The Irani Cup has traditionally been the season's opener
and often a virtual trial match for the year ahead. There have
occasionally been departures from the pattern, when the match has been a
meaningless end-of-season farce.
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The Irani Cup match at Nagpur has been in the news mainly
because of the opportunity it afforded VVS Laxman to test his return to
full fitness and get some runs under his belt in the process. Laxman duly did so and there have been a handful of good
performances by young players. Unfortunately, provided all the leading
contenders are fit, there are few vacant slots in the Indian team and a
Test series in South Africa is hardly the occasion to blood a youngster,
so none of these may get the selectorial nod.

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MRF Pace Foundation trainee Tinu Yohanan seems to have impressed the
selectors more than most. According to chairman of selectors Chandu
Borde, the tall Kerala lad bowled with fire and pace. Connor Williams of
Baroda has given firm notice to the selectors with scores of 143 and 83,
and Dinesh Mongia served them a reminder.

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Sarandeep Singh quietly picked up five wickets, showing a rare
consistency if you recall his last appearances in a Test match and a
tour game against the Australians, in which too, he grabbed a clutch of
wickets. He will know that it will take a miracle to displace the
Turbanator. Two wicket keepers have batted well in the match. While
Nayan Mongia has probably played his last Test, young Ajay Ratra has
certainly done his chances a world of good with his fighting innings.
As it so often happens in matches of this kind, noteworthy more as
selection trials than as contests per se, a player not exactly in the
running for a Test place, turned in an immaculate display. Valmik Buch
looked a most competent spinner, but his girth suggests that the young
left armer is not a serious candidate for higher honours.
The Irani Cup has traditionally been the season's opener and often a
virtual trial match for the year ahead. There have occasionally been
departures from the pattern, when the match has been a meaningless endof-season farce. The Rest of India team composition has sometimes drawn
flak for not being the best in the land, but that is because the critics
did not agree with the selectors' choice of Test prospects. Yet the tie
has repeatedly confounded the critics by throwing up some spectacular
successes.
Anil Kumble was an Irani Cup find who hasn't done so badly for India
thereafter. A young man called Dilip Vengsarkar hit a magnificent 110
for Bombay against a Rest attack that included Bedi and Prasanna, and
forced his way into Test reckoning.
Vengsarkar's teammate Paddy Shivalkar was less fortunate. He took nine
wickets including six in the first innings of the same match, but never
played for India. On at least one earlier occasion, the left-arm spinner
had bowled Bombay to an Irani victory, only to make way for his senior,
Bapu Nadkarni, in the Ranji Trophy!
Kapil Dev was another star-in-the-making to make waves in the Irani Cup.
His all round display at Bangalore in 1978-79 merely confirmed the
selectors' assessment of the Haryana lad as Test class.
Probably the unluckiest achiever in the history of the event was
Surinder Amarnath, whose unbeaten 235 in 1980-81 failed to win him a
place in the squad for the Australian tour that followed. TE Srinivasan
and Kirti Azad who also did well in that game were luckier.