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Build-up to Indian Domestic Season 2009-10

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Shukla's playing rather well in the shootout...drove RP Singh neatly into cover boundary. Bengal at 52/7, with BK running through with five.
 

Sunil Mathew

Cricket Spectator
UP v/s Bengal & Baroda v/s Saurashtra : Just observe how our domestic batting giants fold up even at the sight of fairly sporting track. from the scorecards of these two matches any unsuspecting fan might think these matches are played on green tops but sadly that is not the case. Gone are the days of batsman with proper technique and above else the grit and patience to fight it out at the crease. Batting Performances in these matches should count, but sadly there is any save for the retired gangul'ys 66 that tells the whole story. Pujara has scored a valuable fifty(factors like a lively track and bowlers of the quality of m patel irfan etc makes it more valuable than his countless hundreds and double hundreds scored on flat tracks before) . this is the sort of innings i have been looking from him as he needed to shed the flat track bully tag very soon. remember, he got out bowled in the first innings.

That poor chap badrinath is at it again. poor soul he has nothing left to prove again. the more he scores the more difficult it becomes to get into the india team it seems. what a pity, what a waste of talent.

Your comment that saurav sarkar looked the most impressive of the bowlers tells a story. Figures might say that R Bose picked up five wickets and sarkar only three. Personally i have watched both of them bowl previosly and i have felt the same. sarkar has looked sharper than bose always but unfortunately the wickets column doesnt looks the same.

For spotting domestic talent I have always felt that figures alone should not be the yardstick especially when fast bowling is concerned. for example bowlers like R bose and V Malik might garner more wickets with their accuracy and discipline than some other more talented raw fast bowlers at the domestic level but they simply don't stand a chance at international level. A classic example is that of sreesanth. Just look at his domestic first class record it is really mediocre right from the start of his Ranji career. This is just a single example to prove my point that figures alone cannot reveal the true extent of some one's potential.

Related we should look at probably one of the most radical and refreshing suggestion made recently concerning domestic selection process by the ever knowledgeable and respected cricketer Anil Kumble. His suggestion was to select a group of 10-20 umpires officiating the ranji matches to spot genuine talent and report to the concerned people. Kumble feels and rightly so, that the domestic level umpires are far better placed and at close hand to spot new talents regularly. This is a huge and innovative suggestion which needs to be seriously looked at. But alas! to whom we are talking , BCCI! who is least bothered about domestic cricket and even more they are least bothered about valuable and meaningful suggestions and especially if it arises from respected former cricketers like Kumble.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
UP v/s Bengal & Baroda v/s Saurashtra : Just observe how our domestic batting giants fold up even at the sight of fairly sporting track. from the scorecards of these two matches any unsuspecting fan might think these matches are played on green tops but sadly that is not the case. Gone are the days of batsman with proper technique and above else the grit and patience to fight it out at the crease. Batting Performances in these matches should count, but sadly there is any save for the retired gangul'ys 66 that tells the whole story. Pujara has scored a valuable fifty(factors like a lively track and bowlers of the quality of m patel irfan etc makes it more valuable than his countless hundreds and double hundreds scored on flat tracks before) . this is the sort of innings i have been looking from him as he needed to shed the flat track bully tag very soon. remember, he got out bowled in the first innings.
What do you think of the Parab-William-Martin trio for Baroda? I feel they've been largely average throughout their heydays, when there were better batsmen around, and now they're well past their prime. They seem to contribute nothing to their team. They're just getting stuck in the way of some of Baroda's most promising young talent, if there is any. Right now, they're not in good form, and Baroda's top six could do with an upgrade if they have to win a tournament. While the likes of Bilakhia, Solanki and Gaikwad Jr are not setting the scene afire, they need some time to grow, as also the others not playing here.
That poor chap badrinath is at it again. poor soul he has nothing left to prove again. the more he scores the more difficult it becomes to get into the india team it seems. what a pity, what a waste of talent.
His presence on the Test bench indicates a very strong bench, which is a good thing. He can, however, play as a reserve ODI batsman, as he's a far more capable batsman than Kohli, Karthik and Jadeja.
For spotting domestic talent I have always felt that figures alone should not be the yardstick especially when fast bowling is concerned.
Sticking to the basics is a very important factor. Someone who bowls a lot of no-balls is of no use to the team, irrespective of how fast he bowls or how much movement he extracts. Rather than pick someone on pace or promise of potential, they should pick someone who performs, then work to make him better. Bose, Gagandeep and some batsmen who can bowl seam-up can benefit from upgrades, and can serve the Indian team better than the likes of Sreesanth, Munaf and VRV Singh. Those three had nothing to show then, don't have anything spectacular about them now and can't hold their places in the team at present. Everything they do, their opposition numbers do better, with better basics.
Kumble feels and rightly so, that the domestic level umpires are far better placed and at close hand to spot new talents regularly.
A stable selection, with horses for courses, for a long term, is far more important to build a team.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Baroda wins in two days. Irfan has had a turnaround of a game. Seven wickets and a blistering fifty, one of many this season. His bowling, however, has come good in this match.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
The UP/Bengal match was less of a shootout after the seventh wicket fell. A partnership developed and the batsmen were in good shape. Shukla scored another 30 and was their top batsman here. Chawla cleaned up the tail neatly, though the star was Bhuvan Kumar, with neat swing bowling taking five wickets. In reply, Praveen Kumar and Tanmay Srivastava got off to a good start, with Kumar scoring a rapid 30, full of sublime strokes and a few freak swishes. UP are at 53/2, chasing a total of 236, and with sensible batting, they can make it easily.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Tamil Nadu have batted Mumbai out of the game. They've amassed 501 with Badrinath scoring half of that, and frontline bowler Ganapathy scoring 126. With two days left, they can force an outright innings win. Here's a report of the innings.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
UP are on course for a win. They are at 158/4 at lunch. Most of the strokes played were cuts past point, a few cover drives, occasional on-drives and one leg-glance- and nothing else. They were helped by a fast outfield and very ordinary fielding by the Bengal players. The pitch, a minefield on days one and two, flattened out into a batting paradise, and the Bengal bowlers, with no pace, had no effect. Ranadeb Bose, however, kept it very tight and beat the bat often. Laxmi Shukla also looked good, and close to a strike bowler, and wasn't much slower than the other bowlers, doing his selection claims (especially for ODIs) no harm, but Ganguly, on the other hand, didn't fare too well. Kaif played a steady hand, but was out on a return catch to Bose, while Parminder Singh looked tight and steady on the way to his fifty, including one over-the-top strike against a spinner.
 

Sunil Mathew

Cricket Spectator
Hi arjun,

it seems you have been watching the up v/s bengal match. In that case i am curious to know more about this parminder singh, as he has been scoring some crucial runs this season and also last season. what is your take on this young batsman. Also how do you rate this allrounder bhuvaneshar kumar.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Parvinder Singh used a relatively limited range of strokes (just three in all) in this innings, and got several runs square to the wicket off-side, but didn't play a false shot. He took advantage of the fast outfield and flicked some deliveries on his pads for four.

Bhuvaneshwar Kumar is a very steady but unspectacular pacer. He can move the ball quite well, in the air and on the ground, but lack of pace and power (he's a small man) tend to limit him somewhat. He's rather average as a batsman- without the wide range of strokes like Piyush Chawla or the berserk power of Praveen Kumar, but can build a partnership and support the batsman at the other end. Not an ideal prospect, but this is something we expect in some of the bowlers playing for India, when they bat. UP is a very well-balanced team, with several players capable of contributing at least reasonably in both skills.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
As the points show, the teams through to the semis are Tamil Nadu (20 points), Karnataka (23 points) and UP (18 points), with the last being either of Mumbai or Punjab, while Railways have an outside chance if they win both their games. As of now, these three still have a round seven to play.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
One more result- Delhi has defeated Maharashtra. Relegation seems certain for that team. Pradeep Sangwan took five for over a hundred. Elsewhere, Mumbai failed to pinch the lead, while Railways got theirs.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
A correction to make- there are quarters to play before the semis this time, with the top six Elite teams against the Plate finalists.

Rohit Sharma has smashed 70 rapid runs against Gujarat. While there may be concerns about Gujarat's toothless bowling attack, it should help his ODI selection cause a little. Elsewhere, Ishant Sharma has been very miserly with the ball, going at less than two an over, but also bowled five no-balls. Ganguly, yet again, has top-scored with a century, and Saha has also completed three figures. The Pathans haven't done too well so far, with only Irfan getting one wicket against Maharashtra. Elsewhere, Karnataka have so far demolished Saurashtra, getting them out for 216 before tea.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
I wonder what's the status with the Karnataka selections- Vinay Kumar is benched for the game. Besides, it's been a while since we've seen Chandrashekhar Raghu get a game for Karnataka. That apart, they're dominant against Saurashtra, and are at 80/2.

Baroda skittled out Maharashtra for 288, with Irfan taking three wickets for 48. His impressive form for Baroda continues, and apart from being their top bowler, he's also their top batsman, outperforming the ageing Parab-Williams-Martin trio.

Rohit Sharma's 145 at a strike rate of 90 makes me want to rush to Brabourne for the next morning. Mumbai are at 352/3 with Sushant Marathe scoring a century as well. They'll crush Gujarat, at this rate.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Now Rohit Sharma, at lunch, hits 246 at a run a ball. Elsewhere, LR Shukla smashes a rapid 50 against Delhi taking Bengal to 401/7. I am not watching TN/Hyd as it is rather uninteresting.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Rohit Sharma completes a run-a-ball 300. While doubts arise about the quality of the Gujarat attack (honestly, it is dire), this should help his cause for a recall in ODIs. Elsewhere, Laxmiratan Shukla also completes his century, with five sixes. It wasn't such a good match for Yusuf Pathan (out for five, no wickets) or Ishant Sharma (one for 50, six no-balls) so far.

The selectors should seriously consider picking players who have played several domestic and A-team seasons, even if they're over 25. In fact, that's the best age to pick them. They've played enough cricket, so they're better prepared in a match situation. They're worth their places, a lot more than the young tykes picked straight after U-19 or after barely a season or two.
 

ramkumar_gr

U19 Vice-Captain
Rohit Sharma completes a run-a-ball 300. While doubts arise about the quality of the Gujarat attack (honestly, it is dire), this should help his cause for a recall in ODIs. Elsewhere, Laxmiratan Shukla also completes his century, with five sixes. It wasn't such a good match for Yusuf Pathan (out for five, no wickets) or Ishant Sharma (one for 50, six no-balls) so far.

The selectors should seriously consider picking players who have played several domestic and A-team seasons, even if they're over 25. In fact, that's the best age to pick them. They've played enough cricket, so they're better prepared in a match situation. They're worth their places, a lot more than the young tykes picked straight after U-19 or after barely a season or two.
and Arun Karthink 49*. Hope he scores a hundred. Whenever he gets to bat, he scores big. Suprising to see he has a slightly better average than Abhinav Mukund.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Bengal have got a firm grip on the match against Delhi, and with their total of 648/6d, they may win by an innings. Delhi are at 279/8 now. Strangely, Shukla isn't bowling, while part-timer Tiwary sent down four. Elsewhere, Karnataka are going strong against Saurashtra, while Baroda have finished with 395, taking the lead, and Maharashtra are at 45/1 in that game. Badrinath is batting well, with nearly a run a ball century, with few runs in fours and sixes- enough to have him on the Indian ODI bench.
 

Arjun

Cricketer Of The Year
Rahane's quite young, a tad inexperienced, and needs more FC seasons before he makes his Test debut. I've seen him on television a few times, and he's got a few strokes, which he plays cleanly- hardly a risky shot. His game against pacers isn't perfect, but when settled, he owns the spinners, like most Indian batsmen. I don't see a place for him in the Test team, because it's too crowded, and he doesn't add much value to his place in the team- no more than the current top six, two reserves and any all-rounder in the fray. He can do himself a lot of good by improving his boundary-hitting, so that he can have a prominent role to play in his IPL franchise, but for the Indian national team, he has no chance, as he's behind in line.
 

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