The IPL's become a parameter to judge a player for national selection © Indian Premier League

Is thriving in domestic cricket, scoring tons, and excelling in the longer format any good, after all? I am beginning to wonder, for let’s face it, the franchises, understandably, care a zilch about your scores in the Ranji Trophy. A player could have well put on view both the temperament and the technique essential to succeed in the coveted championship, but it is still not enough to bag a ticket to the IPL.

But, that’s not the league’s fault, you may say. It’s a Twenty20 championship that requires a particular skill set, which some domestic cricketers may or may not possess. And hasn’t the IPL anyway picked up many a domestic players and made stars out of them in a span of just three years? While I don’t dispute that, there’s still an issue lurking, almost lost, in the whiff of the aromatic IPL. It involves that crop of players who are not suited to play the slam-bang cricket, and who are beginning to wonder if playing and excelling in the IPL is bigger than representing their state in domestic cricket.

Till a few years ago, a domestic player played for peanuts, while the recognition for his skill was even lesser. All that mattered was to play for the country, while everything else was either inconsequential or simply stop-gap. But the IPL changed it all. Besides being ever so lucrative, and a sure-shot way to instant stardom, it actually, and quite bafflingly, became a parameter to judge a player for national selection.

Continue reading "Does being prolific in domestic cricket matter?"

Wrong intent is the reason behind poor pitches on a lot of occasions in Indian domestic cricket © ESPNcricinfo Ltd

"When you play in the semi-finals of a premier tournament like the Ranji Trophy, you want it to be played on a much better surface, not one that makes it a lottery. The mud was flying from where the balls were pitching,” said Robin Uthappa at the end of first day of the Ranji semi-final. While one can understand Vadodara's preference to play on an under-prepared track (Karnataka was a much stronger opposition), it would be impossible to not feel for the Karnataka boys, whose dreams of making it to the second consecutive final were dashed in just over five sessions of play.

But, there’s a larger issue here. Karnataka lodged an official complaint which meant shifting the venue for the final in Baroda to the Moti Bagh Ground, and also, of course, preparing a slightly better pitch. I say a better pitch because it lasted five days, otherwise the track was so low and slow that it made for boring cricket. And that brings me to the perennial question that's haunting Indian cricket, especially domestic cricket. Is preparing a good pitch which has something in it for everybody so difficult?

Every season we witness at least a few matches finishing under two days. The tracks are either like the one provided for the semi-final, a rank turner, or have far too much grass left on them with moisture (if the hosts' strength lies in fast bowlers), like the match Delhi played against Orissa a couple of years ago. While both these tracks produce the much-needed result and with it the crucial five-six points, it has a damaging effect on the health of the game. These games not only inflate bowlers' figures to unimaginable enormities, but further boost their chances to stake a claim at the next level of selection. But mostly, they are not half as good as their figures suggest.

Continue reading "Is preparing sporting tracks so difficult?"

Batsmen from the north need exposure to pitches in the south © ESPNcricinfo

The BCCI did well for Indian domestic cricket when they decided to scrap the redundant Ranji format of teams from a particular zone playing among themselves, before the top two could proceed to the knockouts. While the system had been in place for long, it wasn’t doing any good to improve either the standard of cricket or the quality of cricketers. In fact, since it’s almost a given, that a couple of teams in each Zone would be mediocre, the players from stronger teams often walked away with inflated figures, which of course wasn’t a true reflection of their actual skill. Some of these performances, at times, went a long way in getting a nod for Duleep Trophy. After all, it’s the number of runs and the wickets that count, however lopsided the contest may have been.

Even the quality of surfaces provided in certain Zones was not conducive to producing good cricketers. What does a batsman learn about playing the horizontal bat shots if the ball doesn’t bounce above the knee-height regardless of the length? Or how do you possibly learn to tackle pace when you play on surfaces where, perhaps you can lean back and enjoy a cup of coffee, before the ball actually reaches the bat? If not the quality of the opposition, such surfaces are bound to make you an ordinary cricketer. Also, by restricting the games only to the Zone, you end up becoming a one-dimensional cricketer. For the longest time, the players from the North were better equipped in tackling the swing, while the men from South could only master playing spin.

Continue reading "Implement Ranji format for the shorter versions"

The 2010-11 Duleep Trophy winners South Zone had not won the tournament since the 1995-96 season © Getty Images

Fresh from the Ranji games and straight in to the Duleep Trophy; one can’t help but marvel at the latter’s standard and the quality of cricket on display. Just a look at the net session of a zone team is enough to gauge the palpable difference from a state side. After all, the team which represents a particular zone is made up of the best and most in-form players of all the states falling in its purview.

Not too long ago, the Duleep Trophy was the fulcrum around which Indian domestic cricket revolved. While performing for the state, one always had an eye on a possible place in the Duleep Trophy team. You would keep a tab on how your competitors were faring and what exactly was needed to get a look in.

Continue reading "The Duleep Trophy needs a revamp"

It isn’t just the level of competition being several notches up that separates Duleep Trophy games from regular domestic cricket. Of course, the pleasure of watching the pick of the bunch is enormous, but what truly sets this competition apart is the use of the magical Kookaburra ball. Brought up manoeuvring the SG Test ball, Indian bowlers have struggled for long playing overseas with the Kookaburra. Even our seam bowlers have, to a certain extent, found it tough to hit the deck, which is essential to succeed with the ball of this particular brand, when all that they’ve learnt has been with the SG Test. It is precisely for this reason that the BCCI introduced this much debated ball in the coveted Duleep Trophy for the cream of Indian domestic cricket to get the hang of it, without the pressure of playing international cricket. The idea has been to not only get the bowlers to understand the character of the ball, experiment with it, but also alter their game in accordance.

While the thought has been both wise and far-sighted, its implementation has left a lot to be desired. Firstly, there is an obvious scarcity of these rather expensive balls and hence all one gets are only a couple of balls in the practice session, that too just a day before the match. And that’s certainly not enough to get used to the ball. It goes without saying that only a couple of bowlers bowl with these balls and the rest continue with the SG Test balls.

Continue reading "Domestic cricket needs the Kookaburra"

RP Singh bowled with great control in the second innings © AP

We, Central Zone, had the resources. With an All-India bowling attack by our side, we could well give sleepless nights to most domestic teams. The track, quite unusual for a domestic game, had a thorough covering of fresh grass with enough moisture underneath to make the ball talk, in fact shout in this case. And with a ball like the Kookaburra, used exclusively in the Duleep Trophy, difficult to handle of a responsive surface, it was just going to get tougher for the batsmen, especially the openers and No. 3.

The toss was crucial and after winning it, we quite carelessly assumed the job was half done. And perhaps, that’s where we got it all wrong.

We didn’t bowl in the right areas and allowed the opposition to get off the hook, a fatal mistake regardless of the quality of resources at hand. We squandered the advantage and East grabbed it with both hands. Both Manoj Tiwary and Ishank Jaggi (a talented cricketer from MS Dhoni’s land) helped themselves to fine centuries, though guilty of not converting them into big ones, something they might be regretting now.

Continue reading "Central's resources trump East's resolve"

The Rajasthan team poses with the Ranji trophy © ESPNcricinfo

While the feeling is yet to sink in completely, the big question has already popped up – What was it that catapulted “Team Rajasthan”, bottom till the previous year, lost in the abyss of oblivion, straight up to the topmost honour of bagging the Ranji Trophy? After all, creating history isn’t expected of underdogs. Perhaps, that’s exactly what worked in our favour -- the surprise element, and our reputation.

Even though the professionals came in handy, it was the local talent in Deepak Chahar, Ashok Menaria, Pankaj Singh and Vivek Yadav, that came to the fore and made all the difference. Yet, Rajasthan’s resurrection wasn’t just about a bunch of young lads with fire in their belly. The dream was in the making for the past two years.

The regime change under Sanjay Dixit brought in path-breaking changes that were meticulously conceived and executed with cricket as the top most priority. Cricket think tank, Tarak Sinha, whose Sonnet Cricket Club has produced more Test and first-class cricketers than the number of cricket academies thriving in the capital, was then roped in to head the academy. While his technical fluency helped the game grow, his guidance helped the academy find its long lost perspective.

Continue reading "Local players made the difference"

S Badrinath kept Tamil Nadu in the hunt, but the batsmen around him were too impatient © Getty Images

Was it Rajasthan’s deep desire to win the semi-final against Tamil Nadu that turned the tables, or was it the latter’s lack of caution that cost them the game? While the analysis is on, here’s how the story unfolded on the pitch.

Tamil Nadu won an all important toss against us, Rajasthan, and were obviously gung-ho about their prospects of storming into the finals. After all, it was overcast, the track wore a black look (a sign of moisture underneath) and they had come prepared for exactly this. They had five quick bowlers in the squad, out of which four played in the final XI. As most teams would in their place, Tamil Nadu thought all they needed to do was to bowl the ball and the conditions would take care of the rest. Unfortunately for them, that’s where they faltered.

Once they didn’t get the expected initial breakthrough, they believed it was actually a flat track, which of course it was not. They had two choices at that point: the first, albeit the tough one, was to put their heart and soul into their bowling effort; the second, the easier one, was to go on the defensive with field placements which would not challenge the bowlers enough. Fortunately for us, they chose the latter and had fielders manning the boundaries as a cover for loose deliveries. We, on the contrary, being the smaller team, knew that the only way to win against Tamil Nadu was to bat them out of the game. And that needed application right from Nos. 1 to 11. We were prepared to grind it out the hard way and it worked for us.

Continue reading "Why Rajasthan got past Tamil Nadu"

The third day, in my opinion, is usually the most important day of a four or five day game. And tomorrow is not going to disappoint the theorist in me, or so I hope. The match is ‘evenly’ poised -- I need to be objective while writing about a game I’m involved in, right? But is it not obvious to believe that we are slightly ahead of Tamil Nadu at this juncture, after all being objective is one thing and being totally detached is quite another!!

We have already batted and they still have to. We have runs on the board, quite a lot of them, and now they need to chase them down. They may not have to deal with the first day’s fresh wicket with moisture, but then they will have to fight with tired limbs to go past whatever total we post. If days two and three are the best days to bat on this track, day four might spring a surprise or two.

This has been a classic cat and mouse game so far. The moment one side goes on the offensive, even slightly, the other team pulls down the shutters and plays defensively. For instance, whenever Tamil Nadu’s four-pronged seam attack bowled aggressively to take wickets, we played with extra caution in order to deny them a look in. And the moment we tried to up the ante, Tamil Nadu deployed defensive field with a defensive line of attack. It didn’t make for entertaining cricket but, unfortunately, it isn’t about entertainment when a place in the Ranji Trophy finals is at stake.

Continue reading "Third day's the charm"

They come half an hour before the team arrives, as they can’t be late. They warm up on their own, for the team can’t be fiddled with; they bowl their hearts out while the rest go through the motions because there’s a match round the corner. A rather nonchalant ‘well bowled’ means the world to them and that’s what keeps them going till they drop. They hope to catch the coach’s eye if he finds the time after he’s done with the main guys. Then they will be mere spectators while the team goes through its fielding drills or stretching sessions; they must do it themselves, for they are the supporting actors and not the main lead. These are the guys who make practice sessions possible, for no team carries more than a few bowlers in the squad and it’s almost certain that the main guys won’t bowl for long, let alone at full throttle between matches. Welcome to the unknown world of the anonymous ‘Net Bowlers’.

Continue reading "The anonymous world of net bowlers"