***Official*** Indian Domestic Season 2014/15

[Arjun]

Now Shrikant Mundhe notices something smart about Pankaj Singh's bowling, and uses it to good effect. However, the disappointing thing about that match, if not Mundhe's bowling was the pitch was aiding the seamers a lot, but the batsmen gave away their wickets by poor strokes. Then, you'll notice a lot wrong with pace bowling in India when you read about this bloke- he's short, slow and bowls a restrictive line, and needs his strong frame to bowl long spells on unresponsive pitches- hardly the way to use your fast bowlers. If this is the kind of bowling encouraged, I'm not happy with this green-top era.

 

[Arjun]

Fans monitoring Rishi Dhawan's performance will also be monitoring the progress of his team, Himachal. They've again run out of steam, not being able to force a win yet again. With two wins in five games, they're sitting on a flimsy lead over the next two teams, Andhra and Assam, who have won three matches. If they don't sort out their attack right, they may miss out again. I'm not sure Dhawan can really grow in this team, since they don't perform enough to push themselves up to the next level.

Delhi are in very, very good form. Four wins in five games puts them way ahead of the rest of the group, although Punjab can get ahead. The top three make the quarters, and Maharashtra seem most capable. Saurashtra are in danger of getting relegated, unless they win the next few games. Rajasthan, Odisha and Haryana are themselves not assured of their places, though, while Vidarbha, Umesh Yadav's home team, have drawn all five games they've played.

Karnataka are sitting on top of Group A, but two out of four teams are in the race for the next two spots. One of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh is likely to go down.

Finally, some hope for spin this season. Malolan Rangarajan, who's helped TN win the recent game against UP, is in the top five, while Baroda's Swapnil Singh has also shot up the rankings, and Assam's Swarupam Purkayastha took eight wickets against Hyderabad to come closer to the top ten. With the bat, Abhinav Mukund is firmly on top. Another century by domestic veteran Naman Ojha takes him 29 runs close to Dinesh Karthik, who's in the top ten. In the post-Dhoni era, Ojha should don the gloves in Tests. Truly a top performer, with bat and gloves.

 

[Dhoni_183*]

Good thread and I'll enjoy following this. Being born in the UK I mainly hear about the county scene but don't follow it. I try to follow Ranji and Indian domestic as much as I can. Rishi Dhawan does well in domestic, took a 5 for v J&K but doesn't seem international class. Lack of pace and ability.

I want Uthappa and Samson to do well, maybe both should be in the test squad as wkt keepers. Not a big fan of Saha. Samson should always be in the squad and getting exposure. Time to move past Partiv, D Kartik.

Jasprit Bumrah could be a prospect, nice swing bowl with good pace. Mukund never got any more games which I thought was harsh, he showed character in England.

 

[Arjun]

I'm game for Rishi Dhawan in an India uniform, but Himachal Pradesh is not the right place for him. That's an underperforming team that stays in a comfort zone. He needs to move to Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh to grow enough to be ready for an India cap. However, he's got competition from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and among lesser players, J&K's Ram Dayal, who's performing in Group A. He's much better than several other seam bowlers who can bat, such as Ashish Reddy, Siva Kumar and Shrikant Mundhe.

Uthappa is not a proper wicketkeeper. That's too critical a post to leave to part-timers like him. He's more vital as a limited-overs opening batsman. Samson is too new and raw, and needs three more years. Parthiv is past it, but I'm not sure Dinesh Karthik feels that way, being in the top ten run-scorers. His wicketkeeping, though, seems to have crashed. It's tight competition between Saha, Karthik and 100-FC veteran Naman Ojha.

Jazz was good only in his first two seasons, but lacked pace and power, so couldn't do much in an event with some international presence, out of his comfort zone. He hasn't even played for Gujarat this year. Mukund was picked way before he was ready. Now, though, he's definitely ready for Tests, at least as a reserve.

 

[Arjun]

After the sixth round, the Ranji XI looks like this- Mukund and Hanuma Vihari opening the innings, middle order of Yuvraj, Gurkeerat and ID Singh, Dinesh Karthik as wicketkeeper, spin twins Swapnil and Ranga, and a seam/swing trio of any of Pankaj, Vinay, Mundhe and Ram Dayal. Jackson's a leading run-scorer, but his team has performed so poorly we'd be tempted to leave him out. Rishi Dhawan also misses out due to a disappointing season with the bat, and of course, Ram Dayal & Mundhe have performed in tougher leagues. Naman Ojha just missed, but another big score can push him further up.

No real pace in the bowling options, though a few runs scored by Mundhe and Ram Dayal may help. Another interesting finding is that except for Vinay Kumar, none of the top performers are from the leading Group A (Karnataka) and B (Delhi) teams, who have won the most matches.

Here's an interview with Ram Dayal, after his team lost to Karnataka.

 

[Arjun]

Mumbai have to win the next set of matches if they have to regain the trophy. They're fourth in the league right now. While that might be decent news for some teams, it's not for Mumbai. Wasim Jaffer returns to the squad. They've also brought back spinner Vishal Dabholkar, inexplicably left out for most games this season.

 

[javaperth]

Mumbai have to win the next set of matches if they have to regain the trophy. They're fourth in the league right now. While that might be decent news for some teams, it's not for Mumbai. Wasim Jaffer returns to the squad. They've also brought back spinner Vishal Dabholkar, inexplicably left out for most games this season.

Wasim jafar has good record in ranji trophy but I doubt he ever consider for test matches

 

[Arjun]

Himachal slipping again, this time against Andhra, who are also vying for a promotion, while Assam, also in the race for a promotion, are going strong in their game against Hyderabad. Quite likely that Andhra and Assam will get promoted, which won't be good news for Rishi Dhawan and his fans.

Rajasthan, on the other hand, seem to have recovered from their crushing defeat to Maharashtra, and are in a strong position against Odisha, and on course for a win. Unsurprisingly, Pankaj Singh is leading them to a win, with six wickets in this game. Even as India's ODI side struggles with a strike bowler, Pankaj is still leading the wickets tally. Vinay Kumar seems to have fallen back after taking a break, but we know whose team will make the quarters, and go beyond, so he's got a reason to take a break.

Mumbai, after hopes of a recovery, have fallen into a mess again, well on course to losing by an innings to Tamil Nadu. Much credit goes to Rahil Shaikh, who's taken seven in the first. Mumbai's spinners Iqbal and Vishal have looked completely out of sorts here.

After Joginder Sharma and Sachin Rana faded, it's spinner Jayant Yadav's turn to do the all-round role for Haryana, in a very tight, must-win-to-survive game for Saurashtra. The match is tight, and only Yadav, after taking 13 wickets, can save his team from likely defeat.

Delhi vs Maharashtra is also likely to end in a result.

 

[brockley]

I've heard a list of auction players has been released on some Indian newsmedia,again with no Pakistanis,any hint on who these players are?

 

[Pratters]

Rahil Shah bowl bowled superbly turning it square with bite. Has been key reason for TN's wins over Mumbai, J & K and UP.

 

[honestbharani]

TN stack up so much on spin and yet we just about never produce a decent leggie since L Sivaramakrishnan..


I hope the Baba twins mount to something good. Would give us a nice middle order with one leggie and one offie...

 

[Arjun]

UP is most likely to get relegated to Group C, and one of Odisha and Saurashtra will drop there too.

Earlier in the tournament, Cricinfo complained about the lack of success of. or even lack of priority towards, spinners in Ranji 2014-15. Now, Ranga, Rahil Shah, Swarupam Purkayastha, Swapnil Singh and lately Jayant Yadav have turned it around. Swarup, in particular, has shot up the charts very, very quickly, coming close to Pankaj Singh. It's early days for all the spinners doing well, and hopefully they'll keep going strong, not fade away after one season like Dabholkar, Nadeem and Jalaj. Veteran Rakesh Dhurv hasn't quite faded away, but he's not doing so well.

Sheldon Jackson is sitting comfortably on top with 788 runs, including 18 sixes. His strike rate, though, isn't intimidating, like Gurkee's 81, though the Punjab lad has hit just one over the top. Yuvraj hasn't been able to get back that amazing form at the start of the season, but is still in the top five.

The Ranji XI looks like this- Akshat and Mukund open the batting, with a middle-order of Jackson, Yuvraj and Jaggi. Karthik as keeper, because Ojha's team was on a break, though the MP veteran can come back strongly. Pankaj Singh and now Rishi Dhawan to open the bowling, with Aravind first-change, and Rahil and Swarup as spinners. Jayant Yadav has more impressive figures with ball and bat, but Haryana haven't been winning enough, so he misses out. Again, the absence of palyers from Group B toppers Delhi shows that Delhi's Ranji XI is a sum greater than its parts.

Mumbai, though, has had nothing to show this season, and already young captain Surya Yadav has stepped down. Very hard times.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Malolan Rangarajan should fit into your XI probably.. I watched the highlights of the TN vs Mumbai game on BCCI.tv. He can hit the long ball....

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Also Shreyas Gopal, i believe he is the no.1 all rounder this season... Looks very promising...

 

[ramkumar_gr]

TN stack up so much on spin and yet we just about never produce a decent leggie since L Sivaramakrishnan..


I hope the Baba twins mount to something good. Would give us a nice middle order with one leggie and one offie...

yes, but Indrajith hasn't bowled at all this whole season.... The reason probably is there are 4 other spinners in the line up.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Great win for Vidarbha... Amazing stuff by Srivatsava... Deserving MOM.

 

[honestbharani]

yes, but Indrajith hasn't bowled at all this whole season.... The reason probably is there are 4 other spinners in the line up.

Yeah hope that changes.. But what I mean is even a proper batsman who can bowl part time legspin is something we have been lacking.. It is one reason why if Mukund can measure up in International cricket, it would help our side out a bit. It adds a dimension, even if only to a small degree, that we have not had recently.. Ever since Sachin stopped bowling much, at least...

 

[Dhoni_183*]

Mumbai have to win the next set of matches if they have to regain the trophy. They're fourth in the league right now. While that might be decent news for some teams, it's not for Mumbai. Wasim Jaffer returns to the squad. They've also brought back spinner Vishal Dabholkar, inexplicably left out for most games this season.

Yes Mumbai have a great history here. Jaffer is ultimate flat track bully, really has perfected that art.

 

[Arjun]

And Mumbai won this match against Baroda, but they're still only fourth, not third. Team effort, adding up to the win against a team that's stronger, with two has-beens. A win for Haryana has knocked Rajasthan out of the race for the title. Wins for Jharkhand, Kerala, Assam, Vidarbha, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, means there were plenty of results in this round. Any three of UP (bottom of the table), Bengal, and J&K will drop to Group C, as also one of Odisha and Saurashtra. Himachal and Assam look most likely to get promoted. Himachal have been inconsistent, but seem to have pulled ahead at the right time. Assam are on a roll. Good for this team from a much-ignored region of the country's cricketing space. The remaining six quarter spaces will be taken by Karnataka, Delhi, TN, Vidarbha, and it's a battle for the third place in both groups A and B.

Sheldon Jackson still sitting on top, comfortably, but his team won't make the quarters, so he'll eventually drop down. Mukund is most likely to close in. The top ten feature just one opener, so it's been a hard season for opening batsmen. The under-rated Paras Dogra has shot up to third place. Special mention goes to Gopal, who's actually a leg-spinner, but doing very well with the bat.

Bowling, though, seems filled with the usual suspects, with Rishi Dhawan now ahead of Pankaj Singh. Himachal have a game in hand, and also stand a chance of a promotion, so he can finish with the highest number of wickets this season. That's the third impressive season he's had in a row. Assam's Swarupam has come close to the top two with his impressive run, while Haryana's Jayant Yadav, with little to do, has dropped down a little, and Odisha's Basanth has moved into the top ten. Aravind hasn't yet taken five wickets in an innings, but has a very impressive average of 14 and strike rate under 40. Neat.

What's the Ranji XI looking like? Makeshift openers may be in. Still has Mukund with Akshat opening the innings, with a middle-order of Paras Dogra, Sheldon Jackson, Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Karthik. Rishi Dhawan and Pankaj Singh opening the bowling, Aravind first change. Swarupam and Jayant Yadav as spinners. Narrow miss for Ganesh Sathish, Vinay Kumar, Rahil Shah & Naman Ojha. Again, no Delhi players, despite being on top of their group. Maybe that reflected in their only defeat, to Vidarbha?

 

[Arjun]

Haryana vs Gujarat will end in two days or the first session of the third day. Haryana have a wafer-thin lead against Gujarat, but when the totals are 125-129, it's a minefield out there. Already Haryana are 71/6. Spinners on both sides have had success- Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra and Ramesh Powar. This bloke Rush Kalaria is getting runs and wickets for Gujarat, in possibly his second season, and is sixth in the wickets tally today. Also doing an all-round role and getting plenty of wickets, is offie Jayant Yadav. Both are contenders for India A.

Varun Aaron, ignored for the national side, largely for his tendency to miss a match every now and then, took three wickets against Services. Not much to speak of, since Services is not a strong team (or even a full-time team), and Jharkhand is out of contention for a place in the quarters.

Mumbai seem to have benefited by Karnataka fielding a weaker team and dropping catches, but still good for them as they've got a chance of making the quarters, with Baroda in tough times against Tamil Nadu.

Five wickets for Praveen Kumar. Not much to take away from it, though, as UP is threatened with relegation and Railways are at 331/9.

Delhi/Punjab has started with 12 wickets on the first day- Delhi all out for 249, Punjab at 30/2. Nothing noteworthy in this match. Not even Harbhajan's presence, as he's taken a single, solitary wicket.

Double-century for Bharath, the AP opener. He now shoots up into the top five, making it a better phase for openers. Now Andhra are at 408/1 against Goa, who have been pathetic this season. In fact, worse than part-time Services and East Zone also-ran Tripura! Makes the challenge of finishing in the quarters easier for them than for competing Himachal, who are up against a decently strong Hyderabad, strengthened by the return of spinner Pragyan Ojha, now cleared.