 120s in the 2nd innings and was a bit all over the place, the intensity was clearly down. No way did he look an international material. Perhaps there are some raw material to work with, and with the right attitude and increased fitness, he could develop into a quality bowler, but at present he looks some way short of international class. A few more games played in the company and guidance of Zak could certainly help.
India should appoint him the bowling coach the day after he retires.......

Punjab through to the semis, J&K bowled out for 223, Punjab win by 100 runs.

And Punjab will face Karnataka at Mohali, Karnataka win by 92 runs as UP are bowled out for 240.

I see a lot of people myself included would like to see Rishi Dhawan get a chance in the national side, but what do people think of Kulkarni?

msp83 wrote:And Punjab will face Karnataka at Mohali, Karnataka win by 92 runs as UP are bowled out for 240.

it is sad to see the brave J&K bow out....they needed one big inning from someone, while pacer VRV was getting all the LBWs....with his seam and bounce and running through the side. an attack of Gony, VRV, Sandeep with Kaul missing is a very handy Ranji level attack
Like Jadhav and Zol stood up and likely to sink Mumbai.

UP is indisciplined and take things to lightly and hence are rightly gone.
Rlys vs Bengal is a humdinger..let's see what comes out

Zol rose to the ocassion and this inings more than the u-19 knocks will raise his stature.
he gets atleast one, possibly two more shots at fame and creating an impression in semis and finals.

Thakur did not rise in second inning and Zaheer fought a lone battles taking the only 2 wickets.

Jadhav has done well in IPL...good to see him shine in FC

Murali Kartik has opened the batting in the chase

Quarter Finals, day 4
After running Punjab close for 3 days, Jammu & Kashmir at last lost to Punjab’s experienced bowling lineup. Even on the 4th day they managed to put up a fight. Punjab could manage only 1 wicket in the crucial first hour, and J&K’s move of promoting seamer Ram Dayal to save the batsmen from the early morning conditions worked well as he batted for more than an hour and a half. But VRV Singh then took charge, taking 2 wickets, and a lifter from VRV hit Hardeep Singh on the arm and he had to retire hurt on 43. VRV further upped his game after lunch, trapping Parwez Rasool LBW for 10, and dismissed wicketkeeper Obaid Haroon first ball. VRV’s pace was proving too much for the J&K lineup, and Manprit Goni and Sandeep Sharma also chipped in. Hardeep came back after the fall of the 7th wicket and kept the fight up, but he eventually ran out of partners as J&K were bowled out for 223, handing Punjab a 100 run win. VRV took 5 wickets and Goni took 3. Sandeep and Harbhajan took a wicket each. Harbhajan took only 2 wickets in the game and was outbowled by Rasool who took 7.
Mumbai are not going to be the Ranji Champions this year!!!!. The domestic heavyweights were soundly thrashed by Maharashtra. Mumbai had 223 more runs to defend today with 9 Maharashtra wickets remaining. Harshad Khadiwale was out early in the morning as Zaheer Khan, troubling him throughout his stay from yesterday onwards, got him to edge to slip. Then Kausthup pawar put down a regulation chance from Vijay Zol of Abhishek Nayar when the batsman was on 3. From then, the momentum of the game began to shift towards Maharashtra. Zol soon locked away all expansive shots following the example of his senior partner Kedar Jadhav who is otherwise known for his attacking game. They left as much as possible and didn’t go after anything outside off. After safely negotiating the first session they then opened up, Jadhav rushing to his hundred from 50 in only 38 balls, with him lofting Vishal Dabholkar for 3 6s in an over in the process. Zol too played some attractive strokes, particularly against Zaheer, and they finished the job off 10 minutes before tea. Jadhav remained not out on 120, his 5th hundred of the season, becoming the first batsman this season to score over 1000 runs. Zol remained not out on 91.
Karnataka continued their winning streak, adding their 6th consecutive outright win of the season to progress to the semi finals, dumping Uttar Pradesh in the process. Though Tanmay Srivastava and Ali Murtaza started confidently in the morning, UP soon lost their way as Mithun got Srivastava to edge behind and then Mohammed Kaif collected his 2nd duck of the game. After playing some good attacking shots, Murtaza perished to Shreyas Gopal. Gopal and Mithun kept chipping away before Eklavya Dwivedi and Piyush Chawla tried to take the bowling on. When they were together, the Karnataka bowlers looked a bit under the pump particularly as they were missing the injured HS Sharath. But then Dwivedi was well caught by skipper Vinay Kumar of Mithun, Gopal took the next 2 wickets to complete his 5for, and the skipper knocked out Ankit Rajpoot to clear Karnataka’s way to the semis with a 92 run win. In the semis, Karnataka will be playing Punjab at Mohali.
The 4th quarter final between Bengal and Railways is poised for an exciting finish on the final day. Laxmi Ratan Shukla was out for 76 in the 3rd over of the day, but Wriddhiman Saha kept going and scored a crucial 81 to keep Bengal alive. Ashok Dinda then smashed a quick 27 not out in the lower order to stretch their 2nd innings to 267. Railways seamer Anureet Singh took 5 wickets for his side. Railways skipper Murali Kartik promoted himself up the order to partner Amit Paunikar at the top and they put together a 100 run partnership upfront. Kartik was the aggressor, scoring 56 including 3 6s. Shukla wasn’t going to back down in the contest of the captains, he got Kartik LBW, Paunikar was then run out for 41 in Shukla’s next over, and Shivakant Shukla also got out at the same score, meaning Railways lost 3 for 3 in 3 overs as Bengal came back into the game. Railways ended the day at 117-3, needing another 154 to go through.

Bengal defeated Railways by 48 runs to enter Ranji semis after 8 years. Arindam Ghosh resisted with 50 and the Bengal fielders put down 4 catches, but their seamers stuck it out for their side. Skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla led the way with 3 wickets, Ashok Dinda, Shib Sankar Paul and Sourav Sarkar took 2 wickets each as Railways were bowled out for 222.
Bengal will now take on Maharashtra at Indore