*Official* Indian Domestic Season 2004/2005

[Arjun]

He was on 64* when West Zone defeated South by 9 wickets, and he hit 9 fours- a lot better than four more illustrious all-rounders in that side. I had seen that innings in action, and he was very composed and technically very correct in that innings, in comparison with Parab's streaky century.

 

[Arjun]

QUESTION: Was the Duleep Trophy mess due to a bad pitch or worse batting? Reports indicate both.

 

[honestbharani]

I am not sure but I guess congratulations are in order for Central, the new Duleep champions.

 

[chris.hinton]

Well done to Central Zone

 

[chris.hinton]

I see that Bhandari scored 9 from 8 balls including a 6.

Surely he must be in the selectors minds for that effort?

I guess that he does have them in Mind

 

[Arjun]

Atl east Central stuck to a task when they batted, unlike North, who were reckless. However, none of their bowlers are really that dangerous that they can trouble the best of batting sides, though RP Singh is a good find and JP Yadav is doing well for a frontline batsman. IF they're getting so much deviation without doing anything on their own, it's not good. Such pitches may try to produce quality fast bowlers, but hopefully they won't generate more Tuffey clones.

 

[Arjun]

I guess that he does have them in Mind

He should have been in mind two years ago, when he was running hot with the ball in England. In comparison, Balaji and Pathan had been sub-par, yet they made the national side. He's had a decent season so far and may be a good choice for an away series, but the selectors have to pick him first. He can exploit helpful conditions, unlike some medium-pacers who have played for India in the recent past.

 

[chris.hinton]

He should be given a Chance

 

[marc71178]

He should have been in mind two years ago, when he was running hot with the ball in England. In comparison, Balaji and Pathan had been sub-par, yet they made the national side. He's had a decent season so far and may be a good choice for an away series, but the selectors have to pick him first. He can exploit helpful conditions, unlike some medium-pacers who have played for India in the recent past.

And more importantly he hit a 6 and scored at more than a run a ball!

 

[chris.hinton]

here is the Semi finals of the Ranji Trophy

18-22 Mar SF1: Mumbai v Punjab Mumbai
18-22 Mar SF2: Railways v Hyderabad Delhi

 

[Arjun]

I had analysed the setup for each match earlier, but it's been pushed far back. Still, Hyderabad may have an advantage with VVS Laxman, but they lack a genuine all-rounder (unless you can call Daniel Manohar or Vishnuvardhan one) and they are playing a match away from home, so their seamers won't be so effective. The Karnail Singh stadium pitch may not suit their seamers as well as Visaka. For Railways, JP Yadav is still a key player, while Sanjay Bangar's nw-found all-round form may strengthen their chances further.

The Mumbai v/s Punjab match is a cracker. Hopefully Sodhi won't be miscast as an opener. Mumbai will have some problems with their pace attack- Agarkar is still Agarkar, while the others are still very raw.

 

[honestbharani]

My gut feeling is that Murali Kartik could be a key player for Railways.

 

[Arjun]

Maybe....maybe not...whatever Karthik can do can also be done by his spin partner Parida. If the Hyderabad batsmen get stuck into him, they can take him apart.

 

[Arjun]

Haryana v/s Jharkhand is another one to watch- it's basically Dhoni and Panda v/s Sharma and Sunny.

 

[Arjun]

In the second week of April, the Ranji OD's will start in Mumbai, though you'll have two matches on a day- at least one can be played in the two premier grounds, and hopefully nt in club grounds.

 

[chris.hinton]

mumbai will win it

 

[Arjun]

Fans and experts constantly demand a wicketkeeper who can bat, but are there any? And does the team need one?

• Mumbai- Vinayak Samant is the best wicketkeeper in India on keeping alone, but has a sub-par average of 25. Yet, he has 9 FC 50's and has built several partnerships from lower down the order
• Baroda- Not much can be said of the two new keepers, except that neither can bat
• Gujarat- We have seen enough of Parthiv Patel- his keeping is far from useful, while his batting cannot change a match
• Maharashtra- Relatively unknown
• TN- Karthik's batting has been a big disappointment and his keeping also has a few faults. He's just had two centuries last year and nothing else of note.
• Karnataka- Dravid is no keeper- that's an easy one. Thilak Naidu resembles his India international teammate, but his batting, aggressive as it is, has its faults.
• Hyderabad- None of their keepers can bat
• AP- MSK Prasad is just about average with gloves and bat
• Railways- They've been changing wicketkeepers regularly, so not much can be said
• MP- Naman Ojha can play a quickfire innings but he hasn't lasted long. Not seen with the gloves.
• Rajasthan- Former Central Zone keeper Rohit Jhalani is very agile behind the stumps but technically rather incorrect, not too many runs either.
• Bengal- Carl Hooper was dropped by their keeper (one of at least 8 in his career) on 0 and made 233 since. Too big a risk.
• Jharkhand- Although a Tier II side, their keeper MS Dhoni has been leading their batting in every match, decimating many a bowling attack. He averages 72, with a strike rate of 100, and is the only keeper who can be picked for his batting alone. He's a tad unsteady behind the stumps (though no major spill so far) and very risky with the bat, though effective.
• Delhi- Vijay Dahiya doesn't play so often now and the replacement is no good with the bat.
• Punjab- Dharmani had started keeping at age 28 in 2000- another risk. The young keeper can bat a bit, but that's it.
• Himachal- Maninder Bisla has been in the runs for his side, but those who remember him since his India U-19 days would know he was a specialist opener and not a keeper. Yet another risk in conversion, except that he's very young.
• Haryana- Ratra's batting is no great shakes, but he is a good runner between wickets and can build partnerships with the frontline batsmen. His keeping is very good, although it is due to his reflexes and speed (the best among all wicketkeepers) than technique.

You're not going to find one easily from this bunch- all of these teams are in the Elite league and none have a competent wicketkeeper-batsman. There are some who are dependable with the gloves and deserve a run instead. Even an average bowling attack becomes stronger with superior fielding support.

 

[honestbharani]

I wouldn't mind seeing Ratra given another chance. He looked very good.

 

[Arjun]

Then look at some of the selections in Tier II sides- each one has at least one all-rounder

• Saurashtra have SH Kotak
• Maharashtra (now promoted to Tier I) have Ranjit Khirid
• Kerala have Sunil Oasis
• Goa have ex-Mumbai player Amit Dani
• Rajasthan have Krishnakumar
• Orissa have Jayachandra and ex-ODI player Sanjay Raul
• Himachal have two veteran medium-pacers who can score runs
• Haryana have Sunny Singh and Joginder Sharma

In comparison, Hyderabad, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh- some of the better Tier I teams- don't have an all-rounder. Save Hyderabad, none of them have mde the semis. If these lesser teams can have players with more than one skill, why can't more prominent sides? Not surprising that Mumbai has won the last two Ranji titles.

 

[honestbharani]

I am not sure if you can call them all rounders, but yes, people need to have more than one skill. A guy like Powar, who is a very good offspinner, is also pretty decent with the bat. I don't think he is allrounder material, but atleast he contributes in two areas, most of the time. But most youngsters coming into the side these days are doing that....Sehwag, Kaif, Yuvraj, Balaji, Pathan....So, it is changing and it is for the better.