**Official** Indian Domestic Season 2013/14

[Arjun]

Anybody watching or following the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy? We're seeing lottery results out there. Nothing convincing so far.

 

[karan316]

Have been following it, I had been to the Baroda vs Mumbai game on Sunday, Baroda won it easily, didn't post since I thought no one might be interested in it.
I was trying to know why the Mumbai team is not doing well, people have said that they lack quality, a lot of senior players are missing,etc. But despite of that there are quite a few big names and promising players in the team.

The big difference I noted between both the teams was that Baroda looked like a very well organized team with players who were happy to play in each other's company. The seniors, Munaf and Irfan were guiding the young bowlers and keeping them calm under pressure. Yusuf was quite pro active with his captaincy, quite a shock to me since most of the international discards who are made the captain of their domestic sides have done a terrible job recently. And each batsmen was playing sensibly and according to the teams requirement.

On the other hand, Mumbai looked like a team of individuals, who were not interested in each other, nor the teams success, but more in their personal stats to please the selectors. Half the team looked like they were just playing for themselves. Didn't see guys motivating each other, not many field changes, no intent from batsmen. Didn't look like a happy outfit.
A team which consists of Zaheer and Dhawal as opening bowlers, talented all rounders in Nayar and Iqbal Abdulla, A good spin bowler in Praveen Tambe, along with batsmen like Aditya Tare and Suryakant Yadav should definitely be performing better.

 

[Arjun]

Mumbai have not handled the absence of Rahane and Rohit very well, and in limited-overs events, they've not been able to replicate their success in FCs. This season, they haven't recovered from getting knocked out in the Ranji quarters. However, we're still seeing several newcomers, at one go, which does impact the team. Of all the big names, the only ones that count are Zaheer, Abdulla, Dhawal and Aditya Tare. Nayar is an average batsman or less, who bowls occasionally, and is already over the hill. Praveen Tambe was picked off an IPL season, but has not been remarkable as a Mumbai player. SA Yadav has a very poor conversion rate outside FCs.

On the other hand, Baroda have a rather strong team, with Kedar Devdhar and Aditya Waghmode settling in as openers, at least in limited-overs games, they have Munaf Patel available all season, also both Pathans, and lately, they have Rayudu. Their crumbly dustbowl of a home ground is helping Gagandeep Singh, Swapnil Singh and Bharghav Bhatt grow as spinners. These players have been around and been together for a lot longer. That may also explain why they feel a lot more like a team, and are better organised. Somehow, they often stumble against teams with strong fielding units.

 

[Arjun]

What do you think of this bloke as a T20 all-rounder? Healthy batting strike rate, so he can make a difference lower down, or maybe as pinch-hitter, and he's been doing well with the ball lately- figures indicate a very tight economy rate and decent strike rate. He's also got good figures in 50-over cricket. The only itch is that he hasn't had enough chances with his home team Punjab, so he shifted to Himachal, and is playing for an under-performing State team. His figures in limited-overs cricket are still better than those of his more famous teammate, Rishi Dhawan, who has, somehow, crawled to the top three run-scorers' chart, though he'll drop down as HP have yet again failed to qualify for the next stage. His poor bowling figures and batting strike rate still stand, though.

Meanwhile, Goa players are having a great time this season. Sagun Kamat is the top run-scorer, striking over 140, while Swapnil Asnodkar, a find of IPL 2008, seems to have rediscovered his form from that season. Amit Yadav, a genuine T20I prospect, has done very well with the ball and is second in the list of highest wicket-takers (and has also scored a few useful runs lower down), followed by another Goa player, Harshad Gadekar. This should now be a pool for the national T20I side, even if IPL franchises continue to ignore them.

 

[karan316]

What do you think of this bloke as a T20 all-rounder? Healthy batting strike rate, so he can make a difference lower down, or maybe as pinch-hitter, and he's been doing well with the ball lately- figures indicate a very tight economy rate and decent strike rate. He's also got good figures in 50-over cricket. The only itch is that he hasn't had enough chances with his home team Punjab, so he shifted to Himachal, and is playing for an under-performing State team. His figures in limited-overs cricket are still better than those of his more famous teammate, Rishi Dhawan, who has, somehow, crawled to the top three run-scorers' chart, though he'll drop down as HP have yet again failed to qualify for the next stage. His poor bowling figures and batting strike rate still stand, though.

He's similar to both Jadeja and Iqbal Abdulla, I personally think he's better than both of them for ODIs, not so sure about T20s.
The problem with him is that he has never got that support which he deserves, no IPL team has given him a long run, just got a few games for Kings 11 Punjab, he never got enough opportunities playing for Punjab, and for Himachal, he bats too low despite of being so good with the bat. With the ball he's quite accurate, but with the bat, he looks a lot more impressive than those stats suggest.

 

[Arjun]

He's similar to both Jadeja and Iqbal Abdulla, I personally think he's better than both of them for ODIs, not so sure about T20s.
The problem with him is that he has never got that support which he deserves, no IPL team has given him a long run, just got a few games for Kings 11 Punjab, he never got enough opportunities playing for Punjab, and for Himachal, he bats too low despite of being so good with the bat. With the ball he's quite accurate, but with the bat, he looks a lot more impressive than those stats suggest.

Expecting IPL to breed domestic talent is a lost cause now, so you're stuck with SMA Trophy figures. He had to move out of Punjab because he didn't get too many chances, and that heam he plays for, HP, doesn't give him much bowling, and is a consistently under-performing team. He's not as productive a strike bowler as Iqbal, but a much better all-round package. Having spent enough time in the system, he's definitely ready for a national call-up.

Here's one more player who can fit in as a T20I specialist. Amit Yadav from Goa, who has had a very good season so far. While I'm not saying he's better tan Mishra or Ashwin, he can definitely replace one of them, so that they can concentrate on the more important form, Test cricket.

What might surprise followers of the scene (or maybe not?) is the number of players in the top run-scorers and wicket-takers chart, who are playing their first or second seasons. This makes the task of assembling a T20I squad a lot tougher.

 

[karan316]

Expecting IPL to breed domestic talent is a lost cause now, so you're stuck with SMA Trophy figures. He had to move out of Punjab because he didn't get too many chances, and that heam he plays for, HP, doesn't give him much bowling, and is a consistently under-performing team. He's not as productive a strike bowler as Iqbal, but a much better all-round package. Having spent enough time in the system, he's definitely ready for a national call-up.

Here's one more player who can fit in as a T20I specialist. Amit Yadav from Goa, who has had a very good season so far. While I'm not saying he's better tan Mishra or Ashwin, he can definitely replace one of them, so that they can concentrate on the more important form, Test cricket.

What might surprise followers of the scene (or maybe not?) is the number of players in the top run-scorers and wicket-takers chart, who are playing their first or second seasons. This makes the task of assembling a T20I squad a lot tougher.

Yap, aren't you surprised with the whole list of new all-rounders in the Indian domestic circuit?? In 2 years time, quite a few of them will be good enough for the highest level, some are already, but aren't given chances because Dhoni finds Jadeja the best of the lot. But I never expected us to have such vast resource of allrounders, especially pace bowling allrounders.

 

[Arjun]

Yap, aren't you surprised with the whole list of new all-rounders in the Indian domestic circuit?? In 2 years time, quite a few of them will be good enough for the highest level,

The likes of Rishi Dhawan, Parvez Rasool, Ashish Reddy, Shivkumar, and a few former U-19 players seem to be shaping up well.

some are already, but aren't given chances because Dhoni finds Jadeja the best of the lot.

Seriously. I'd say LR Shukla is one bloke who missed out because of age bias. Yusuf Pathan missed out because of a poor patch, and wasn't given #101HappyDays unlike Jadeja. However, neither are particularly good with the ball, at least not enough to be strike bowlers, although both can compete if they were offered as much protection as Jadeja was and still is. However, India needs strike bowler all-rounders. Ashwin is the best bet, and if Irfan can return to full fitness and play enough active cricket, he can return. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling is already falling away, and I'm not sure how much he can do if played as a full-fledged all-rounder. Another good bet, as we've noticed, is Bipul Sharma, but that's in ODIs. Likewise Iqbal Abdulla, a superb OD bowler, but not so good with the bat.

But I never expected us to have such vast resource of allrounders, especially pace bowling allrounders.

Pace bowling all-rounders somehow miss out because they're only medium pace. However, a lot of them are as fast as some of the pace bowlers we see playing for India lately. At least two can be picked specially for T20Is.

 

[karan316]

Seriously. I'd say LR Shukla is one bloke who missed out because of age bias. Yusuf Pathan missed out because of a poor patch, and wasn't given #101HappyDays unlike Jadeja. However, neither are particularly good with the ball, at least not enough to be strike bowlers, although both can compete if they were offered as much protection as Jadeja was and still is.

Absolutely right, I do think Jadeja is useful as a bowler and can bowl a few economical overs, but then with the bat he seriously lacks that impact required to come in at number 7 and win you games. And Shukla has matured over the years and could have got a few more opportunities, but seems like our selectors have the habit of writing off people too soon. Yusuf is at his peak right now, the only flaw in his batting was inconsistency, and seems like he has ironed it out now. But still, such high risk players need a lot of backing, you can't expect them to do well every match, they can provide you a few vital runs which can turn the game or even win a game single handedly. Playing for KKR has done a lot of harm to his confidence and reputation as a hard hitting batsman, like I said before, if you play half your matches at eden gardens as a lower middle order batsman it'll never be easy to maintain your form.

However, India needs strike bowler all-rounders. Ashwin is the best bet, and if Irfan can return to full fitness and play enough active cricket, he can return. Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling is already falling away, and I'm not sure how much he can do if played as a full-fledged all-rounder. Another good bet, as we've noticed, is Bipul Sharma, but that's in ODIs. Likewise Iqbal Abdulla, a superb OD bowler, but not so good with the bat.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's case is a bit weird, he is a much improved death bowler, still economical, but has lost a bit of a swing and doesn't get too many wickets. I would still back him(as a bowler) to do well in the longer run. And for Irfan, if he stays fit, he should definitely be playing overseas tests for us as an all rounder. Even if the team wants to go only with 4 bowlers, I would rather be happy to see Irfan swing the ball as the 4th bowler rather than Jadeja/Ashwin bowling loads of meaningless overs. Irfan is also a better player of pace bowling out of the options we have.

 

[Arjun]

Absolutely right, I do think Jadeja is useful as a bowler and can bowl a few economical overs, but then with the bat he seriously lacks that impact required to come in at number 7 and win you games. And Shukla has matured over the years and could have got a few more opportunities, but seems like our selectors have the habit of writing off people too soon. Yusuf is at his peak right now, the only flaw in his batting was inconsistency, and seems like he has ironed it out now. But still, such high risk players need a lot of backing, you can't expect them to do well every match, they can provide you a few vital runs which can turn the game or even win a game single handedly. Playing for KKR has done a lot of harm to his confidence and reputation as a hard hitting batsman, like I said before, if you play half your matches at eden gardens as a lower middle order batsman it'll never be easy to maintain your form.

Seriously. Not only was he played in a team where he batted low down the order in a post-renovation Eden Gardens pitch, he was barely asked to bowl for KKR. That was bad planning all around. Unfortunately, he's stuck there again. He's done exceedingly well in FC and also with the bat in ODs, but he needs to take more wickets, or at least keep it tight when bowling with protection. These days, even as captain, we see him pick five bowlers in the XI, and bowl few overs. That is ideal backup for his relatively inconsistent batting. CAn't expect Pujara level of consistency from an all-rounder.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's case is a bit weird, he is a much improved death bowler, still economical, but has lost a bit of a swing and doesn't get too many wickets. I would still back him(as a bowler) to do well in the longer run. And for Irfan, if he stays fit, he should definitely be playing overseas tests for us as an all rounder. Even if the team wants to go only with 4 bowlers, I would rather be happy to see Irfan swing the ball as the 4th bowler rather than Jadeja/Ashwin bowling loads of meaningless overs. Irfan is also a better player of pace bowling out of the options we have.

I'm simply not impressed with Bucky as a strike bowler. Not enough pace, not enough bounce, and a poor strike rate- tough luck expecting him getting wickets in bagfuls time and again. I'd rather have a restored Irfan, Ishant or Umesh Yadav as a strike bowler than this bloke. I also dread the situation when the Indians pick only four bowlers on a flat deck, because that means the pacers have to bowl over 25 overs an innings, blunting their bowling and inflating their strike rate. Under no circumstances should they bowl more than fifteen, so that they can go flat out and bowl fast. This is where someone like Ashwin or even Yusuf Pathan can be useful- keep sending down loads of overs till the main bowlers' intensity is restored.

 

[Arjun]

Here's an article on Goa's dream run in South Zone T20s in the SMA Trophy. No doubt their coach, former SL international Nuwan Zoysa, has had an impact. They've also got an all-rounder, Harshad Gadekar, as their leading wicket-taker. It's a long shot, expecting them to be Test prospects, but they have a shout in T20Is. Asnodkar has IPL experience, but I'm not so optimistic about Sagun Kamat. They would, however, do well to fix their batting problems, as all of their batsmen bar the latter two have been poor, and they've thrived in low-scoring encounters.

 

[Arjun]

Goa keeps on winning, while Kerala springs up a surprise upset against Delhi. Today's results here.

 

[Arjun]

Anybody still following the event? I guess t's now irrelevant, since all the premier players are now in IPL camps, but Pankaj Singh's absence is a bit surprising.

 

[Arjun]

Eventually, Pankaj Singh returns, only for his team, Rajasthan, to get smashed by Baroda. Rajasthan, with two high-scoring, high-striking T20 batsmen, were bowled out for a paltry 103, which was lapped up by Baroda for no loss. In another game, with fewer players to watch, it's an even contest between Bengal and Kerala, in a low-scoring encounter. In a high-scoring encounter, Gujarat (187/4) defeated Uttar Pradesh (150) by 37 runs. Mukul Daggar's score over 50 in vain, this time, after his match-winning score against Goa yesterday. Mukul Daggar, Rajesh Bishnoi and Ankit Lamba have grown into competent T20 batsmen, while the big stars and domestic veterans are away.

 

[karan316]

M following Munaf closely, looked a lot more fitter when I went to see the Mumbai Baroda game, was bowling at a decent pace and far more accurate than other bowlers. I think him not getting picked in the IPL is a good thing, he is too determined to prove himself now, has been very consistent so far.

 

[Arjun]

What do you think of Yo Mahesh and Abu Nechim? One's a decently fast bowler who's struggled to maintain decent figures, but is performing a lot better in the last two seasons. The other, his U-19 teammate, is a lot slower, but is very good in limited-overs games. Of these two, I guess Yo Mahesh should easily fit in as an ODI/T20I specialist, while Abu Nechim may need another season, and can play Tests when fully ready.

It's a great season for Sagun Kamat, Swapnil Asnodkar, Mukul Dagar, Rajesh Bishnoi, Ankit Lamba and Avi Barot. All of them are scoring plenty of runs, and have healthy strike rates too. With the ball, Amit Yadav, Harshad Gadekar (both chipping in with useful runs too) are doing well. This time, the bowling charts have a new lot in the top ten- including two bowlers from Gujarat, playing their second season. With the IPL camps taking away the best players, these young players are not exposed to the top level, or anything close, in this event.

 

[karan316]

What do you think of Yo Mahesh and Abu Nechim? One's a decently fast bowler who's struggled to maintain decent figures, but is performing a lot better in the last two seasons. The other, his U-19 teammate, is a lot slower, but is very good in limited-overs games. Of these two, I guess Yo Mahesh should easily fit in as an ODI/T20I specialist, while Abu Nechim may need another season, and can play Tests when fully ready.

Abu Nechim has always looked impressive to me right from his ICL days, raw pace and aggressive bowling. It's hard for me to understand why he has never been considered for tests or at least selected for A teams. We have this pool of pace bowlers who I think should be working with good coaches at the NCA to enhance their game. Kamran Khan has huge potential, he is ignored for the Indian domestic games, has played a couple of games for Colts but hasn't been looked after at all. Another bowler who can bowl 140+ and hit the deck hard is Ishwar Chaudhary(not Pandey), he needs to be groomed for the future, too raw at the moment though. I've never found Yo Mahesh that impressive, he is similar to Sreesanth minus the pace. He bowls a couple of wicket taking deliveries along with a lot of wayward stuff.

Any idea where VRV is?? Disappeared after making an impressive comeback.

 

[Arjun]

Abu Nechim has always looked impressive to me right from his ICL days, raw pace and aggressive bowling. It's hard for me to understand why he has never been considered for tests or at least selected for A teams.

I guess he was too raw for the India cap, but definitely he should have been an A-team player. Maybe because he played for Assam, a Plate league team. Or he was an ICLian. Now, shaping up well.

We have this pool of pace bowlers who I think should be working with good coaches at the NCA to enhance their game.

Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Pawan Suyal, Abu Nechim, maybe Ishwar Chaudhary and Kamran Khan. Shami Ahmed isn't really slow either. However, we see too much emphasis on useless economy rate, because of which they miss out- guess what, the economy-class bowlers are actually tonked for plenty of fours and sixes when pitches and outfields don't help.

Kamran Khan has huge potential, he is ignored for the Indian domestic games, has played a couple of games for Colts but hasn't been looked after at all. Another bowler who can bowl 140+ and hit the deck hard is Ishwar Chaudhary(not Pandey), he needs to be groomed for the future, too raw at the moment though.

I don't know why he wasn't picked for Ranji teams. Maybe he didn't really have such a good time in the club events? Or because he was once reported for chucking, he's had it tough? Let's not forget, several bowlers reported for chucking are no longer in the game now.

I've never found Yo Mahesh that impressive, he is similar to Sreesanth minus the pace. He bowls a couple of wicket taking deliveries along with a lot of wayward stuff.

That's unfortunately the profile of most of India's prolific OD bowlers. You've either got a fast but wayward Varun Aaron, or you have a slightly less wayward (or slow and easy) Yo Mahesh, who gets plenty of wickets. It's a tight spot, whom to choose in ODIs.

Any idea where VRV is?? Disappeared after making an impressive comeback.

When he came back, he was bowling at medium pace, and eventually got injured, I guess. Not much is known of him now, but after he lost pace, selectors lost interest.

 

[Arjun]

Lukman Meriwala is on top of the bowling charts for this event. If you've seen him live, what do you make of what you see? I feel he's just made the most out of the absence of the top Ranji players. There's definitely a chance for the likes of Rajesh Bishnoi, Sagun Kamat, Swapnil Asnodkar, Mukul Daggar and Avi Barot- except that only the first of this bunch is a middle-order batsman. There's been little to cheer for middle-order batsmen in this year's tournament.

Baroda wins the Trophy, and it's the end of the season. It was an eventful Ranji Trophy, a decent Duleep Trophy which needed a longer run, an entertaining Hazare Trophy, and also a good Deodhar season, pity that too ended quickly. The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was a disappointment, as the IPL training camps ate into it, leaving the standards very, very low. It was a good season for several seam-up bowlers, but spinners had it hard, and even veterans such as Amit Mishra and Murali Kartik struggled. We won't see too many India prospects, except, possibly, Sehwag and Gambhir in T20Is for a while, but we're now seeing enough to pick two India A teams.

 

[karan316]

Lukman Meriwala is on top of the bowling charts for this event. If you've seen him live, what do you make of what you see? I feel he's just made the most out of the absence of the top Ranji players.

Saw him in the Mumbai Baroda game, he's too raw, a bit similar to Jaydev Unadkat but definitely not an international prospect for now. He lacks a potent stock ball to beat the defense of the batsmen, but is difficult to tonk around the park. He gets most of his wickets when the batsmen look to attack him. And Yusuf has used him quite smartly, has made him bowl whenever the batsmen look to free their arms and Meriwala succeeds in such situations most of the times. He's persisted with in the death overs even if he leaks a few runs(saying it from what I noticed in the Deodhar trophy). Good to see the way he is being managed.