***Official*** Indian Domestic Season 2007-08

[adharcric]

Damn, I really hope Chopra, Raina, Tiwary and Badrinath do well in this match. Honestly, I don't want Powar back in the side as long he's a liability in the field and careless with the bat. Quite concerned about Munaf, Bose and Ishant as well - especially Munaf. On the other side, Ajinkya Rahane looks like a damn fine prospect - something tells me he's a genuine talent as well, considering he scored a few runs in the NZ tour IIRC. Let's hope so.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

Damn, I really hope Chopra, Raina, Tiwary and Badrinath do well in this match. Honestly, I don't want Powar back in the side as long he's a liability in the field and careless with the bat. Quite concerned about Munaf, Bose and Ishant as well - especially Munaf. On the other side, Ajinkya Rahane looks like a damn fine prospect - something tells me he's a genuine talent as well, considering he scored a few runs in the NZ tour IIRC. Let's hope so.

and you got it right. Rahane scored a fine 50.

 

[Manee]

Abhishek Nayar seems to be a fine all rounder too.

 

[Arjun]

The Rest Of India selection is strange. Unless they expect runs out of Amit Mishra and Munaf Patel, they've picked five specialist bowlers. Talking of Munaf, he was an apology with ball and on the field. Too many no-balls, too many four-balls, reduced pace, and a very lethargic display of fielding summed up a bad day on the field.

Ishant Sharma, though, bowled several deliveries that beat the bat and whizzed past the batsman's face. He's had a few effective variations and at a height of six foot six (and growing), he's bowling at serious pace. Regularly in the higher 130's, he's bowled the fastest delivery of the match over 140k. He's picked up two wickets so far- one being an incoming delivery to Rahane trapping him leg-before and a rising delivery that took the glove on the way to the keeper, dismissing wicketkeeper Gurav. For a fast bowler, his fielding was very good- he slided and blocked the ball, ran across the outfield to save a few boundaries and threw hard to the stumps. Running on the wicket was an issue (as with Ramesh Powar), but there were just two no-balls! It can become zero in the next innings.

Ranadeb Bose was decent when he started out, getting movement both ways and an edge to get Jaffer out. For some reason, Jaffer, a regular opener for the Test team, came in at three, and was out quickly. His zero no-ball record still stands. However, in the second spell, he looked listless, bowling at less than 120k and with a seven-strong field on the off-side, strayed down leg. Now he looks to have a hamstring injury.

Mazumdar was trapped plumb by Ojha. It was otherwise a disappointing day for spinners Ojha and Mishra, as a certain Abhishek Nayar smothered him, stepping down the track and lofting him for several fours and a six. Nayar was severe on both spinners and the part-timer Badrinath, but looked a little edgy against seamer Bose, bowling way outside off. He ran hard between the wickets to support the settled Sahil Kukreja, who got his century. Nayar stepped down the track repeatedly, then paddle-swept, then a few cheeky guides behind the stumps and a reverse-sweep that didn't come off, then one that did.

With both Nayar and Kukreja gone, Agarkar followed quickly. Ramesh Powar, dropped from the ODI team, scored quickly for ten off nine, then lofted Ojha over cover for six. He's looked good so far with the bat. Now Iqbal Abdullah, left-arm spinner, hit two fours off Patel. Powar also hit a four off Ishant. More coming soon.

 

[Perm]

Very good innings from Kukreja and Nayar, contrasting ones but both very effective. At one stage Mumbai were looking set for a big total, but they shouldn't get to 400 now. Nayar looks a good prospect, superb FC record, even though he's only played 9 matches.

It must be said this is a weakened Mumbai side though, the ongoing ODI series has ruled out Sachin, who usually dominates when playing domestic cricket in India.

 

[Arjun]

Ramesh Powar looking absolutely ugly out there- scoops over off, a striaght drive going way down off, but he's still there. Maybe he's doing this deliberately to pinch gaps. Iqbal, though, seems to be doing a decent job at ten.

Ranadeb Bose, it seems, did something remarkable in the field, though what I have seen suggests he isn't much good on the field. Then there's the partnership of Kukreja and Nayar, which could have taken the game away from Rest, but for a brilliant run-out of Kukreja by Badrinath. Fielding surely makes an impact- three more wickets fell.

 

[Manee]

Oh dear, from your posts, it seems that Munaf is almost finished (for now). He is bowling slow from what I gather from you and his accuracy is poor too according to cricinfo.

Ishant Sharma seems a good prospect though, one to definately look out for.

 

[Arjun]

Abhishek Nayar seems to be a fine all rounder too.

We've seen caps handed out to Joginder Sharma, and India's batsmen are simply incapable of bowling, while the bowlers are not doing any justice to their batting potential. In this scene, Abhishek Nayar seems a good Number Six/Seven in home Test matches. His batting resembles that of Ganguly back in the late 90's, his best days. He's also scoring quickly, and kept the momentum going with clean, correct strokeplay. Add to that his steady medium-pace bowling (not yet on display, but last time around, he was quite useful) to back up the new-ball bowlers, you have a good prospect.

There was one more such player named Wilkin Mota, but we don't see much of him now. He was a better bowler, got good movement, and with the bat, tried to bludgeon everything that came. A certain Praveen Kumar is doing that a lot better, and had won the 05-06 Ranji Trophy for his team.

 

[Arjun]

Oh dear, from your posts, it seems that Munaf is almost finished (for now). He is bowling slow from what I gather from you and his accuracy is poor too according to cricinfo.

Ishant Sharma seems a good prospect though, one to definately look out for.

Comparing the two, Munaf Patel, on his day, would have been a better bowler than Ishant Sharma, though as a complete selection, both are level, tohugh Ishant's fielding would come useful. On THIS day, however, Ishant is a better pick by a long way. Munaf will have to pull up his socks- with and without the ball- to get back in; he's been upstaged by this rookie here.

 

[Arjun]

Sharma had Powar out caught-behind. Powar finished with 45 off 50, with six fours and a six. Not too bad for a Number Eight, though he came in at seven here. The surprise, however, was Iqbal Abdulla, who raced to a half-century with nine fours (edgy at first, but more assured later) and two sixes. I couldn't catch these- Rest started batting after that.

Rajesh Verma got an edge off Akash Chopra, caught by Prashant Naik, out for zero. Parthiv Patel, opening the innings, looked edgy and was dropped by Naik later on. The next to go was Kaif- a short Agarkar delivery kept low and moved in from off, trapping him leg-before. Of all the three seamers, the fastest was Agarkar, with a top speed of 134 and average of 130.

 

[Manee]

The information that you are providing is great Arjun, please keep it up.

I am fully expecting Badrinath and Patel to continue their sublime FC form and get big scores.

 

[Perm]

Damn, I really hope Chopra, Raina, Tiwary and Badrinath do well in this match.

Well, Chopra got a first innings duck, Raina scored a breezy 17 and Badrinath is batting as we speak.

 

[Arjun]

Ramesh Powar, post-drop, is getting hit for fours repeatedly. Even Patel is getting after him, coming down the track and hitting over leg. Badrinath is looking in good touch, but this attack, without Zaheer, Waingankar or Salvi, and Powar off-colour, looks weak. That said, Nayar is doing a decent job as a change bowler. A follow-on, however, looks likely.

 

[Perm]

Badrinath gone Parthiv Patel amongst the runs though.

 

[ramkumar_gr]

We've seen caps handed out to Joginder Sharma, and India's batsmen are simply incapable of bowling, while the bowlers are not doing any justice to their batting potential. In this scene, Abhishek Nayar seems a good Number Six/Seven in home Test matches. His batting resembles that of Ganguly back in the late 90's, his best days. He's also scoring quickly, and kept the momentum going with clean, correct strokeplay. Add to that his steady medium-pace bowling (not yet on display, but last time around, he was quite useful) to back up the new-ball bowlers, you have a good prospect.

There was one more such player named Wilkin Mota, but we don't see much of him now. He was a better bowler, got good movement, and with the bat, tried to bludgeon everything that came. A certain Praveen Kumar is doing that a lot better, and had won the 05-06 Ranji Trophy for his team.

It think it is far-fetched to compare Nayar with Ganguly at any stage of his career. I watched the whole innings of Nayar's and he had just 3 shots a hoick over mid-wicket, a thump over long-off, all very risky and rest are all streaky edges. And he looks like a Mark Ealham like bowler, and i dont think he will get any wickets if he plays in test matches. Can be an outside chance for ODIs, but we have Joginder Sharma the incumbent and Praveen Kumar is high in the pecking order.

 

[Manee]

It think it is far-fetched to compare Nayar with Ganguly at any stage of his career. I watched the whole innings of Nayar's and he had just 3 shots a hoick over mid-wicket, a thump over long-off, all very risky and rest are all streaky edges. And he looks like a Mark Ealham like bowler, and i dont think he will get any wickets if he plays in test matches. Can be an outside chance for ODIs, but we have Joginder Sharma the incumbent and Praveen Kumar is high in the pecking order.

Fair enough. Based on his performances in Kenya, I feel that Praveen Kumar should be high on the pecking order of India's second ODI all rounder - can somebody give me some information about his bowling please. I know he is good, but how quick is he, how accurate is he and does he swing the ball?

 

[Arjun]

ROI have saved the follow-on with Parthiv Patel cutting a delivery by Abdulla. This outfield is rock-hard. The ball is travelling to the boundary very fast, dives have failed and the fielding, starting off well, now looks flat.

Fair enough. Based on his performances in Kenya, I feel that Praveen Kumar should be high on the pecking order of India's second ODI all rounder - can somebody give me some information about his bowling please. I know he is good, but how quick is he, how accurate is he and does he swing the ball?

Praveen Kumar is more of a strike bowler than a frontline batsman. He's one to pick if you've chosen a six-five combo. He's only medium-pace like most Indian bowlers (the only genuine quicks are Zaheer and Sreesanth, and RP a decent quick) but he makes good use of it. He gets movement off the pitch and standing six-foot-four, can get good bounce. He's got the height and build for a seam bowler, and uses a lot of variations. Comparable to any other seam bowler to play for India, his batting gives him an advantage.

 

[Arjun]

It think it is far-fetched to compare Nayar with Ganguly at any stage of his career. I watched the whole innings of Nayar's and he had just 3 shots a hoick over mid-wicket, a thump over long-off, all very risky and rest are all streaky edges. And he looks like a Mark Ealham like bowler, and i dont think he will get any wickets if he plays in test matches. Can be an outside chance for ODIs, but we have Joginder Sharma the incumbent and Praveen Kumar is high in the pecking order.

Not really. Nayar looked good against the spinners, and came down the track to hit them to the boundary. He's looked streaky at times, but that's what happens when he tries to keep the momentum going. As for his bowling, he may not replace Zaheer or Sreesanth, but he can lend them good support in home matches, so that the quicks (and even the two spinners) get some rest. That's very good for a frontline batsman. In case the Indians still play seven batsmen, he can be the seventh batsman, and fill in for the fifth bowler. Anyway, the Indians often play just four bowlers, so they could use him. While skills are still a dicey, debatable issue, the role isn't.

As for Joginder Sharma, he's not much of a strike bowler- more of a filler/stock bowler. His batting will be more relevant, but whether he can make an India Number Seven is not known- Nayar has played more, scored more and his team has won more. Praveen Kumar is more of a bowler than a batsman- a pick for a five-bowler combination. Moreover, he bats like Afridi- punch first and think later. Unless you expect Irfan Pathan to rediscover his six-hitting form and back him up below, Praveen's not much of a choice at seven/eight.

 

[Manee]

Arjun, I am interested in your view as to who you would have to make the test squad first out of:

Parthiv Patel: Scored hundreds in all but one FC innings in Africa and has scored another today.

Badrinath: Scored same amount of hundreds as Patel in Africa and a double against South Africa A.

Manoj Tiwary: Top scorer in Ranji Trophy, well on his way to a fifty.

Mohammad Kaif: Proven at test level as capable and has done well in domestic cricket in India and England for quite some time - although he is in bad form.

 

[Arjun]

Ramesh Powar was out of form in the ODI's against Australia, and doesn't look like he's returning to form here. He's gone for over sixty runs in twelve runs, bowling short and not quite utilising the turn that the flat pitch occasionally provides.

Parthiv scores 150, a large majority (nearly 80%) coming in boundaries. Good for him- it's a milestone of sorts. However, anyone thinking he'll will make a comeback is mistaken. He was dropped twice before he crossed thirty, on this fast, hard outfield. The fields were spread far apart, leaving wide gaps. He didn't hit the ball too hard and the outfield only made things easier as the ball raced away with light taps. Against a superior fielding unit like AUS/NZ/SA, he'd scratch around for twenty in sixty deliveries as he did when he played for India. He's still a no-show for ODI's, and we'll have to see Dravid or Sehwag wicketkeeping in the ODI side if Patel returns.