Indian domestic season 2006-07

[Arjun]

JP Yadav missed a wicket as a caught-behind chance was muffed up by keeper Joshi. He made up for that with a straight one at 120 that hit the stumps. Laxman gone, South at 92/3.

 

[Arjun]

Slightly wide, seam movement towards off, JP Yadav gets an edge off Venugopal, caught behind.

Venugopal out for zero. South at 92/4. Two in two for Yadav.

EDIT: The colours are confusing. We have South and West in the same colours, then North and Central as well, even in the same pattern.

 

[Arjun]

JP Yadav bowled ten overs at a stretch and in his third over and onward, looked like taking a wicket off every ball. He was consistent in delivery, pitching a little outside off and got movement both ways. He also bowled straight, making it difficult for the batsmen to hit. He finished with four wickets for 44, although three were with catches. After he left, South had it easy. Now they have Akhil and Naidu, both responsible batsmen. With the bonus point blown, there's also a chance of South pulling off a turnaround. It's a pity Yadav struck form so late, with Irfan so hopelessly out of form and the Indian team so hopelessly imbalanced. Otherwise, RP Singh was bowling fast initially, touching 140 a few times.

 

[Arjun]

It was a close match, but Central eventually won by 25 runs. The ninth-wicket pair of Naidu and Akhil could have clinched it, given how many no-balls and wides were bowled by the Central bowlers (nine out of step and twelve out of umpire's reach), especially in the final overs. However, a good comeback by RP Singh (who also took the key wicket of in-form opener Rowland) as well as a few run-outs (there were too many in two matches) had them all out quickly. Yadav was the player to watch, getting useful movement off the pitch, using the available little pace and extra seaming to good effect. Rowland was out for a well-made 70.

 

[dileep.vaka]

gg Arun.....this is the best place for indian domestic cricket

 

[adharcric]

He was getting good pace (not tearaway stuff, though) and made the batsmen play at everything. What we find missing in the Indian team's top seamers was visible when he was bowling, and not surprisingly, Arun Lal said that he should be in contention for a place in the national team.

FFS, Munaf and Zaheer average 21 and 23 in their last 15 games. Agarkar has been good enough and Sreesanth is inconsistent but very talented.
The first two regularly hit the mid-to-high 130s and the latter two are usually around 140 in ODIs. No need for Rakesh Patel.

 

[Arjun]

FFS, Munaf and Zaheer average 21 and 23 in their last 15 games. Agarkar has been good enough and Sreesanth is inconsistent but very talented.
The first two regularly hit the mid-to-high 130s and the latter two are usually around 140 in ODIs. No need for Rakesh Patel.

The only one among them who's consistently performing well is Zaheer. Munaf has had a decent record till date, but he's been found wanting in a few matches, including one against Australia, and his dreadful fielding makes his selection far from automatic. Agarkar has been patchy since the Champions Trophy, and has had just two or three good games, and everyone knows he's far from reliable. Sreesanth is still a little raw and doesn't have a secure place in the team now, and so is RP Singh.

Rakesh Patel has been around for a very long time. He's been taking wickets for Baroda and West for a long time and as even repeatedly been in contention for a place in the national team. His form in this season as well as his build should make him a contender, especially at this age, when seamers use ball and brain and not just brute force to take wickets, and his fielding and batting are also not too bad. As for pace, the same bowlers touching 140 a few times in one series struggle to touch that in the next, and never go past it consistently.

 

[adharcric]

The only one among them who's consistently performing well is Zaheer. Munaf has had a decent record till date, but he's been found wanting in a few matches, including one against Australia, and his dreadful fielding makes his selection far from automatic. Agarkar has been patchy since the Champions Trophy, and has had just two or three good games, and everyone knows he's far from reliable. Sreesanth is still a little raw and doesn't have a secure place in the team now, and so is RP Singh.

Rakesh Patel has been around for a very long time. He's been taking wickets for Baroda and West for a long time and as even repeatedly been in contention for a place in the national team. His form in this season as well as his build should make him a contender, especially at this age, when seamers use ball and brain and not just brute force to take wickets, and his fielding and batting are also not too bad. As for pace, the same bowlers touching 140 a few times in one series struggle to touch that in the next, and never go past it consistently.

First of all, you were complaining about the pace of the national seamers - they all hit the mid-to-high 130s in ODIs with regularity. Just because they aren't express doesn't mean you can use the "well none of the current bowlers are quick so we might as well go with 125 kph domestic seamers" argument. Are you seriously suggesting that Munaf has been inconsistent? Hell, he's been better than Zaheer and he played that bad game against Australia through an injury. Don't introduce his fielding issue just because the other argument didn't work. Agarkar has been relatively reliably over the past year - far more than he was in the past - and he was our best bowler in the WI last year. Despite him being a "dwarf" and what not, he is an experienced option and certainly one of India's 5 best seamers. Sreesanth is raw but he's still very capable. I'm not making a point about Rakesh Patel - though I doubt it, he may be a legitimate option at the national level. The only one in the national side he has a chance (on the basis of bowling) to replace is the man who shares the new ball with him for Baroda.

 

[honestbharani]

I always felt Rakesh Patel was someone who could be groomed for national duty. I think he has a bit of spark in him, but I don't think he can break into the current 5. Maybe for the tour of England, if the selectors dont have AA as an option for tests, he can maybe ge a break. I do think he has done enough to be on the fringes though. Even though his domestic record isn't that great, I just think he will do well at the international level. Just a feel that one gets from watching the lad.

 

[Arjun]

There is a trend of Deodhar matches becoming one-sided after the innings break. The latest of these matches was between North and West, but I was busy fixing my laptop (which couldn't be fixed then) and getting my camera ready for a function, so I couldn't provide updates here.

Rakesh Patel was in for a nasty shock as he had to bowl to four left-handers in a row, and he was constantly going down leg. He still got a wicket in the opening overs. North lost both openers cheaply, as wicketkeeper Goel (playing as a specialist batsman) was out without any run scored and Gambhir spooned one to cover. Trivedi also bowled very well, getting bounce off an unpredictable wicket that started holding up. Then came Dinesh Mongia, and not surprisingly, the running between wickets became patchy and Shikhar Dhawan had a tough time out there, without getting too much. Both were eventually out.

Then came Pankaj Dharmani, who steadied the innings with every partner he had. Parash Dogra came in, got a start, tried to hit a big one and got out. Joginder Sharma walked in, ran hard and hit harder. A little too hard, as he tried scooping one delivery by Bahutule over cover and got caught in the deep. Arun Lal was absolutely shocked by that, and said it was inexplicable, he can keep shaking his head back to the pavilion but there's nothing to justify that. He also said he shouldn't even be in that dressing room.

Into the tail, the West bowlers were in for a nasty surprise. Vipul Sharma (or Bipul Sharma, both players listed with the same age, team, batting and bowling, but different stats on Cricinfo), a left-arm spinner, walked in. He smashed a six very early in his innings, getting stuck into leg-spinner Bahutule. He went on to smash two more sixes, one on the last ball of the innings, making a 50. Dharmani was unbeaten on 77, an innings that started slowly, with cautious singles, and ended with some hard hitting in the final overs.

North finished at 252 for six, which was good for a team with five bowlers on an unpredictable Brabourne pitch. West couldn't use their six-man bowling unit too well, taknig just six wickets. Rakesh Patel was expensive, especially in the final overs. Trivedi went for a little less, but the perfornance of change seamer Abhishek Nayar was noteworthy. He's an all-rounder for Mumbai whose performances with bat and ball for them helped win the Ranji Trophy this season. The figures were not outstanding, but to support the frontliners, they were good. The standout bowler, however, was Ramesh Powar, who attacked the slightly-thin and under-pressure North batting lineup, getting two for 40. Yusuf Pathan, coming in as the sixth bowler, had to face set batsmen who scored off him easily.

But at the start of the West innings, he had his revenge, coming in as a pinch-hitter. He attacked the North bowlers relentlessly, on the edge, targetting VRV Singh in particular. This India pace prospect was bowling a lot slower than his billing suggests, and he overstepped, bowled wides and one bondary-ball too many. That said, there was one risky shot by Yusuf that went straight up near point, but a misunderstanding (yours-yours, rather than the usual mine-mine) between Bipul Sharma and Parash Dogra near point had the ball falling safe. Big mistake. Yusuf blasted everything that came his way and went on to make 68. With over 70 runs in the first ten overs, Dinesh Mongia, the West captain, delayed the powerplay, and brought himself and spinner Bipul Sharma on.

This backfired, as the expected breakthrough didn't come, but instead, Yusuf got stuck into Bipul Sharma, bowling all over the place, struggling to finish an over without a boundary ball. Joginder Sharma, shockingly hidden for so long, got just one over which went for eleven runs, primarily due to bad fielding. The North fielders were terrible, as the ball went through someone's legs, a wild throw from VRV Singh wasn't backed up by keeper Dharmani and in an attempt to be spectacular, a few fielders looked silly. This didn't help a bowling attack struggling to get set batsmen out.

Nehra was back in action again, but his performance was marred with seven no-balls and no wicket. Spinner Sarandeep Singh got the breakthrough getting rid of the dangerous Yusuf Pathan, but Ramehs Powar walked in, smashing him all around, for a four and a six in the same over. He tried to hit a four or six off nearly every ball but the last one in the over, which he'd tap for a single. He was trying to deliver a knockout punch on North, and was successful, scoring 40 off 27, caught out hitting hard off VRV Singh. Sanjay Bangar, often left out of the Indian team due to lack of pace, was severely critical of the faster VRV who initially gave away 30 runs in his first three overs.

Although it didn't matter, opener Wasim Jaffer scored a sedate 63 and was run-out by a direct hit. West won well within the bonus point limit, extending their lead in the points table. Again, the performance of Yusuf Pathan was noteworthy, albeit at the wrong time. He should have struck form a month before the World Cup probables were announced, as his powerful hitting in the lower order would come very useful, as also his legspin to support the frontliner. He may not be close to Kumble, Bhajji or Powar, but he can do a significantly better job than the unreliable, erratic combination of part-timers. He's a more value-added selection than Dinesh Karthik and could have been an alternative to his struggling brother Irfan.

In the meantime, Mohammed Kaif wonders what he did wrong to miss out on the World Cup squad. He averaged 92 in the recent list-A matches with a strike rate of as much, and his fielding was also very good. While his performance in ODI's wasn't much good, that of Dinesh Karthik wasn't any good, and he's nowhere close to Kaif on the field. Anyway, with the Indians fielding a woefully unbalanced, one-dimensional, creaky combination in the World Cup, and likely to end up a massive dud, he'll have his chance to play as a frontline ODI batsman after that.

 

[Arjun]

CENTRAL v/s EAST

Boom! Praveen Kumar is in smashing form, with three fours and a six already. Partner Siddharth Joshi has got a start as well, with 25 runs, including three fours. Central have gone past 50 in the seventh over. No sound on NEO now.

 

[Arjun]

Praveen Kumar may nto be the most talented batsman around, but he's very aggressive. He's got a full follow-through, uses his feet very well and runs very hard between the wickets- as hard as he hits. He doesn't believe in playing with soft hands– he'll smash everything that comes to him. He's got good technique for leg-side shots and a lot of power. By no means an ideal opener (his impulsive hitting had him cutting spinner Lahiri to have an inside edge on his leg and the stumps), he's one of the best to have in the final ten overs of a match.

 

[Arjun]

Then comes Khanolkar. He played a scratchy innings, missing one that almost hit the stumps, then offering two catching chances to keeper and slip, and his luck ran out as he holed out to square leg.

The sound is off again. I told the cable-ops twice about it and they fixed the sound both times, only for the channel to become silent again.

 

[Arjun]

Even as I was typing elsewhere, Chawla stepped ahead and hit a part-time East spinner over long-on. The ball didn't travel very far and bounced before a fielder in the deep, but he's got good technique and moves his feet well.

 

[Arjun]

Watch them run! The young pair of Chawla and Ravikant Shukla sprinted two runs between the wickets, even as an East fielder fumbled at point.

EDIT: That point fielder (Avishek Jhunjhunwala) is trying to be spectacular, diving and sliding. Not bad.
EDIT PLUS: Chawla gets 50
EDIT PLUS+: Lots of singles in this over by LR Shukla, and also a four by Chawla

 

[Arjun]

Now both Shukla and Chawla are stepping up and stepping out, to step up the scoring rate, but the lack of hitting power is getting clearer. Lots of play-and-miss-es, mis-hits and the odd risky single.

Now Chawla is out caught by Saha off Diwakar. The ball was a little short, rose to a height and Chawla tried to pull it, only to get caught in the deep by Saha.

EDIT: Ball change

 

[Arjun]

The 46th over is on and the East fielders in the inner circle are throwing all over the place. JP Yadav and Shukla take full advantage and run extra singles.

NOW: Ravikant Shukla gets 50, mis-hits a loose delivery and takes a single

EDIT: Laxmiratan Shukla, primarily a batsman, is now bowling at the same pace as most opening and change seamers in this series.

 

[Arjun]

Folks, I'll be stepping out after the innings ends, as I have a late-evening lecture to attend. It's a pity Cricinfo isn't scoring this match live. Anyway, Laxmiratan Shukla's frantic attempts in the outfield to pick up and throw were worth a watch, and applauded by bowler and keeper.

Now JP Yadav gets into the action. He's just square-cut one delivery by Diwakar for four. Shades of the JP of old are visible, as he then clips a full delivery on the pads over leg-side high for another four.

EDIT: Apologies for not mentioning the scores. Central are at 270 for 6 after 47 overs. That's a good score when they've got four specialist batsmen and six bowling options.

 

[Arjun]

Laxmiratan Shukla bowls one on Ravikant Shukla's pads and RK taps it fine for four, way beyond keeper Dasgupta's reach. Shukla has hit three fours in this over.

EDIT: I may be getting picture, but there's no sound, so a few details here and there were missed.

EDIT PLUS: A short-and-wide by LR Shukla had JP stepping way out and lifting that over point, coming to a catching chance at third-man, but the fielder dropped it. The East folks look spectacular, but need to get basic things right out there.

SCORE: Central are at 285-6, with 50 runs in the last five overs.

 

[Arjun]

Shukla swats one straight past Bose and a fielder gets it, and JP Yadav, halfway down, is run-out as the fielder throws easily to Bose, who polishes the woodwork.

OH BROTHER...: Am I the only one reading this thread?

Shukla hits the same shot, but the runs are completed, and a messed-up slide by Diwakarhad umpires deliberating, but he saved two runs. Good stuff.