Build-up to Indian Domestic Season 2009-10

[Arjun]

There are two upsets likely this round- TN have lost the first-innings lead against HP, and are currently just 50 runs ahead with eight wickets in hand. If the HP bowlers put up something like what they did against Mumbai at MCA HQ, they have a chance, though it is unlikely. A much more probable, but smaller, upset is on the cards in the Gujarat/Punjab game. Punjab are the more dominant team in this game, and they look on course for an innings win. Parthiv Patel has failed in both innings, while seamers Luv Ablish and Manpreet Gony have had a good game. The Mumbai/Railways game is going along expected lines, with Mumbai expected to win away.

 

[Arjun]

He has enough pace, he clocked 140kph plenty of times during the IPL. Moreover, you cannot question his consistency when he has been performing year in, year out, in the Super League.

Can he do it consistently? Establish himself as a 140k+ bowler? That will give him an advantage. He has been consistent, but hasn't set the league on fire.

T20 means nothing when talking about Test cricket. Moreover, his performances for the Royal Challengers have been far from shabby with 17 wickets at 30.17 with an economy rate of 8.29. Compare that, to fellow Bangalore Royal Challengers bowler Praveen Kumar who has 28 wickets at 30.35 with an economy of 7.99, very similar stats.

The IPL featured several Test standard strike bowlers against the T20 specialists and domestic players. His IPL stats haven't been shabby, but unspectacular, as also Praveen's. That he didn't make the XI in more than a few matches gives a hint. Both were way behind Steyn and Kallis, and Noffke last season.

The fact that they do not add much is not the reason, though - their lack of pace has been the reason they have not been chosen at international level. From what I have seen, Bose and Gagandeep are 120kph bowlers and this will never succeed at Test level. R Vinay Kumar bowls at a minimum speed of 130kph and hits the deck hard.

These days, 130k isn't enough, facing quality batsmen, or bowling on a flat deck. Vinay Kumar is of a slight build, so he won't hit the deck as hard as someone built like Paul or Bose. If he can move the ball off the deck, he has some chance.

What can he do that the other pacers can't? He's undersized, which will pinch the Indians a lot, as it always has. His pace isn't serious, which is another disadvantage. He's very accurate, but once the batsmen get used to his pace, line and length, they can either get settled in a groove against him, or smash him for plenty. He can barely bat, and he has some potential, but hasn't made use of it. His fielding may be a lot better, but we haven't seen much of it to decide. There are three pacers picked in the Test squad, and they're all better.

 

[Arjun]

Here's a full wrap of what happened in Round Four- and there are some results in already. Hyderabad almost imploded trying to chase a possible but tough victory target, against a weak Orissa bowling attack. That ended in a draw. Fair, it had some action, but Hyderabad had at one stage given up the chase, and were trying to survive. This didn't make for good viewing, though the scorecard indicates a close game.

Give us more Mumbai/Delhi/TN/Baroda/Karnataka/Bengal games, please!

 

[Arjun]

Now Manoj Tiwary lashes out at Bengal teammates on the back of their below-par performance against Saurashtra. Look at the massive, repeated typographical error on the page!

 

[Arjun]

More stories from the last round- Angry Tiwary, happy Joshi, triumphant Karthik.

 

[Arjun]

Hyderabad have had a rather bad start. The Agarkar-Kulkarni duo, beginning at a reduced pace, put a lot of pressure on the Hyderabad top order, taking two for barely 24. Then Salvi came in for his first over, and bowling a straight one, was gifted a leg-before by the umpire when Anirudh Singh got an inside edge, but did well even otherwise. Rayudu kept stroking the ball neatly through covers, but his timing was at times faulty, with the bat spinning a few times. Before the rush of wickets, however, there was a blooper- a yes-no running situation and a botched attempt at a run-out.

 

[Arjun]

Baroda v/s Karnataka: Karnataka are all over Baroda here. Not good signs for Baroda, stuck in the midde. After conceding 488, they've lost Parab early for zero, and are at 20. Both the Pathans have had a dire match with the ball. This may just impact Baroda's chances in this match. Munaf had it slightly better, but seems to have two long left feet, as he's overstepped very often. The only bowler with decent figures was Murtuza Vohra, but they bowled too many wides. Uthappa got stuck into the new ball bowlers, scoring a very fast 50.

UP vs Maharashtra: This wasn't a walk in the park for the versatile UP side. They struggled to bowl out relegation-threatened Maharashtra for 292, with Praveen Kumar taking six wickets. I wonder how good his fielding was there- it's been atrocious this year. All the bowlers shared wickets, but for Chawla. There was more- UP were then skittled out for a very paltry 208, with Adhav taking five. That's a bad show against a relegation-threatened team.

Gujarat vs Railways: Railways are in a very strong position, having skittled out Gujarat for 91. Sanjay Bangar took three with Santosh Saxena, and was the best bowler on show. He then went on to score a century. He's had a good match, and it's changed his figures greatly for the season- he's now the best all-rounder on show. Parthiv Patel was out cheaply, while the under-rated Bhatt notched up a decent score.

Mumbai vs Hyderabad: This is what we're watching. Agarkar, struggling this season, has had a decent game so far- bowled tight and not given much away, taking three on day one, but then losing his line and spraying it outside off. Dhawal Kulkarni was accurate, but posed no threat at his reduced pace. The spinners did their bit, but haphazard running between wickets resulted in the innings folding up at 226. Mumbai opened with Sahil Kukreja and keeper Samant, who was out cheaply. Sahil and Rahane, however, dominated the Hyderabad bowlers and were in complete control- Rahane stepped down the track to hit a few big ones straight. A lot is being said about MP Arjun, a medium-pacer from Hyderabad, talked up as a very good seam-up prospect and a half-decent batsman, but he bowls at less than 120k. Not surprisingly, he struggled on a flat deck.

 

[Manee]

R Vinay Kumar has 30 wickets in 5 matches now, after working with Mithun to tear apart Baroda, if anyone is keeping score at home.

 

[Manee]

A lot is being said about MP Arjun, a medium-pacer from Hyderabad, talked up as a very good seam-up prospect and a half-decent batsman, but he bowls at less than 120k. Not surprisingly, he struggled on a flat deck.

I take it Shoaib Ahmed is also lower than 120kph, coming off that ridiculously long run up, as in the IPL.

 

[Sunil Mathew]

My ranji team pick after the end of the last round of matches.( I have left out players in the Indian side like V kohli)


1. KB Pawan – Karnataka (solid and consistent opener. Good season so far with 469 runs at an average of 67. Highly rated by Rahul dravid himself. Probably the most consistent of the domestic cricket openers and with a good performance record on various on varying type of wickets.


2. Shikar dhawan- Delhi : 350 runs in just three innings. Ill luck in the form of a freak injury has once again derailed this hugely talented left handed batsman just when it seemed that he was going to make the final grade this season by adding a steely side to his game and with that greater consistency. Hope he recovers soon.

3. Arun kartik(Tamil nadu) – 5 matches 378 runs average of 58. There might be other heavy scorers than him at the moment in the domestic charts. But here I would go solely by talent and potential. From what I have seen and heard about this guy he is a huge talent. Probably the next big thing from Tamil nadu after M vijay. If everything goes right he would be hitting headlines very soon. When in mood this guy can dismantle any domestic attacks as he possess a wide array of strokes.

4. Manoj Tiwary (Bengal)3 matches 373 runs average of 124. Seems to be back in business and doing what he used to do two seasons back and that is scoring runs consistently. However, from what I have seen of him so far, not entirely convinced.

5. Manish pandey(Karnataka) 5 matches 430 runs ; average of 61. The next big thing as far as batting is concerned. This guy would go far and no two thoughts about it. He is so cool and composed at the crease and always has lots of time to play the ball, a trait that marks the great from the ordinary batsmen.

6. Dinesh Kartik : Even though Partiv patel has nudged a bit ahead of him in the runs scored column, he is nowhere near dinesh as far as wicket keeper batsman stakes are concerned. He is the solid no.2 wicket keeper batsman in India.

7. C Ganapathy (Tamil Nadu) 5 matches 250 runs; average of 62: 16 wickets at an average of 16.56(the best bowling average among bowlers who have taken more than 10 wickets this season) Might be a surprise to a few, but ever since the start of this season he has been climbing up the queue in the medium pace bowling all rounder stakes. Assiduously promoted by his coach WV Raman he has surprised many with his consistent performances with both bat and ball and most of his runs and wickets has come at crucial times of the campaign this season and invariably match winning ones. I am really eager to watch the progression of this talented cricketer. From what I have seen he is a solid bat and a medium pacer with the ability to move both new and old ball alike.

8. Vinay kumar: 33 wickets at an average of 16.78 ; Easily the most consistent pace bowler in the ranji circuit for the last 3-4 seasons. In our obsession for pace we tend to forget and downgrade the performances of bowlers like him. To tell the truth he is not a gentle and at his best efficient medium pacer like V Malik(the reason why I am not jumping about his bowling figures this season) of HP. On the other, Vinay is a more than sharp medium pacer who bowls consistently in good areas. What makes him such a good operator is his ability to operate well with both the new and old ball alike and with the same intensity. Such is his consistency that it doesn’t matter whether it is a green top or placid wicket he keeps picking wickets at an healthy and envious strike rate. Higher recognition is badly required for this unassuming and tireless performer.

9. A Mithun (Karnataka) 5 Matches 28 wickets. Lots of thing has been spoken about this exciting tear away fast bowler. Exciting times ahead for this lad.

10. M Gony (Punjab) 4 matches and 25 wickets : Gony seems to back on the trail after slipping of the radar due to a combination of injury and poor form. Not sure whether he has added any cutting edge to his bowling or action of old. Most of the wickets he has bowled this season seems to be pacer friendly as could be gauged from the figures of his colleague and just about honest medium pacer like L ablish. Would love to seem him play against stronger batting sides like Karnataka and tamil nadu.

11. Abu Nechim ahmed : 21 wickets at 13.65. Talented slinger from Assam. He is back with a bang. Always felt that he made a mistake by joining the ICL and lost about two valuable years in his development. This lad has serious talent he is quick and he swings them well. 21

12. Dhiraj singh 17 Wickets from 4 matches: The only spinner in my list. This left arm spinner from Orissa has stuck on bravely and has scalped some good opposition batsmen.

 

[Manee]

Indeed, a lot of promising quick bowlers this season. Gony has never been a good FC bowler until this year, it is good to see him crack the longest form of the game. I saw Abu Nechim bowl in the ICL and it is clear that he is a talented bowler; he reminds me of Rana Naved in that he has a slightly slingy action and gets massive away swing at reasonable pace.

 

[Arjun]

The UP/Bengal match has started, and the game isn't going too great- Bhuvan Kumar is bowling wide outside off repeatedly and a wicket fell due to a bad decision- Deep Dasgupta leg-before to something pitched out of the bar. Both Kumars are bowling in the 120's, with the fastest being Praveen Kumar with 128k.

 

[Pratters]

Am a bit sick, so watching the whole day of UP v Bengal on tv. Ranadeb Bose has pwned UP taking 5 wickets. UP 15/5. Awesome!

 

[Pratters]

I think Gony has fine prospect. I saw him bowl long spells in earlier seasons and he has the heart to succeed as a bowler.

 

[Pratters]

30/6. Sourav Sarkar who I feel has been the best bowler on display today finally gets his reward. Praveen Kumar played very irresponsibly trying to hit every second ball for a boundary.

 

[Pratters]

Sarkar now gets Srivastava. 45/7.

 

[Arjun]

I've noticed that both the Bengal/UP match and the Sau/Baroda match are shoot-outs. What's your opinion? The disappointing aspects of the Baroda/Saurashtra match would be the absence of Yusuf Pathan (maybe this was deliberate, his exclusion and the pitch), Irfan getting fewer wickets (he needs a good season for Baroda, like last year) than Munaf and newcomer Firdaush, and Baroda losing the lead. UP folding up dismally was even worse- that batting performance won't win or even save matches for them. Their bowling was not too bad, but they were outperformed by the veteran Bose.

Ranadeb's basics as a bowler are very strong, and should set an example for a whole lot of India prospects- he has never bowled a no-ball. That said, there's a whole lot of steady medium-pace in this match, rather than explosive pace or excess movement.

Bengal captain Laxmiratan Shukla needs a good season too. He's one of the better one-day all-rounders in the country, and is capable of a lot more than those greenhorns playing for India lately.

 

[Arjun]

Oh my, oh my, the shootout at Kanpur is getting worse- two wickets in a row, a leg-before and then a caught-behind, both given out. Manoj Tiwary is shocked.

 

[honestbharani]

I've noticed that both the Bengal/UP match and the Sau/Baroda match are shoot-outs. What's your opinion? The disappointing aspects of the Baroda/Saurashtra match would be the absence of Yusuf Pathan (maybe this was deliberate, his exclusion and the pitch), Irfan getting fewer wickets (he needs a good season for Baroda, like last year) than Munaf and newcomer Firdaush, and Baroda losing the lead. UP folding up dismally was even worse- that batting performance won't win or even save matches for them. Their bowling was not too bad, but they were outperformed by the veteran Bose.

Ranadeb's basics as a bowler are very strong, and should set an example for a whole lot of India prospects- he has never bowled a no-ball. That said, there's a whole lot of steady medium-pace in this match, rather than explosive pace or excess movement.

Bengal captain Laxmiratan Shukla needs a good season too. He's one of the better one-day all-rounders in the country, and is capable of a lot more than those greenhorns playing for India lately.

Yusuf is in the T20 Indian squad, Arjun..

 

[Arjun]

Bhuvan Kumar is running through Bengal's top order. He just bowled a short one and the steady Saha hooked it, to get caught by Praveen Gupta. He's bowled quite smartly here.