Build-up to Indian Domestic Season 2009-10

[Manee]

Just rechecked the sort of players who were topping the run scorers, batting averages, wicket takers, etc, lists in the ICL and there are a few strong domestic performers in there who may be in line for future India colours.

• Thiru Kumaran: Impressed with medium pace at the death.
• Ganapathi Vignesh: Scored a lot of runs at the top of the order in the ICL 20s and was top wicket taker in the ICL 50s.
• Dheeraj Jadhav: Scored a fair few runs and actually has a brilliant domestic record.
• Bipul Sharma: Didn't see him play, myself, but another with a superb domestic record
• Ali Murtaza: The most impressive bowler of the ICL. Has a slightly suspect action but kept tremendously low economy rates throughout the ICL 20s and 50s.
• Monish Mishra: Great batsman to watch, remember watching him score a century. Was always in the runs in the ICL.
• Abhishek Jhunjhunwala: A lot of hype around him and he did score a century in his ICL 50s debut, but underperfomed considering the massive hype around his batting.

EDIT: Monish Mishra hit 84 off 37 today for Madhya Pradesh today - looks like the ICL exodus is the key to India's T20 fortunes, if things continue like this.

[Arjun]

Originally Posted by Manee

Just rechecked the sort of players who were topping the run scorers, batting averages, wicket takers, etc, lists in the ICL and there are a few strong domestic performers in there who may be in line for future India colours....Monish Mishra hit 84 off 37 today for Madhya Pradesh today - looks like the ICL exodus is the key to India's T20 fortunes, if things continue like this.

You don't want a team full of such players, do you? Let's see how they do in the whole tournament. Of these players, Monish Mishra is the most impressive, and possibly TP Singh and Mihir Diwakar, but the rest of them don't offer too much. Even TP Singh, whom you mentioned twice, doesn't have a particularly spectacular record. There's Mihir Diwakar, and outside the ICL exodus, Arun Karthik, Saurabh Tiwary and Sanjay Bangar to choose from, but the fringe players often do better than the frontline Test/ODI picks. That said, the fewer T20 specialists in the team, the better.

Among the big matches, Assam have upset Bengal in one of the bigger matches today. Except Wriddhiman Saha, none of the others have had a good game- including the other two keepers. Shreevats Goswami had a decent outing, but didn't last long, while Deep Dasgupta's return was forgettable.

In the bigger Delhi/Punjab clash, Delhi eased to a five-wicket win. At a final score of 136, with only Gony scoring quickly, they had little chance against the stronger Delhi team. The match was played at a minor sports complex ground in Delhi, and Delhi still struggled to score enough to win. It was a good game for Rajat Bhatia, taking three wickets for 32 and then top-scoring with 37 runs at a strike rate of 154.

The rest of the games had little to offer. I checked on the Haryana scorecard, and though Sachin Rana scored 33 off 20 deliveries, he didn't bowl at all. Joginder Sharma came, scored quickly and left, then came back to take two for 20. Amit Mishra didn't get a game. The MP match didn't have much to offer, except for Monish's 84.

[Manee]

More T20s today...some individual performances.

• Wasim Jaffer: 95 off 61 (continues to highly impress in limited overs cricket)
• Rohit Sharma: 41 off 27
• Niraj Patel: 96 off 61
• Irshad Sindhi: 88 off 52
• Yusuf Pathan: 52 off 21
• Samiullah Beigh: 3/18 off 4
• Manpreet Gony: 3/15 off 4
• Saurabh Tiwary: 44 off 44 (to chase down a small total successfully)
• Faiz Fazal: 55 off 51 (ditto)

[Arjun]

Wrap of today's matches. Only three matches, with two in East Zone, with Bengal losing again. The slightly more interesting Central encounter had MP edging past UP.

We'll have more exciting games tomorrow.

[Arjun]

Until the scorecards come online, let's look at the series in comparison with the IPL. We know that the IPL teams didn't bond well together, as they had spent little time as a team. Yet, there's a proposal to induct more foreign players in IPL teams, which will only compound the problem. That's a suggestion coming from the largely lacklustre T20 performances of the Indian players. On the other hand, the Diamond Eagles, with no regular internationals with them, came as far as the league stage, while Trini, inexperienced, with no overseas players, reached the finals. In such a case, do you consider the induction of Indian Domestic T20 teams instead of IPL teams a better idea?

[Manee]

Originally Posted by Manee

• Ali Murtaza: The most impressive bowler of the ICL. Has a slightly suspect action but kept tremendously low economy rates throughout the ICL 20s and 50s.

I know one performance doesn't mean too much, but 3/9 off 4 on his return for UP, today, is a pretty good showing. Shalabh Srivastava also made his official cricket return for UP today with 1/33 off 4. Not an amazing showing, but I do believe he may hold up a place in an IPL team next year; in the ICL, I saw him bowl at good pace (135-140kph) and get some pretty steep bounce.

[Manee]

Originally Posted by Arjun

Until the scorecards come online, let's look at the series in comparison with the IPL. We know that the IPL teams didn't bond well together, as they had spent little time as a team. Yet, there's a proposal to induct more foreign players in IPL teams, which will only compound the problem. That's a suggestion coming from the largely lacklustre T20 performances of the Indian players. On the other hand, the Diamond Eagles, with no regular internationals with them, came as far as the league stage, while Trini, inexperienced, with no overseas players, reached the finals. In such a case, do you consider the induction of Indian Domestic T20 teams instead of IPL teams a better idea?

No, I do not feel that it would be a better idea, as the IPL is our premier domestic competition. I do believe that teams must merely be more shrewd in the Indian talent, they pick. This is something which will be infinitely assisted by the ICL exodus. The ICL exodus is going to release a good deal of strong Indian domestic talent who are going to now be well versed in the T20 format; this will strengthen the IPL teams greatly. I believe that it would be a 'straw man' to attribute the failure of the teams to the foreign quota. Instead I feel it is, the connected but different, refusal of the management to look closely at the Indian talent which makes up seven of each playing XI. The key performers in this tournament must be taken more seriously and given long term opportunities to perform in the IPL, as it is those who will form the backbone of the teams. Players like Niraj Patel, Saurabh Tiwary, who are scoring runs in next to every game must be taken more seriously than the Mohammad Kaifs (not an ideal example, but the point is still there) who lack consistency but not reputation. Teams should look to a Sangwan over someone like Salvi, who has not played much domestic cricket in the recent years and is a poor bowler, despite the past India caps. With a single team system (the state system) which runs through the entire season, the esteemed performers are more apparent to management and selectors, but I believe that shrewd management can account for this with informed selections.

[Arjun]

Originally Posted by Manee

No, I do not feel that it would be a better idea, as the IPL is our premier domestic competition. I do believe that teams must merely be more shrewd in the Indian talent, they pick. This is something which will be infinitely assisted by the ICL exodus. The ICL exodus is going to release a good deal of strong Indian domestic talent who are going to now be well versed in the T20 format; this will strengthen the IPL teams greatly. I believe that it would be a 'straw man' to attribute the failure of the teams to the foreign quota. Instead I feel it is, the connected but different, refusal of the management to look closely at the Indian talent which makes up seven of each playing XI. The key performers in this tournament must be taken more seriously and given long term opportunities to perform in the IPL, as it is those who will form the backbone of the teams. Players like Niraj Patel, Saurabh Tiwary, who are scoring runs in next to every game must be taken more seriously than the Mohammad Kaifs (not an ideal example, but the point is still there) who lack consistency but not reputation. Teams should look to a Sangwan over someone like Salvi, who has not played much domestic cricket in the recent years and is a poor bowler, despite the past India caps. With a single team system (the state system) which runs through the entire season, the esteemed performers are more apparent to management and selectors, but I believe that shrewd management can account for this with informed selections.

The IPL is more of a festival than a domestic competition. If Champions League performances mean a place in an IPL team, then it doesn't make too much sense.

The ICL exodus is over-rated, as some ignored fringe players did better. You mentioned Niraj Patel, and I've highlighted his record in the T20 selections thread.

I too believe the IPL teams' failure is because of the management's refusal to develop the Indian player base. Look at the performance of the Indians in the event, and in the last IPL, and you get a hint. Some teams could use their Indian talent a lot more, but concentrated too much on their foreign base- the South/East Zone teams being a good example. Conversely, the performance of Eagles and T&T suggests that they used the whole team, for good performances. The Salvi example isn't the best- he was out of action for a very, very long time, and they just wanted one more option- Sangwan, profligate as he was, still was a more prominent player for Delhi.

[Arjun]

Now Manpreet Gony's record is a huge surprise. He's the best bowler for Punjab, with an average of ten, and in addition, he's also a recognised batsman for them- with a healthy strike rate of 176! The same Manpreet Gony was smashed for loads of sixes by the IPL teams, and was primarily a bowler in that team. What can you take out of this?

[Manee]

Originally Posted by Arjun

Now Manpreet Gony's record is a huge surprise. He's the best bowler for Punjab, with an average of ten, and in addition, he's also a recognised batsman for them- with a healthy strike rate of 176! The same Manpreet Gony was smashed for loads of sixes by the IPL teams, and was primarily a bowler in that team. What can you take out of this?

He could give the ball a good smack in the IPL but won't stay in too long against IPL teams. However, regarding his bowling, it is good to see him do well, but there is a chance that he is just profiting from Indian batsmen not used to the pace and bounce which he brings to the table.

[Arjun]

Originally Posted by Manee

He could give the ball a good smack in the IPL but won't stay in too long against IPL teams. However, regarding his bowling, it is good to see him do well, but there is a chance that he is just profiting from Indian batsmen not used to the pace and bounce which he brings to the table.

'Gonner' was one more mismanaged Indian player in a South Group team. Let's not forget, he often bowled after Albie Morkel and didn't even finish the four overs in most matches. When he got a chance, he once won a match with the bat for Chennai against Delhi. If his bowling improves, he can be a very useful lower-order bowler, but there are far better bowlers around- including those who can't bat.

[Arjun]

Mumbai are currently leading the West Zone table and they're done with the Zone phase. Rohit Sharma is still doing well for his team, and going by stats, he's done well for himself too. He's got a healthy average over 45 and a strike rate over 145. He's got a shout of being the best Indian T20 player now, and dropping him for the scratchy Ravi Jadeja was a capital blooper.

Baroda's got a match in hand, and there are three batsmen averaging over 40, and all being unknowns, including the unfancied Deccan player Azhar Bilakhia. There's Yusuf Pathan again, with a double century strike, and an average of 34- with seven wickets (leading) at 15, though he went for close to ten an over.

[Arjun]

These teams advance to the next stage-

• West: Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Central: MP, Railways (pre-quarter)
• East: Jharkhand, Assam (both pre-quarters)
• North: Delhi, HP (pre-quarter)
• South: Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad

The Rajasthan crisis seems to get bigger by the day. Now the ad hoc committee appointed to run the board has criticised the BCCI for disallowing Rajasthan teams from participating, saying it will impact the youngsters negatively. It's murky out there in the north-west.

[Arjun]

With no domestic action till November 3, let's look at a Ranji team. Starting with Mumbai, last season's champions. They may miss Amol Mazumdar, an old hand who steadied many a Mumbai innings. He's now playing for Assam, Plate strugglers on good T20 form. Rohit Sharma, dropped from both the ODI and T20 teams, may have a lot to prove here. He's one of India's best fielders in addition to being a talented batsman, so he shouldn't be out. Lots of runs here can get him back. Zaheer may be available for a game between the Australia ODIs and the Lanka series. He's in form in the SMA Trophy and can carry it on in FC.

Of those less likely to make the national team, Agarkar seems in the wickets, but inconsistency still shows. His batting form may add vital runs to Mumbai's innings. Likewise, the now-faded Powar, who can still chip in with enough. Dhawal Kulkarni, smashed around in T20 yet again, may set the record straight in Ranji. Youngsters Rahane, not fancied much by his IPL team, and Abdulla, a multi-skilled spinner, will also be players to watch for. They look the part in winning another Ranji title, but the competition is so tight, it looks unlikely.

[Manee]

Delhi have announced their squad for the first two games...

Originally Posted by Cricinfo

Delhi squad:
Aakash Chopra (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Mithun Manhas, Rajat Bhatia, Yogesh Nagar, Mayank Tehlan, Gaurav Chhabra, Punit Bisht, Chetanya Nanda, Parwinder Awana, Sumit Narwal, Pradeep Sangwan, Aditya Jain, Darshan Kajania, Pawan Suyal.

One new name: Pawan Suyal.