Build-up to Indian Domestic Season 2008-09

[Precambrian]

I had to put this off due to the heat of that time. Four matches (Railways beat Andhra, UP beat Maharashtra, Orissa beat Punjab and Karnataka beat Baroda) ended in results, but that wasn't a very interesting phase to watch.

This time, we have a minefield of a pitch at the Kotla, where 24 (you read that right) wickets fell on the first day itself, with Ishant Sharma bagging seven. Delhi was all out for 76 and Orissa for 80, and Delhi are at 38 for four. The Mohantys and Sukanta Khatua shared the wickets.

Baroda have gone into this match with six bowlers, with Irfan Pathan leading the way, taking five. He's continuing his impressive domestic form. Munaf, though, only grabbed two, while spinners Pawar and Yusuf Pathan got little to do.

The match between UP and Railways has no scorecard at present, but Praveen Kumar scored a rapid 51 off 56 deliveries, while Raina scored 66. Wickets were shared, three each, to Anureet Singh and Kiran Sharma. UP are at 275 for eight.

More here.

Cracker of a match at the Kotla. Delhi relies on Sehwag heavily now. What a performance by the fast bowlers!

 

[Jonty Lathwal]

Fast Bowlers rocked in Delhi v Orissa match.......u don't see it often in india.....

it was good to see Debashish Mohanty take wickets..........reminds me of the past

 

[Manee]

This time, we have a minefield of a pitch at the Kotla, where 24 (you read that right) wickets fell on the first day itself, with Ishant Sharma bagging seven. Delhi was all out for 76 and Orissa for 80, and Delhi are at 38 for four. The Mohantys and Sukanta Khatua shared the wickets.

What a joke. Are the groundsmen in India that incompetant? A situation like this in England would certainly have the home team with questions to be answered as this certainly is not nor anything near a good cricket pitch. 24 wickets in a day is nothing more than a joke.

Baroda have gone into this match with six bowlers, with Irfan Pathan leading the way, taking five. He's continuing his impressive domestic form. Munaf, though, only grabbed two, while spinners Pawar and Yusuf Pathan got little to do.

Good to see Irfan in some brilliant bowling form, but sort it out Munaf. Two wickets is not enough, we need five wicket hauls from you to force you into the Test team.

 

[Precambrian]

What a joke. Are the groundsmen in India that incompetant? A situation like this in England would certainly have the home team with questions to be answered as this certainly is not nor anything near a good cricket pitch. 24 wickets in a day is nothing more than a joke.



Good to see Irfan in some brilliant bowling form, but sort it out Munaf. Two wickets is not enough, we need five wicket hauls from you to force you into the Test team.

Apparently the pitch was made like that on the suggestion of the home team (Delhi) as they need an outright win here to stay float in the competition.

Just that it backfired heavily. Who'd have thought a batting lineup consisting of Sehag, Gambhir, Chopra, Kohli would have a combined bad day?

EDIT : Daymn!!! Delhi's ploy worked and they won by 52 runs in less than 2 days!!!

Scores : Delhi 76 and 150 beat Orissa 80 and 96. Ishant Sharma takes 11 wickets in the match!!

 

[Precambrian]

I like the way B Mohanty is shaping up. At 22, with a bowling average of 17.45 from 8 matches, he definitely looks a good national prospect.

What is the speed at which he bowls?

 

[adharcric]

I like the way B Mohanty is shaping up. At 22, with a bowling average of 17.45 from 8 matches, he definitely looks a good national prospect.

What is the speed at which he bowls?

Have a feeling he's medium pace, unfortunately. Not sure if I read it in a report or what. Here's some advice for you (after years of my own false alarms about prospects) - wait until you personally watch them in action against national competition (Challenger, Duleep, Deodhar, A-level) before considering them national prospects.

 

[adharcric]

What a joke. Are the groundsmen in India that incompetant? A situation like this in England would certainly have the home team with questions to be answered as this certainly is not nor anything near a good cricket pitch. 24 wickets in a day is nothing more than a joke.

Don't really mind the pitch TBH. After so many batting paradises, I certainly won't complain about a few splendid days for the bowlers. In fact, we need more of these (alright, maybe not this extreme) to separate the class batsmen from the subcontinent specialists. The "in-form" Gambhir fell to novices here on a tough pitch playing poor strokes - he needs more of these challenges and he needs to stand up in these situations to prepare for tough conditions abroad against quality attacks.

 

[Manee]

Apparently the pitch was made like that on the suggestion of the home team (Delhi) as they need an outright win here to stay float in the competition.

Don't really mind the pitch TBH. After so many batting paradises, I certainly won't complain about a few splendid days for the bowlers. In fact, we need more of these (alright, maybe not this extreme) to separate the class batsmen from the subcontinent specialists. The "in-form" Gambhir fell to novices here on a tough pitch playing poor strokes - he needs more of these challenges and he needs to stand up in these situations to prepare for tough conditions abroad against quality attacks.

But there are limits to how helpful for bowlers a pitch can be. A four day game ending in under two days is absurd. We must make our bowlers work for wickets, here it would seem that the pitch has gifted wickets to them. Of course, the standard Indian pitch is too flat, but that does not justify overcompensation like this.

Just flicking through the scorecards. Irfan Pathan backs up his superb bowling form and five wicket haul in the first innings with 51 on what looks a well balanced pitch as Baroda are bowled out for 305 in responce to 228. Pankaj Singh picks up 5 for 59 against Saurashtra as Pujara scores just 6! The golden run of the century has come to an end, or has it? Wickets all round reduce Rajasthan to 106/5.

 

[Precambrian]

But there are limits to how helpful for bowlers a pitch can be. A four day game ending in under two days is absurd. We must make our bowlers work for wickets, here it would seem that the pitch has gifted wickets to them. Of course, the standard Indian pitch is too flat, but that does not justify overcompensation like this.

Just flicking through the scorecards. Irfan Pathan backs up his superb bowling form and five wicket haul in the first innings with 51 on what looks a well balanced pitch as Baroda are bowled out for 305 in responce to 228. Pankaj Singh picks up 5 for 59 against Saurashtra as Pujara scores just 6! The golden run of the century has come to an end, or has it? Wickets all round reduce Rajasthan to 106/5.

Don't underestimate the fast bowlers involved.

Ishant Sharma = Gun, we all know

Debashish Mohanty = Averages 20 and is underrated criminally.

Newbie Basant Mohanty = Another gun who's averaging below 20.

So it's not as if mediocre bowlers have done the trick on a substandard pitch. The fact is that the established batsmen played horribly and the others were not upto the task,

Pleased to see that many matches this season have had results.

 

[Manee]

Don't underestimate the fast bowlers involved.

Ishant Sharma = Gun, we all know

Debashish Mohanty = Averages 20 and is underrated criminally.

Newbie Basant Mohanty = Another gun who's averaging below 20.

So it's not as if mediocre bowlers have done the trick on a substandard pitch. The fact is that the established batsmen played horribly and the others were not upto the task,

Pleased to see that many matches this season have had results.

Unfortunately, I couldn't watch the match, but no quality of bowlers justifies a result in under two days. There are some very good batsmen in both sides and it is not reasonable to assume a total complete failure of such catastrophic proportions without considering the pitch being substandard.

 

[Precambrian]

Unfortunately, I couldn't watch the match, but no quality of bowlers justifies a result in under two days. There are some very good batsmen in both sides and it is not reasonable to assume a total complete failure of such catastrophic proportions without considering the pitch being substandard.

Pitch is absolutely a factor in this game. but hey, we never moan about all those 500 vs 450 draws, do we? So once in a while let the batsmen be at the receiving end.

And it is certainly not a dangerous pitch to the batsmen by any means.

 

[Manee]

I am certainly unhappy with high scoring draws, but their frequency suggests an aspects of flat pitches being naturally occuring in India. I am a bowler myself, but still believe that 500 vs 450 > 50 & 100 vs 80 & 50 or whatever. In the former, good bowling can achieve wickets but in the latter, even the best of batting may prove helpless if one gets a snorter.

 

[adharcric]

Just as it takes very good bowling to take wickets on flat tracks, it takes very good batting to score runs on juicy tracks. Both can and have been done in the past. Two-day pitches are not good for cricket but I certainly don't mind the rare occasion given the number of eight-day pitches laid in recent years.

 

[Manee]

I do mind it, for the reasons you have stated - the belief that it is an acceptable way to combat the very flat pitches is to come up with the occasional minefield. Indeed, it is a lax solution to flat pitches and is seen as okay whereas the solution to the epidemic of flat pitches needs to be a far more delicate one.

 

[Manee]

Gagandeep Singh takes 5/59 before Punjab fall to 16/7, Gony then smashes 69 off 56 to bring them up to 137 with Trivedi picking up four and Makda picking up 5/20.

Meanwhile, the big boys of the Plate League, Bengal amass 307 with Tiwary getting 109 before reducing Tripura to 111/5 with Bose picking up 2/28.

EDIT: 98 for Praveen Kumar too, top effort that!

 

[Arjun]

Some ineresting stories on HT:

Haryana cricket to go hi-tech

Resource-rich Delhi comes a cropper

 

[Jonty Lathwal]

Good show by Haryana against Goa.......
Haryana (1st Innings) - 287 all out (Sunny Singh 50 , Mishra 49)
Goa (1st Innings) - 190 all out (Ratra 51, Jitender Billa 5 wickets)

healthy lead of 97 runs......

Billa is doing really well this season...

 

[Arjun]

Good show by Haryana against Goa.......
Haryana (1st Innings) - 287 all out (Sunny Singh 50 , Mishra 49)
Goa (1st Innings) - 190 all out (Ratra 51, Jitender Billa 5 wickets)

healthy lead of 97 runs......

Billa is doing really well this season...

What do you know about Sachin Rana? And Sumit Narwal?

 

[Arjun]

Mumbai are off for one round, and will get back Agarkar and Sharma for the next match against Hyderabad. They're resting frontliners Sachin and Zaheer until a 'tight spot'. More here.

 

[Jonty Lathwal]

What do you know about Sachin Rana? And Sumit Narwal?

Narwal belongs to Haryana.....but currently playing for Delhi.......medium pace bowler

Sachin Rana is from Gurgaon.......& an important player for Haryana........a very good all-rounder......

scored 121 and 99 in same FC Match and also took 5 wickets.......2 years ago.... 121 was scored at no. 9.........and 99 at no.3...