*Official* Indian Domestic Season 2004/2005

[chris.hinton]

Come on bengal avold the Drop

 

[Arjun]

At present, two crucial matches are put on hold. Mumbai v/s Delhi has not yet started, due to a wet outfield, while Baroda v/s UP is stopped for some time due to bad light. Both decide the semi-finalists.

 

[Arjun]

Looks like not all of the national team players are playing Ranji matches- just about half of them. Sachin and Agarkar missed their match for Mumbai, Sehwag sat out for Delhi, Kumble didn't play for Karnataka and even Irfan Pathan misses the match for Baroda- a major blow to their hopes of making the semis.

 

[Arjun]

Notice how rarely the live scorecards are updated? The same socre holds for more than 15 minutes!

 

[chris.hinton]

who are Jharkhand? are they a new team?

 

[Arjun]

who are Jharkhand? are they a new team?

Jharkhand are a Plate league team, who have qualified for the semi-finals. Their wicketkeeper, MS Dhoni, is a hard-hitting batsman who has played for India 'A' and scored lots of quick runs for them. He made his debut in the series in Bangladesh. He throws his bat at just about everything and throws caution to the wind, which is why he's likely to get out for not too many on pitches that offer little bounce.

Jharkhand rely way too much on this man, but they may have more heroes. They look on course to win the Plate league, but have stiff opposition from the young Haryana side.

 

[Arjun]

As of now-

Baroda v/s UP - Baroda's batting woes continue, but Yusuf Pathan has played a major part in skittling out hlaf the UP batting lineup, to make up for his failure with the bat. Zaheer's comeback was decent, with 2 for 33, but there were 5 no-balls too many.

Hyderabad v/s Assam- Laxman's century at a strike rate of over 70 should prove that he's no slow scorer. He got lots of runs in boundaries, though he was dropped twice, and the Assam fielding side was made to look silly. They have not had a good start at this stage.

Railways v/s Karnataka- After dismissing Karnataka for 194, the Railwaymen look on course for a first-innings lead, at 179 for 4. Jai Prakash Yadav contributes with a 50, to add to the 3 wickets he had taken earlier. At present Yere goud is on 50-odd, unbeaten.

Mumbai v/s Delhi - In this high-profile clash, Jadeja top-scored for Delhi with 93, with two big hits. Mithun Manhas played some elegant, clean strokes to reach 74 before playing a nothing shot to get out caught behind. The top bowler here is reserve seamer Usman Malvi with 4/84, followed by Wilkin Mota with 3 wickets. Delhi is at 341/8.

 

[chris.hinton]

Are they a New Team? or a New name for an Old Team ?

thanks Anjun

 

[Arjun]

Are they a New Team? or a New name for an Old Team ?

thanks Anjun

Maybe new, since the Jharkhand- the state- was created only in the year 2000, so they're a relatively new team. It used to be a part of Bihar, but now, the state has its own team. Tough call, since on CricInfo, both Bihar and Jharkhand are listed as the same team!

 

[Arjun]

Baroda have won their match against UP by 142 runs. After Yusuf Pathan, it's Zaheer's turn to take 5 wickets in an innings, mostly of the top order. Their chances of making the semis have shot up, though only the slimmest of margins will decide who out of Baroda and Punjab make the next stage.

Hyderabad have won their match against Assam by a big margin, of over an innings, with follow-on. For a team on the brink of relegation, this is a strong comeback.

Initially threatened by relegation, Railways have boosted their chances of making the semis with a win against Karnataka. The return of Rahul Dravid helped little, as the top order let them down again. Six wickets for not too many, backed up by a 50, show that JP Yadav is still a key player for Railways.

 

[Pratters]

who are Jharkhand? are they a new team?

Jharkhand was a new state created in India. They now have a First Class team too.

 

[Arjun]

Jharkhand was a new state created in India. They now have a First Class team too.

CricInfo often confuse Bihar with Jharkhand. Look at the Plate league scorecards, you'll often see Bihar when Jharkhand is the team in question.

 

[Arjun]

397! Bengal is safe! Slim first innings lead, but enough to keep Rohan Gavaskar relaxed.

 

[GermanShepherd]

The Ranji Semi Finals:

Mumbai V Punjab

Railways v Hyderabad


I don't care who wins as long as its not bloody Mumbai.......

 

[Arjun]

Ranji Trophy takes a break for a few months. Here's a quick look at the four semi-finalists, and what's likely to happen.

• Mumbai- They have won two consecutive titles and are well on course to win a third. Their batting has been a lot better this season, and all the batsmen have struck form. Young Vinit Indulkar is playing well enough to be an India prospect, while old hands Amol Mazumdar and Wasim Jaffer are still trying to prove that they're among India's best batsmen. The all-rounders, save Ramesh Powar, have had an indifferent season so far and hopefully they will come good in the final stages. The bowling looks strong, even with Salvi out of action. Nilesh Kulkarni may be out of the selectors' plans, but is still trying to prove he's one of the best in India, but the form of Bahutule is a cause for worry.
  STRENGTHS: Strong batting lineup, adequate (and effective) balance, competent bowling attack, have won most of their matches.
  WEAKNESSES: Strike bowlers out of form, key bowler Salvi out, Powar's inconsistency, Nishit Shetty short of runs.
  SUGGESTIONS: Shetty to hit more big shots, Powar to stick to a line and length and select the right shot.
• Railways- Often considered a bunch of extras, they stick to the basics quite well and do the job the way they have to. They play to a plan, though they lack any genuine flair or firepower, save JP Yadav's batting. The side is very well-balanced, bat deep and have more than a few useful bowling options. However, lack of quality may be shown up against teams with quality players. A lot depends on how JP Yadav performs, since he is their most valuable and productive player. The brawny bodybuilder from Bhopal has had a good season with the ball, though he has been patchy with the bat, but two 50's in the last match at a good strike rate show that he is returning to form.
  STRENGTHS: Balance, depth in batting and bowling, key all-rounder JP Yadav likely to make a mark
  WEAKNESSES: Team captain Sanjay Bangar out of form with bat and ball, key bowler Murali Karthik out of action, lack of real quality. No great fielding either.
  SUGGESTIONS: Bangar must hit more big shots and look for wickets with the ball. JP Yadav must be more judicious in shot-selection.
• Hyderabad- VVS Laxman is tough. He is also very intelligent. A consistent performer in Ranji, he holds the key to his team's success, not only as a batsman but also as captain. Often left out due to lack of form, particularly from ODI's, he has a point to prove, and will stop at nothing. His batting has saved Hyderabad repeatedly, and has even got them into winning positions. However, they've just been a one-man team and lack depth in batting, and power in bowling, though the bowling attack has been a surprise ackage with NP Singh and Reddy in good form.
  STRENGTHS: Good form of VVS Laxman, intelligent captaincy, unfancied bowling in wicket-taking form.
  WEAKNESSES: Lack of depth, India prospect Ambati Rayudu out of form, bowlign not tested.
  SUGGESTIONS: Batsmen must support Laxman and build partnerships with him.
• Punjab- The man who coached Pakistan to World Cup victory has worked wonders with this team. The Punjab side were a bunch of young, talented, energetic tykes without much focus, but Intikhab Alam has channelised that energy and made them into potential tournament-winners. A notable example is Reetinder Sodhi. He was just a slogger who could bowl very average medium-pace when he played for India, but changes to his bowlign action have improved his bowling, while his batting this season has been phenomenal, though opening is an odd role for him. Gagandeep Singh has also been in good form, running through batting sides with good support from other bowlers. Vikram Singh, from the U-19's, has had a few good games, but a lot will depend on how they bat- that's what let them down in the last season. With the return of Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Mongia and the presence of old hand Pankaj Dharmani, it's not too bad.
  STRENGTHS: Powerful batting, tough bowling, good fielding, strike bowler in form, decent balance.
  WEAKNESSES: Batting prone to collapses, bowling not tested fully.
  SUGGESTIONS: Yuvraj Singh must play for a long innings, at a higher strike rate. They need a good start from Ricky and Sodhi.

 

[Arjun]

Mumbai V Punjab

Mumbai have a more steady batting sid,e and have been in better form than Punjab. However, Yuvraj Singh's return to the side will add some quality and firepower to challenge the Mumbai bowlers. They can target the opening bowlers, particularly Agarkar's partner. That said, the longer Agarkar goes without wickets, the worse he bowls, and that should make their plans. Gagandeep Singh will face a stern test when bowling to Vinayak Mane and Wasim Jaffer, but the young Mumbai opener has been off-colour.
MATCH-UPS:
Jaffer v/s Gagandeep
Sodhi v/s Agarkar
Yuvraj v/s Powar
Dinesh v/s Bahutule
Indulkar v/s Vikram Singh
Maumdar v/s Harbhajan

Railways v Hyderabad

Balance against quality. Hyderabad have VVS Laxman, while Railways have as many as 7 batsmen. Both bowling sides are unfancied, but in good form. Rayudu once took their attack apart, but is not in the same form now.
MATCH-UPS:
Pagnis v/s Reddy
JP Yadav v/s Laxman
NP Singh v/s JP Yadav
Harvinder v/s Rayudu

 

[chris.hinton]

thanks for the response

 

[Arjun]

The Ranji ODI series will start shortly. Limited overs matches are usually not taken seriously in India. Maybe this time, things will be different. Here are some things that should be done by every team in the 50-over matches:

• Every player has to contribute on the field, at any position. Nobody should carry any excess baggage.
• The wicketkeeper picked has to be the best with the gloves, unless he is exceptionally good with the bat
• The first 15 overs should see attacking fields set, with three slips and a few more catching positions to get early wickets.
• The one-bouncer-an-over rule should be used to good effect by the pace bowlers.
• Some pace bowlers should bowl really, really fast
• Spin should be a vital part of the bowling attack- it can not only provide a variation, but can also be used to get wickets.
• Spinners must not bowl defensively when hit for a few shots- they should try some variations, some of which may be a batsman's weaknesses.
• Attacking bowlers should get more fielders in catching positions.
• One batsman must contribute 10 overs regularly with the ball (AS Yadav for Hyderabad, Venugopal for Andhra, Rajat Bhatia for Delhi, Rohan/LR Shukla for Bengal,...) to get more consistency in bowling. There should not be any rag-tag bowling combinations.
• Bowlers must bowl in tight spots in the final overs.
• The batting side should mix fours and sixes with singles in the first 15 overs. Some sides can send in a pinch-hitter in those overs.
• Genuine openers have to score more runs.
• Lots of runs must be scored in singles, over 50% of the scoring shots must be in singles.
• Dot balls must be avoided at all costs, except against unplayable deliveries.
• At least two players from each side, mostly non-batsmen, must play for big shots most of the time. The more the big shots, the better, since the bowlers will be better equipped when they face the likes of Gilchrist, Flintoff and Gayle.
• The middle overs should have lots of singles scored. At the same time, they must look to build an innings of over 50.
• When a bowling side is in good form, they can give their main bowlers a break, but then get them back to take more wickets- partnerships must be avoided.
• At the same time, partnerships must be built by batting sides.
• Fielders must attack all singles coming their way- that extra single saved can win a match.
• Exactly 50% of the matches must be played under lights, and all ODI's must be played with the white ball.

 

[Arjun]

Mumbai have announced their team for the ODI series. Sairaj Bahutule is the captain and all three spinners are picked, which is not too bad. However, the selection of the pace attack is a worry, since the only reliable pacer is Ajit "blow-warm-blow-frozen-cold" Agarkar. Usman Malvi is still raw, though he has improved in the last match against Delhi, while Wilkin Mota is a had-hitting batsman who bowls a bit of medium-pace. There are some unknown names in the squad, but the exclusion of Swapnil Hazare and Santosh Shinde is surprising. Salvi and Munaf are still nursing injuries, which will help neither them nor the team.

Hyderabad's team is captained by VVS Laxman. It is a godo move, and it shows the association's faith in him as a limited-overs player. His intelligence, as well as his high level of batting skills will help the team a lot. Two players of interest will be Arjun Yadav (son of former National Selector Shivlal Yadav) and Ambati Rayudu. The star-son is an off-spinner who can bat, while the U-19 player is often hyped for his batting skills and aggression. However, the latter must improve his shot-selection and play for a long innings. Their bowling attack could also be one to watch.

 

[marc71178]

The Ranji ODI series will start shortly. Limited overs matches are usually not taken seriously in India. Maybe this time, things will be different. Here are some things that should be done by every team in the 50-over matches:

I looked down that list, and to be honest most of it looked to be either common sense or a lot of rubbish to me.