Indian domestic season 2006-07

[PhoenixFire]

Pathan = ****e

 

[Pratters]

Hey Irfan...

Frickin' bowl properly.

That is all.

Clippings of a news report previewing the game showed Pathan doing batting practise in the nets. Now I can not know how long that batting in the nets was but if I was Pathan, I would concentrate on the bowling.

 

[Craig]

A lot of information I get is from the papers. When the report of the first day of the Delhi/Andhra match comes in HT, I'll tell you what I can catch. Delhi is batting first and HT gives very in-depth coverage, rather than who scored how many runs and who took how many wickets. 'Dodda', if that's his name, has often been overshadowed by the likes of Srinath, Prasad, Balaji, Jesuraj, Vinaykumar, NP Singh and now Sreesanth in the South. He's played for a weaker team and hasn't done anything noteworthy, so he may get a shout if he leads the wicket-tally at the end of the season, or Andhra wins the trophy.

So to have a shout of getting into the Indian team you need to play for one of the bigger states then? Sounds like a lot of other countries/other sports.

 

[adharcric]

So to have a shout of getting into the Indian team you need to play for one of the bigger states then? Sounds like a lot of other countries/other sports.

That factor isn't as prevalent now as it used to be. Being in the Elite League is quite important because the standard is higher and the selectors understandably pay more attention to it. Sometimes you see talented players scouted and recruited into major teams to bring them into the spotlight (ie Munaf). Sometimes you see players from smaller states get a chance in a Duleep Trophy or Deodhar Trophy match, impress the selectors in attendance, earn a chance in a warm-up or A-level match and stake a claim for national selection that way (ie Dhoni). In short, larger states are still favored somewhat but there are several opportunities for players from smaller states as well, albeit less so in the Plate League.

 

[Arjun]

Here is a detailed report from Hindustan Times for the Delhi/Andhra match

It was not the first time and it would certainly not be the last time. The Delhi batsmen once again displayed their skill of throwing wickets on a simple batting track in order to keep interest alive in their match against Andhra here on Tuesday.

The same Delhi team was scoring heavily, and then one of them (Dahiya) retired. That Saurashtra bug seems to have carried on.

The day was, however, saved by Mayank Tehlan with his unbeaten knock of 91 after Delhi opted to bat first on a dead track.

The same Mayank Tehlan also scored a double century earlier this season. He's one to watch, and may be an A-team prospect.

After some irresponsible batting by the top order, Delhi finished at 247 for five. Aditya Jain, who replaced Ashish Nehra for the match, was unbeaten on 21.

That's a bizarre selection. Aditya Jain is a part-time bowler, as reports indicate. Delhi already is a bowler short. Now they're missing two bowlers. Rajat Bhatia and Aditya Jain will have to bowl as much as a Nehra or Sharma for Delhi to have any chance of making the knock-outs.

When Delhi started their innings, openers Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan never gave an impression of getting out till they gifted their wickets to the Andhra spinners. Chopra (15) was the first to go when he was caught at forward short-leg by Manoj Sai off off-spinner Md Faiq. Dhawan followed him to the pavilion with no addition to the total when he failed to judge the turn of a Y Lakshmana Kishore delivery and offered his pads without keeping his bat along, and the umpire did not hesitate to raise the finger.

Chopra has been in good form this season, but Dhawan has been patchy. Seeing these two get out to spinners so early is disappointing.

At this point Tehlan took up the challenge and showed some extraordinary maturity in his selection of shots. Skipper Manhas also played some attractive shots at the other end. Manhas played positive cricket, not hesitating to sweep the spinners right from the start.

Tehlan's mature shot selection shows the Delhi batsmen can also score runs. As for Manhas, he's been in the scene for a long time, and hasn't converted too many FC starts. He's a very good List-A batsman, and should be a contender for the India A team and even the national team, with his consistent performances in limited-overs matches, where averages are crunched.

Faiq, who kept to his middle and leg stump line, finally proved lucky when the Delhi skipper picked substitute Sumanth for catch practice at square-leg.

This is terrible. He's just biding his time, waiting for a wicket to fall. That's not what we want to see in an India prospect.

Virat Kohli (33) chased a wide ball outside the off-stump from speedster Kalyana Krishna to gift Andhra the fourth wicket of the day. The Andhra speedster was again rewarded for his hard work when Rajat Bhatia failed to read an in-cutter and saw his off-stump uprooted while trying to leave a ball.

DK is the bowler in the spotlight. He seems a bowler similar to Venkatesh Prasad. The beanpole from Karnataka had little pace, but those are still big shoes to fill.

The credit should go to the Andhra players for keeping their composure despite getting no support from the wicket or the outfield. The condition of the outfield is so pathetic that it was almost impossible for the fielding side to stop even the simplest of drives. Just who would be responsible if a player picks up a serious injury trying to field here? That’s a question the Andhra Cricket Association needs to answer.

Oh brother! We complain about the weakness in India's best players when they're fielding. Not surprising that Delhi players are usually pathetic outfielders. The BCCI should look into this sooner than later. It's hindering the progress of the game in India.

 

[Arjun]

Looking at comments on Irfan's bowling, yes, it's a concern. The seven no-balls more than the boundary balls. He did last several overs, so it's keeping him in action. Hopefully we'll see him get a bagful of wickets in the second innings with the new ball, when he's at his best. While he's leaking too many runs, it would be foolish to ignore him totally, given he can also score runs, and is a better bowler than similar players. Moreover, while he only took two for 108, the Baroda team bowled out the long UP batting lineup for just 269, so having five bowlers helps, as against the Indians playing one bowler less and struggling to bowl out a weak South African batting side regularly.

While fans still complain about Irfan's bowling, Agarkar bowled utter rubbish against a weak Rajasthan team, yet Mumbai rolled them over for 155. Heroes in the roll were medium-pacer Abhishek Nair and the slightly faster Swapnil Hazare. Both Agarkar and Hazare bowled short, wide and at times too full. With one of them leading the Indian attack, it's not surprising that the Indian ODI side has suffered a slump in form. That said, even as I type, Abhishek Nair smashed 86 rapid runs today. I'll wait for the report tomorrow.

 

[Arjun]

That factor isn't as prevalent now as it used to be. Being in the Elite League is quite important because the standard is higher and the selectors understandably pay more attention to it. Sometimes you see talented players scouted and recruited into major teams to bring them into the spotlight (ie Munaf). Sometimes you see players from smaller states get a chance in a Duleep Trophy or Deodhar Trophy match, impress the selectors in attendance, earn a chance in a warm-up or A-level match and stake a claim for national selection that way (ie Dhoni). In short, larger states are still favored somewhat but there are several opportunities for players from smaller states as well, albeit less so in the Plate League.

With teams like Andhra, it's expected. There's nothing special about Andhra, as they're not tournament winners. Any player from there has to be a heavy run-scorer or a leading wicket-taker. Railways is a decent team, not as prolific as Mumbai or TN or Baroda or Delhi, but they won a tournament and their strike bowler led the wickets table, and also scored heavily for his team. That got JP Yadav into the national team. Likewise, the victory of UP in the next season got Suresh Raina, RP Singh, Piyush Chawla and Pravin Kumar noticed. Most Mumbai players get noticed, but somehow, have never been given a fair try in the recent past.

 

[adharcric]

The Rumor Mill

1) Sehwag may finally get the axe in the one-day team unless he shows consistency right away. Vengsarkar and co. are losing patience.
2) Ganguly is the favorite to return as an opener in the one-day team. Remember the days of the Sourav-Sachin partnership?
3) The selectors are impressed with Joginder Sharma's success in the domestic season and he may get a call-up. Pathan is in danger if he continues to struggle for Baroda.
4) Yuvraj Singh is recovering well and should be fit soon. Good news.
5) Every member of the test squad will play in the final round of the Ranji Trophy.

 

[Arjun]

1) Sehwag may finally get the axe in the one-day team unless he shows consistency right away. Vengsarkar and co. are losing patience.
2) Ganguly is the favorite to return as an opener in the one-day team. Remember the days of the Sourav-Sachin partnership?

Let's just hope that never happens. It would be the final phase of the disintegration of the national ODI team. It was a long time ago when the Sourav/Sachin partnership ruled, then fielding, then McGrath and Lee, then Wasim and Waqar (then Akhtar and Sami), then Pollock and Donald, then Vaas and Dilhara, then Bond and Tuffey, ended their rule. It's past it's best, and it makes no sense to go back so far.

3) The selectors are impressed with Joginder Sharma's success in the domestic season and he may get a call-up. Pathan is in danger if he continues to struggle for Baroda.

While that's a good thing, it would be absolutely foolish to drop Irfan permanently, as he was once a leading strike bowler, and he's got age, skill and build on his side. Irfan, for all his problems, is still way ahead of all the other seamers in this team, bar Zaheer.

4) Yuvraj Singh is recovering well and should be fit soon. Good news.

It doesn't serve any purpose. Even a fully-fit Yuvraj doesn't add much value to the team. A less-than-fully-fit Yuvraj is a liability.

5) Every member of the test squad will play in the final round of the Ranji Trophy.

Now that's a good thing.

 

[adharcric]

Let's just hope that never happens. It would be the final phase of the disintegration of the national ODI team. It was a long time ago when the Sourav/Sachin partnership ruled, then fielding, then McGrath and Lee, then Wasim and Waqar (then Akhtar and Sami), then Pollock and Donald, then Vaas and Dilhara, then Bond and Tuffey, ended their rule. It's past it's best, and it makes no sense to go back so far.

Yet they are two of the greatest one-day openers of all-time. Ganguly looks focused again so he's definitely a better option than Sehwag, who fires once in a year and lives on for his elusive "match-winning ability".

While that's a good thing, it would be absolutely foolish to drop Irfan permanently, as he was once a leading strike bowler, and he's got age, skill and build on his side. Irfan, for all his problems, is still way ahead of all the other seamers in this team, bar Zaheer.

Irfan should be dropped until he regains his bowling rhythm. He has immense potential but if his rhythm isn't spot on, he's a huge liability at that pace.

It doesn't serve any purpose. Even a fully-fit Yuvraj doesn't add much value to the team. A less-than-fully-fit Yuvraj is a liability.

Excuse me? Yuvraj was our best one-day batsman in 2006. He's also our best fielder. He can also bowl useful part-time spin. Get some sleep Arjun.

Now that's a good thing.

For once, we agree.

 

[Arjun]

We've got several results here. Irfan's form with the ball was dreadful, but Baroda still got 20 UP wickets for less than 300 in both innings. He may not have been effective as a strike bowler, but as the fifth bowler in the team, he did just right, especially in the final innings where his explosive innings of 82 with three sixes won the match for Baroda. Even then, with Irfan out of the national team, a young seamer from UP should be in the national team sooner than later. In this match, he's taken six wickets for 83, with a match haul of eight for 120, and also scored 55 runs in both innings. Clearly, he deserves a place much more than the likes of VRV Singh who's still raw, and Munaf Patel, who's now a fitness liability and a really dumb selection.

Saurashtra have won their second match in the series, defeating Haryana by seven wickets. Haryana's brittle batting has let them down once again. Sunny Singh, once a leading run-scorer for the team, has been very short of runs and missed this match. Opener Sumit Sharma has only scored in chunks, with nothing substantial. It's been a truly terrible performance by what's really an up-and-coming young team, to lose to a bunch of also-rans with no India prospects among them. Joginder tried what he could with the bat and top-scored with 38, as the Haryana innings folded up for just 143, while Saurashtra reached the target of 184 with ease in 51 overs. Strangely, seamers Joginder, Budhwar adn Rana bowled just ten overs between them in that last innings.

Karnataka recorded an emphatic ten-wicket win over TN, largely due to their total of 426 in the first innings batting first. Robin Uthappa scored at a blistering rate in both innings, notably the 159 in the first. The bowlers shared the wickets as they got TN out for 207 and then 246, with no particular bowler standing out. Gaurav Dhiman got his first game for Karnataka, but didn't score a run and only got three overs to bowl. That they're still depending on Sunil Joshi shows how this team has stagnated.

Delhi almost lost it again. After posting a reasonably large total of 355, they rolled over Andhra for 209, with Ishant and Bhandari sharing seven wickets. Then Delhi got aggressive, with Dhawan and more so Manhas (scoring a century) stepping up the scoring rate. What followed was and exciting chain of events, sadly left untouched by television. The Andhra batsmen threw their bats at everything, with seamer Sahabuddin top-scoring with 95. At the end of the day, they reached 329 for the loss of nine wickets, of which Ishant grabbed three.

Hyderabad got a lead of over 100 runs against Bengal, but a Bose burst crushed them for just 76, as the Bengal seamer took seven wickets. In their final innings, chasing a target over 180, reached it with a few hiccups, and Deep Dasgupta scored over 50. Bose got ten in the match.

Let's ignore the Gujarat/Maharashtra match. Nothing interesting happened there. Not even a result.

Mumbai forced another massive win, by an innings and 31 runs. Ramesh Powar took just two wickets for over 90 runs in the match, and also scored a rapid 29 at eight. The just-recovered Agarkar took three wickets, but was still struggling for form, going at over four-and-a-half an over. Ex-India player Ajay Jadeja (also the coach) scored 70, the highest for Rajasthan.

 

[Arjun]

Yet they are two of the greatest one-day openers of all-time. Ganguly looks focused again so he's definitely a better option than Sehwag, who fires once in a year and lives on for his elusive "match-winning ability".

What great thing have they ever done? For all the hype, they've not won enough tournaments. In their last few years, very few. For all the fuss about Ganguly's performance, nothing suggests he can get back so easily at such a crucial position in the team. In fact, Ganguly shouldn't even be in the ODI side, with the likes of Gambhir and Jadhav also scoring as many runs and fielding a lot better.

Irfan should be dropped until he regains his bowling rhythm. He has immense potential but if his rhythm isn't spot on, he's a huge liability at that pace.

But for how long? We've seen the Indian team suffer after he was dropped, when they could have rolled over the current SA side. In form, he served a purpose none of the current frontline players can.

Excuse me? Yuvraj was our best one-day batsman in 2006. He's also our best fielder. He can also bowl useful part-time spin.

He can't make the top five in the batting order with his batting. He's not the only one who's good on the field. He's no good at all with the ball. There's nothing to suggest a Test opener like Gambhir or an all-rounder like Sharma can't make the team ahead of him. Let Yuvraj earn his place in the top five.

 

[adharcric]

Sorry but I'm not going to waste my time arguing with crap like that. I'm afraid you haven't made a single accurate claim in that post.

 

[V Reddy]

6 balls 5 runs and 1 wicket remaining... Sahabuddin scores a single off the last ball after failing to score off the first five deliveries... And Sahabuddin was batting 39* ... oh well... a huge oppurtunity missed

 

[Prince EWS]

But for how long? We've seen the Indian team suffer after he was dropped, when they could have rolled over the current SA side. In form, he served a purpose none of the current frontline players can.

Very laughable. Are you seriously suggesting India would have rolled over the current SA side if Irfan Pathan played? Even the South African domestic sides on tour gave him a hammering... Sehwag and Ganguly are better options with the ball the way Pathan was bowling in South Africa. You asked how long he should be dropped for - he should be dropped until he shows greater control and consistency with his bowling over a significant period in domestic cricket.

What great thing have they ever done?

56 centuries and 103 half centuries opening. Enough said. You can talk all you like about the lack of tournament victories, but you can't expect two players to do it by themselves. They shouldn't be held responsible for the lack of application from their team-mates.

He can't make the top five in the batting order with his batting.

If Yuvraj Singh isn't amongst the best five one day batsmen in India, I'm not here. Sorry.

 

[marc71178]

We've got several results here. Irfan's form with the ball was dreadful, but Baroda still got 20 UP wickets for less than 300 in both innings. He may not have been effective as a strike bowler, but as the fifth bowler in the team, he did just right, especially in the final innings where his explosive innings of 82 with three sixes won the match for Baroda.

In other news, Paul Collingwood did his job as 6th bowler superbly at Adelaide

 

[adharcric]

We now head into the final round of the Ranji Trophy with Delhi (8 pts), Haryana (7 pts), Tamil Nadu (4 pts) and Uttar Pradesh (4 pts) all trying to avoid relegation. Personally, I hope Tamil Nadu get relegated because they have the least national prospects. Badrinath is already well-known by now; he's a fixture in the A team and should be into the national team before the next season of Ranji Trophy. Getting relegated to Plate League really hurts prospects because they are generally ignored, so let's hope Baroda can defeat TN and UP can get past Andhra. This round should be a good one with all the big boys returning to action. Sehwag is another man to watch since he's under immense pressure. Unless he can score some runs for Delhi versus Haryana, he really doesn't deserve to play in the one-day series against the West Indies.

 

[Arjun]

We've forgotten two events. First, the in-form off-spinner from Punjab, Rajesh Sharma, was reported for throwing. North Zone selectors were notified. They were aware that his action was a little suspect, but no claim was made.

Then there was that match between Baroda and Uttar Pradesh, where Irfan was the centre of all attention. But a bizarre event took place, as an attempt to block by Baroda batsman Himanshu Jadhav didn't stop the ball from rolling toward the stumps. He picked up the ball and everyone appealed. The umpire asked Kaif if he wished to hold the appeal, and Kaif said yes. Jadhav was given out, and that gave rise to some bitterness between both teams. Even the television feed was cut off.

 

[Arjun]

We now head into the final round of the Ranji Trophy with Delhi (8 pts), Haryana (7 pts), Tamil Nadu (4 pts) and Uttar Pradesh (4 pts) all trying to avoid relegation. Personally, I hope Tamil Nadu get relegated because they have the least national prospects. Badrinath is already well-known by now; he's a fixture in the A team and should be into the national team before the next season of Ranji Trophy. Getting relegated to Plate League really hurts prospects because they are generally ignored, so let's hope Baroda can defeat TN and UP can get past Andhra. This round should be a good one with all the big boys returning to action. Sehwag is another man to watch since he's under immense pressure. Unless he can score some runs for Delhi versus Haryana, he really doesn't deserve to play in the one-day series against the West Indies.

Haryana is one more team close to relegation. Their batsmen have only scored in bits and pieces, shown in their averages. One win with a bonus point can save them. TN have no prospects now, bar Badrinath. It's disappointing to see the league led by a regressive Baroda team, but the return of Irfan Pathan will help a lot. In that other league, Rajasthan's a drop target.

Sometimes, the Elite/Plate classification doesn't give you a clear hint of who's really good or who can help the national team the most. Parthiv Patel scores a few runs for his team, but they're not much and Gujarat isn't that great a side, while MS Dhoni dominated the Plate league remarkably. Likewise, Saurashtra may be safe with two wins against under-performing teams, but there are absolutely no prospects in this team, while every other has at least one. Railways may be in the Plate division, but they still have players who can offer a lot to the national team, so both divisions need attention, although one should be very special to be identified in the Plate division.

 

[Arjun]

Very laughable. Are you seriously suggesting India would have rolled over the current SA side if Irfan Pathan played? Even the South African domestic sides on tour gave him a hammering... Sehwag and Ganguly are better options with the ball the way Pathan was bowling in South Africa. You asked how long he should be dropped for - he should be dropped until he shows greater control and consistency with his bowling over a significant period in domestic cricket.

Well, look at the performances of Munaf Patel and VRV Singh. While Singh bowled several overs, he didn't take too many wickets, and ended with an average similar to one expected of Irfan. Munaf wasn't even fit enough to bowl in the second innings and took just one wicket. Neither of them deserved a place in the national side, ahead of Harbhajan or a batsman. At least Irfan could have scored some extra runs, or even done alright opening the innings. Even Dinesh Karthik scored a few in the last match!

Well, keep him out of the national team until he returns to form. There's not enough time for the World Cup, so he should be back sooner than later. Is there even a replacement? Maybe one of the two all-rounders from Railways, but the people in high places are not too keen on getting them back. Even if he returns to form in the domestic scene, he should be brought back and kept in the team for a long time, because he was a major factor in their best performances when at his best.

56 centuries and 103 half centuries opening. Enough said. You can talk all you like about the lack of tournament victories, but you can't expect two players to do it by themselves. They shouldn't be held responsible for the lack of application from their team-mates.

The bottom line is that they didn't win tournaments. Junior and Gilly did. Gibbs and Kirsten did. Hayden and Gilly do and so do Gilchrist and his current partner. When they've won so few tournaments over the last few years, they're a lot less likely to win tournaments now. Statistics don't transform into tournament victories. Even teams with lesser players like Sri Lanka and New Zealand have defeated the Indians repeatedly in those years. While we all agree Sehwag's form warrants a drop, there's no need to take a backward step as this. There are three in-form openers (Gambhir, Chopra and Robin Uthappa) who are worth a shot in the ODI side now, and fit the bill well.

Tendulkar, given his present style of play, will be more useful in the middle-order, where some stability is needed. He'll surely do better than those ODI specialists picked for India these days.

If Yuvraj Singh isn't amongst the best five one day batsmen in India, I'm not here. Sorry.

If Yuvraj Singh is one of India's best ODI batsmen, it just sums up the Indians' ODI problems in those years. He averages a wee bit over 30 and sometimes less, and has very few centuries scored. There's nothing to suggest he can match a Tendulkar, Dravid or even Laxman, and it shows up against Test class bowling units.

Let's just forget about the South Africa series. There were way too many selection and planning mistakes for the Indian team to win the series.