Ranji Trophy 2012-13, Round VIII, Day 1
5.10pm Another fine day of Ranji Trophy cricket
Sidharth Monga
25-Feb-2013
5.10pm Another fine day of Ranji Trophy cricket. Not much individual glory, but that doesn't matter much. Only two centuries and one five-for. Jharkhand bowled out for 120, J&K for 175. Punjab and Odisha are close to bowling their opponents out too. Those are the four matches that look most likely to produce outright results. Fighting day elsewhere. I'll join you tomorrow with more. Cheers
Latest scores - scroll down for text
Andhra 214 for 8 (Muzumdar 82*, Sumanth 57) v Assam (toss) in Guwahati
Vidarbha 188 for 8 v Odisha (toss) in Cuttack
Mumbai 235 for 5 (Pawar 89*, Pandey 4-28) v Madhya Pradesh (toss) in Indore
Baroda 256 for 3 (Devdhar 104*, Waghmode 87*, Wakaskar 50) v Maharashtra (toss) in Pune
Hyderabad (toss) 247 for 6 (Sandeep 68, Ashish Reddy 60*) v Railways in Hyderabad
Rajasthan 268 for 9 (Menaria 103) v Saurashtra (toss) in Jaipur
Gujarat 260 for 9 v Punjab (toss) in Valsad
Uttar Pradesh (toss) 279 for 6 (Kaif 68) v Tamil Nadu in Chennai
Haryana 293 for 7 (Mishra 84*, Jayant Yadav 66*) v Karnataka (toss) in Hubli
Himachal (toss) 26 for 0 Jammu & Kashmir 175 (Malik 5-41) by 149 runs in Jammu
Kerala (toss) 165 for 1 (Ferandez 86*, Jagadeesh 77*) lead Jharkhand 120 (Sreesanth 4-28) by 43 runs in Mallapuram
No play on day one between Tripura and Goa in Agartala
5.05pm - Other stumps updates
Fernandez and Jagadeesh kept on punishing Jharkhand. Ali Murtaza and Praveen Gupta have steadied the innings for UP. Ashish Reddy has done the same for Hyderabad. Rajasthan have collapsed after the wicket of centurion Ashok Menaria to go from 245 from 5 to 268 for 9. Punjab have broken through in the dying moments of the day, and Gujarat are 260 for 9 at stumps. Other scores all updated at the top of the page
5pm - Siddarth Ravindran's summation of the day in Hubli
Hubli and its 31 degrees sunshine provided Haryana a stark contrast from the chilly, foggy north Indian towns where they have played much of the season, but for the first two sessions against Karnataka their batting floundered just as it has so often over the past two months. The several thousand fans who turned up to see the first first-class match in Hubli for a couple of decades would have returned home a happier lot had it not been for Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav’s 125-run eighth wicket stand that lifted Haryana to 293 for 7.
4.55pm - Pawar carries Mumbai
Against an attack deflated by the absence of Ishwar Pandey, who is still sevring time before he can bowl again, Mumbai have gone through without losing a wicket in the final session. Kaustubh Pawar is 89 not out, and Mumbai 235 for 5. At some time tomorrow, we will see Pandey back and the new ball taken along with that
4.50pm - Superb comeback from Baroda
Kedar Devdhar caps off a superb comeback for Baroda by reaching his century moments before stumps. For company he has Aditya Waghmode, who is 13 short of a hundred. From 84 for 3 at one time, they close the day at 256 for 3.
4.35pm - Siddarth Ravindran in Hubli says he has not hyped up what is to follow
Hundred stand between Mishra and Yadav, 157 balls. Shouts of "bahut badiya" [very good] from the Haryana dressing room. There have been some stylish shots in this partnerships, and the 100 stand came up with a flamboyant Mishra cut behind point for four. Haryana 271 for 7
4.30pm - J&K bowled out for 175
In Jammu, Himachal have run through Jammu & Kashmir for 175. Vikramjeet Malik came back to take the first five-for of this round
4.25pm - Kerala in lead
What a superb day for Kerala. They have bowled Jharkhand out for 120, and also crossed that score with nine wickets in hand. After they lost a wicket to the first ball of the innings, VA Jagadeesh and Robert Ferandez are in the 60s, and Kerala lead by six
4.20pm - Recovery in Valsad
From 173 for 7 against a good Punjab attack, Gujarat have added 58 runs for the eighth wicket. Jesal Karia and Rush Kalaria are the ones holding Punjab up. Kalaria is 30 not out, Karia on 24
4.15pm - Wickets fall, Muzumdar stands tall
In Guwahati, Andhra have been losing wickets regularly, but Amol Muzumdar has kept fighting with an unbeaten 82. They have gone from 201 for 6 to 214 for 8. Will Muzumdar get enough support to see him through to a century? We will have to come tomorrow to find that out because it's stumps in Guwahati
4.06pm - Good news for MP
Ishwar Pandey is back on the field. The new ball is only three overs away. Mumbai 195 for 5. MP will be familiar with Kaustubh Pawar's defence. In last year's quarter-final, between these two teams, Pawar was the difference. He is 75 not out now
Word has come in that Pandey will have to spend 50 minutes on the field before he can bowl
4.05pm - No play in Agartala
fog and bad light have made sure there is no play in Agartala where Tripura are playing Goa
4pm - Captain Mishra fights
Reports Siddarth Ravindran: "Fifty for Amit Mishra off 87 balls, gets there with a controlled late cut off Ronit More down to third man for two. Then he backs it up with a pull to the midwicket boundary. It's been tough going for Karnataka in the hour after tea. Haryana 220/7"
3.52pm - First hundred of the round
In jaipur, Ashok Menaria has brought up the first century of this round. And it is an important knock too. Rajasthan were 42 for 2 when he came in to bat. He is 101 not out now, and his team 234 for 5. This is Menaria's first century of the season
3.50pm - Siddarth Ravindran from Hubli
Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav have survived plenty of loud calls for lbw, and played some classy strokes in between. Mishra is confident enough to pull the quick bowlers in front of midwicket and Yadav has unfurled some graceful drives which you don't expect from a No. 9 Haryana 209 for 7. Mishra is 41 not out
3.40pm - Himachal push again
J&K have lost another another set of wickets to be reduced to 160 for 8 from 147 for 5 at one time. This despite Vikarmjeet Singh's being off the field
3.20pm - No hundred, no five-for
No such personal milestones today yet, but Ashok Menaria, who has been in poor form this season, has reached 85 not out in Rajasthan's 211 for 5. Ishwar Pandey has taken four wickets for MP, but he is off the field with a calf injury
3pm - Seconds for Odisha
Vidarbha resisted for a bit after losing three wickets for 48, but Biplab Samantaray has dismissed both Hemang Badani and Amol Ubarhande in successive overs. Vidarbha 129 for 5
2.55pm - Tamil Nadu strike before tea
In Chennai, Kaif has fallen for 68, and with him a few others. Malolan Rangarajan has three wickets, and UP are 187 for 6. Last three have fallen for 35, one of them to Murali Vijay
In Pune, Aditya Waghmode and Kedar Devdhar have scored important fifties for Baroda to help them recover from 84 for 3
2.50pm - Siddarth Ravindran in Hubli
This is a session karnataka will be happy with. Four wickets in it, and they will be looking to wrap up this innings soon after tea. Only twice this season have Haryana reached 300, and it seems they won't get there this time either: 150 for 7 at tea
Sid, you make Haryana sound like the India of last year. The sad part, though, is they can't even say, "Come home, we'll show you."
By the way, other tea scores are updated at the top of this page
2.45pm "@Sidharth, If I remember correctly, you never missed an opportunity to take a dig at Naman Ojha's selection in the India A team during your commentary stints. I am not a Naman Ojha fan; I am a Saha supporter too. Just found it ironic that you now had to type Ojha has taken 2 brilliant catches :-) " Karamana, I had even forgotten about it. Now that you remind me, let me clarify that those digs were at the selectors who had kept Saha out and had given no reasons. Regarding Ojha, he didn't keep well that day, but he has kept well today. Plain as that
2.40pm - Not good in Indore
Ishwar Pandey, who has been impressive this season and has picked up four wickets today too, has just landed gingerly in his delivery stride and has left the field two minutes before tea. He seems to have pulled his calf
2.30pm - Good fielding continues in Indore
After the stunning catch from Harpreet Singh at second slip early in the morning, his wicketkeeper, Naman Ojha has just dived full length to his left to pull off a one-hander to send the dangerous Abhishek Nayar back. Mumbai 155 for 4 now. Pandey gets the wicket again
Moments later, he dives full length to his right to dismiss Surya Kumar Yadav for a duck. Superb outswinger from Pandey, and an even better catch from Ojha, who gots both his hands to it. These are the kind of catches that fly between the keeper and first slip when India are playing Tests. Mumbai 155 for 5. Pandey has four
2.25pm - Saxena updates
Vineet Saxena of Rajasthan has fallen for 74. Ashok Menaria is 58 not out. Rajasthan are 167 for 4.
In Indore, Jalaj Saxena has finally got a bowl, after the second drinks break of the day. Mumbai are 152 for 3. Kaustubh Pawar putting up a workshop on how to leave the ball, and Abhishek Nayar is attacking in hiw own way. Pawar 50 not out, Nayar 28 not out
2.10pm - Now that's what I call weather
In Agartala, the fog is so heavy we haven't yet started playing
2.07pm - Kerala look to consolidate
In Mallapuram, Kerala have scored 33 for one early loss. This is not a bad start at all after having bowled Jharkhand out for 120
2.05pm - Jowar roti
"@Karamana: I wouldn't be surprised if Sidharth Ravindran is served typical North Karnataka food jowar roti, baingan bhartha and spicy hot chilly chutney! :D" Pavan, you are right. I have been told of "north Karnataka food, including jowar rotis"
2.02pm - Malik stars in Jammu
Vikramjeet Malik has picked up four J&K wickets to reduce them to 119 for 5. One of his wickets includes the delightfully named Owais Shah, who has the same initials - OA - as Owais Shah of England
2pm - Assam pick two more
An early burst of three wickets has been followed by another of three in Guwahati. From 26 for 3, Andhra went to 106 for 3, and now they are 136 for 6. Amol Muzumdar, the leading Ranji run-getter of all time, is unbeaten on 50
1.55pm - Recovery continues in Cuttack
Vidarbha were 48 for 3 at one stage, but the fourth wicket has more than doubled the score. Hemang Badani is unbeaten on 26, Amol Ubarhande on 24
1.50pm - Maharashtra keep pegging away
After two early wickets, Maharashtra have picked another in Pune to reduce Baroda to 123 for 3. Saurabh Wakaskar has fallen to Akshay Darekar for an even 50
1.48pm - Kaif stands tall
In Chennai, Mohammad Kaif has held the UP innings together with an unbeaten 62. Malolan Rangarajan has jolted UP twice. They are 146 for 3 now.
1.45pm - MP build pressure
Anand Rajaan has made a good comeback with a semi-new ball, removing Aditya Tare in Indore. Five consecutive maidens have led us to drinks there. Mumbai 111 for 3
1.43pm - Hyderabad rebuild
After choosing to batting first, Hyderabad were 91 for 3 but Bavanaka Sandeep has fashioned a mini comeback with an unbeaten half-century. They are 124 for 3 now, against Railways
1.40pm - Lunch update
"Disappointing about the lack of updates regarding the items in today's lunch menu. Is Sharda fasting?" Lakshman, to make up for her absence, I have just had a Ranji Trophy-style lunch: dal makhni, aloo-gobhi, paneer, chapatis and gajar halwa
1.35pm - Vineet Saxena digs in
Defending champions Rajasthan haven't had a great season, but Vineet Saxena has scored runs for them. They were 42 for 2 against Saurashtra this morning, but Saxena has arrested the slide and they 134 for 2 now. Saxena is unbeaten on 65
1.30pm - Harbhajan checks in
Over in Valsad, Harbhajan Singh has bagged two quick wickets, taking out Samit Gohel and Parthiv Patel. Gujarat 145 for 4 now
1.20pm - Siddarth Ravindran in Hubli
Haryana batting staying true to form. Two quick wickets after lunch leave them at 119 for 5. Both Nitin Saini and Rahul Dalal caught at the wicket. Sunny Singh still there, though, and Amit Mishra, who has scored important runs this season, joins him in the middle. Most parts of stands that are under shade are now full. A few thousand people in.
1pm - Nice touch from KSCA
Reports Siddarth Ravindran: "At lunch time in Hubli, former cricketers from the region were honoured at a ceremony by the KSCA. Most of the players were either wicketkeepers or left-arm spinners. Among the glovemen were Somasekhar Shiraguppi, who had a decade-long career ending in 2003, and Avinash Vaidya, who is now the team manager of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Among the left-arm spinners was Anand Katti, who was an important member of the Karnataka side that dominated Ranji cricket in the late 1990s."
12.55pm - Kerala finish the job
Sreesanth comes back to take his fourth wicket, and Kerala have bowled Jharkhand out for 120 in Mallapuram. A crucial innings. Jharkhan began the match at 18 points from six games, looking to push into the top two, and hence the quarters. This will hurt them. Kerala can now entertain thoughts of an outright win and come back into contention. They have 11 points after six games
12.50pm "How do I post photos of the stadium in Hubli in my comment here?" Pavan, email them to cricinfophotos@gmail.com . I'll try to publish them as soon as possible. Others can do the same if they are at some venue. Look for off-beat pictures: the stands, the banners etc.
12.45pm - And Sumanth falls
Sreesanth, Arup Das and Wasim Jaffer - after getting mentions in this blog - have all slowed down a bit. Jaffer is gone, and Das and Sreesanth are stuck at three wickets each. And now it's B Sumanth, who has fallen for 57. Andhra 110 for 4 now, with Abu Nechim breaking this 80-run partnership
"Abhimanyu Mithun has 8 wickets this season and he is in Indian team right now. Nonperformance is the key to be in Indian team right now."
Akalp, how about Piyush Chawla then?
12.25pm - First fifty
The first half-century of this round is up. It's B Sumanth who has scored it to rescue Andhra from 26 for 3 in Guwahati. He has scored an unbeaten 53 out of 96 for 3
Noon
It's lunch time in most of the matches. Some in the east have already resumed after the break. Latest scores are up there at the top of this page. No half-centuries in the first session. That's good
11.55am - Drama just before lunch in Hubli
Reports Siddarth Ravindran: "Terrific bit of fielding from Manish Pandey at mid-on, almost fetches a wicket. Sunny Singh drives the ball and sets off for a tight single, Pandey dives full length to stop it. Sees that Nitin Saini, perhaps expecting the ball to be thrown to the non-striker's end is dawdling and flings it to the keeper. Third umpire is required to rule that Saini has made his ground. Two more chances soon after. A quick short delivery is edged by Saini, and the ball loops towards gully but lands short. Next over a massive appeal for caught-behind off HS Sharath, but the umpire rules that went off the thigh pad. Karnataka not happy. Haryana can't wait for lunch: 97 for 3"
11.50am - Siddarth Ravindran in Hubli
Chants of "jumbo, jumbo" as the crowd sees Anil Kumble walk out of the pavilion in preparation for a function at lunch time. Haryana's Sunny Singh and Nitin Saini finding it quite comfortable in the middle, Haryana have moved to 91 for 3 after 30 overs
11.40am - This year's XI
"For all the die-hard Ranji fans, a challenge. Can we put together a best-of-Ranji team based (primarily) on the performances this season. Many years ago there was a name for such a team, it used to be called the Indian team. Not any more of course, but that shouldn't stop us. We could keep updating this team as the season progresses."
Critihas, my XI [and I can't say they should be selected for India] would be: Jiwanjot Singh, Mukul Dagar, Paras Dogra, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel (a little harsh on Uday Kaul), Abhishek Nayar, Sandeep Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Manpreet Gony, Shahbaz Nadeem. Send in your XIs if you think I have made glaring omissions
[PS: I have made a change, getting in Abhishek Nayar ahead of Rishi Dhawan]
11.30am - Kerala continue striking
After Sreesanth's opening burst, Kerala have taken three more Jharkhand wickets to reduce them to 94 for 6. Sandeep Warrier has taken two
Prepare for every game like you just lost your last one..!! Match Day 1 against Karnataka #cumonharyanvis
— yuZvendrachahal (@yuzi_chahal) December 22, 2012
Hubli #sosilentcity
— yuZvendrachahal (@yuzi_chahal) December 21, 2012
11.05am - Where is the flying sikh?
In Indore, Devendra Bundela drops one off the left-arm spin of Ankit Sharma. Which begs the question, why was Harpreet - who has taken two slip catches already - not fielding there? If you ask Trevor Penney, he will tell you he is rotating slip fielders in Ranji Trophy too
11am - Anand Rajan back on field
MP's Anand Rajan had walked off with what seemed like a twisted ankle, but is back on the field now. He is wayward with the ball, though
10.55am - Akshay and off stump again
SL Akshay has another wicket, merely hitting the off stump this time and not shattering it into two. Abhimanyu Khod is out for a duck and walks back to taunts from the crowd who shout: "Batting, batting". Ah, the Ranji crowds. Haryana 56 for 3
And about S Aravind. He is out with a knee injury
10.50am - c Harpreet b Pandey again
Harpreet Singh has taken another catch at slip in Indore. Hiken Shah gone too. Mumbai 41 for 2. Both wickets have fallen to the promising Ishwar Pandey. Like that name. Could be used in a Vishal Bharadwaj film. Oh wait, he already has used Ishwar Tyagi. In Omkara
10.45am - Pace like fire
SL Askshay has broken an off stump into two in Hubli, reports Siddarth Ravindran. Rahul Dewan gone. Haryana 56 for 2. That stump flew yards
10.40am - Toss trend
So nine of the 11 matches that are underway have teams choosing to field first after winning the toss. The attitude will surely be different if we have five-day games
10.35am - Siddarth Ravindran in Hubli
Crowd shouts "bilo bilo" [dive, dive] as Stuart Binny chases a ball in the deep. "Lage raho" [Keep going] is the call from the Haryana dressing room as they reach 50 for 1
10.25am - Sreesanth is back
In Mallapuram, Sreesanth has struck twice on his comeback, including one in the first over. We've been expecting you, Sree. Jharkhand 42 for 3
Kerala have just 11 points after six games, but if Sreesanth can be back to his best, it will be a great news for India
10.10am - Hubli at its best behaviour
Siddarth Ravindran from Hubli, where the KSCA Stadium is making its debut. "Police chief shouting at a bunch of cops in the stands. 'Are you here to watch the match' he asks before sending them to their places around the ground. Karnataka have struck early. Sandeep Godara caught in the slips by Manisha Pandey. Haryana 19 for 1"
blockquoteInteresting,isn't it?This trend of asking the opposition in after winning the toss.Maybe there's a view that first innings lead should be easier to attain once your batsmen see a target,or maybe it's just inspired by good bowling conditions,which seems the unlikelier option as most strips in India favour the batsmen. Whatever its' reasons this sure is a little baffling.Four day cricket/five day cricket,one always thought batting first was pretty much the way to go,barring exceptional circumstances of too much green on the wicket and the opponents' dislike of seam/swing.Wonder if this could also be because of doubts about the strength of respective batting units.That would be a shame.
Saurabh, I think it's the belief that the pitches have their most life on the first morning. And also, because these are four-day games pitches don't break up dramatically. So batting last is not that much of a trouble
10.05am - MP lose a strike bowler
They won the toss, they put Mumbai in, and have now lost Anand Rajan, who landed gingerly in his delivery stride, and seems to have some ankle trouble. Wasim Jaffer meanwhile has flicked two lovely boundaries from in front of off and through midwicket. Shots as good as the famous Indore poha. He is 17 off 19
10am - UP bat too
Down in Chennai, Uttar Pradesh too have decided to bat. They are 16 for 0. UP lead Group B with a game in hand so they are almost sure to go through to the quarters. Tamil Nadu, however, are languishing at 13 points after six games. They need big results
9.55am - Hyderabad buck the trend
Hyderabad have won the toss and decided to bat first. Only team to do so so far. They are 13 for 0. And VVS Laxman is still out of action
9.50am - An update from Indore
This is from Shubham, a reader. "I am in Indore, the weather is beautiful for cricket. There's some breeze, bit of dry breeze and sun is shining, certainly going to help some seamer in first session. Looking at the weather of last few days, breeze will remain throughout the day but nobody is having any serious pace on both side (I am not sure about how Agarkar is doing at this point of time) not much exploitation can be expected. Look out for Jalaj and Abdullah a lot will depend on them.
M.P. did a unexpectedly good job in Gwalior, hope for best here."
9.40am - Siddarth Ravindran in Hubli
The maiden first-class match at the new KSCA stadium in Hubli is underway. Karnataka have won the toss and chose to bowl v Haryana. Before the game, Karnataka chief minister Jagdish Shettar inaugurated the new pavilion. He also faced a few gentle deliveries from Anil Kumble at the nets of the KSCA academy in the stadium. A small crowd is in to cheer on the players.
9.20am - Zak is back
In Indore, MP have won the toss and have asked Mumbai to bat first. Mumbai yet to win an outright result this season. They are on their way out. Good to see Zaheer Khan is back. He was "unavailable" for T20Is against England. Now we know why. That might be a statement from Zaheer as to where his priorities lie. However, they will be missing Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma. And as another feedbacker pointed out, Sachin Tendulkar
MP have 20 points and are looking at a good result to make it to quarters. Mumbai have just 14 from six games
9.05am - A trend?
Another early-morning starts, and another side choosing to field first. Assam this time, against Andhra in Guwahati. And they have taken a wicket in the second over. Andhra 0 for 1. Both these teams (Andhra at 20, Assam at 17) have a shot at making it to the quarters
Meanwhile, Himachal too have chosen to field first against Jammu & Kashmir at Jammu. Himachal, with 12 points from seven games, are almost out of the tournament. J&K have 13 points but also a game in hand
9am - This is the parochialism we want
"Would it be cynical of me to think that abhimanyu mithun is selected for the Indian team only to be benched to dent karnataka's chances in the ranji trophy? Last year he was selected for aus tour,benched and dropped. Have a feeling that this year also he will be benched and dropped after the T20 series"
Attaboy, Nithin. This is what we want. Ranji Trophy is meant to be petty and parochial. And yes, everything always works against the team you support
8.50am - While you were sleeping
The eighth round of Ranji Trophy got away. In Cuttack, the toss happened at 8am. Hosts Odisha won it, and have asked Vidarbha to bat first. Right-hand batsman Girija Rout makes a debut for the hosts. Big match for both teams. Odisha are on 16 points after six games, Vidarbha 13 after six. A win here could put them in top three, and thus quarter-final contention
8.30am - Take that, Mayans
If you are reading this, Mayans were lying. And if you aren't, let me tell you you are wasting this new lease of life. To show you are alive, and to show Ranji Trophy is alive, read this. And also write to us. We have one eye on every match. Srinivasan Raju, who gets you all the latest Ranji scores, Siddarth Ravindran, Amol Karhadkar and Sharda Ugra will keep making appearances here
Sidharth Monga is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo