[Arjun]

Robin Bist and Pragyan Ojha are contrasting cases in the Irani Trophy, with Ishant and Umesh in the middle of both. Bist still is young and has some way to go before being an India prospect, but against a really strong Rest of India team, he's done well. Ojha is a certainty in the national side as the second spinner after Ashwin, and was once the lead, but he's been very poor in this game- two wickets in more than 50 overs. That may be a cause for concern, especially with his below-par strike rate in Tests, all inside Asia. Ishant and Umesh did well in this game, without being spectacular (Ishant) or consistent (Umesh), and regularly chipping wickets will help both.

The new format of the Challenger Trophy is welcome, as you have at least one genuine team in the event- a concern raised repeatedly by Harsha Bhogle- that it only encourages individual performances. It will still be tough for Bengal, who will be missing Ashok Dinda and Shami Ahmed. The India A and India B teams are decently assembled.