Mumbai have picked Iqbal Abdulla, the 17-year-old left-arm spinner, and dropped the experienced Nilesh Kulkarni from their squad for the first two matches of the Ranji Trophy.
Chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar explained the rationale behind choosing Abdulla. "Iqbal has done well in the age-group tournaments recently," he said. "Besides, he is an allrounder and is young. He also has a good temperament."
Vengsarkar, however, said that Kulkarni still has a chance to return to the side. "Nilesh has been a fantastic servant of Mumbai cricket for almost a decade. And we haven't written him off."
Kulkarni, whose ten-wicket haul against Gujarat in the Ranji league stage last year rescued a floundering campaign, had been left out of the final in controversial circumstances. He was also not part of the Mumbai squad for the Mohammad Nissar Trophy or the Irani Trophy either.
The squad has four changes from the side that played the Irani Trophy earlier this month: Ramesh Powar has returned to the side and wicketkeeper Vinayak Samant has recovered after undergoing a knee surgery. Legspinner Bhavesh Patel and left-arm batsman Anoop Revandkar are the newcomers.
Amol Muzumdar and Pravin Amre have retained their respective positions as captain and coach of the side.
Squad Amol Muzumdar (capt), Ajit Agarkar (vice-capt), Wasim Jaffer, Sahil Kukreja, Ajinkya Rahane, Prashant Naik, Hiken Shah, Abhishek Nayar, Ramesh Powar, Vinayak Samant (wk), Aavishkar Salvi, Rajesh Verma, Iqbal Abdulla, Anoop Revandkar, Bhavesh Patel Coach: Pravin Amre
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Parsana battles to keep dew at bay
The winter chill has set in in Ahmedabad. There's a nip in the air and it gets slightly foggy as the sun dips behind the Sabarmati. What it means for the Challenger Trophy tournament, which starts on Thursday, is that dew will play a crucial role in the games, all of which are day-night contests. Dhiraj Parsana, the chief curator at the ground, warns that the period between 7pm and 8pm is the danger hour when the dew is likely to set in, and perhaps have a bearing on the result.
The Motera stadium has been Parsana's nursery from 1982, when the ground came into existence. At 60, Parsana, a former Gujarat left-arm medium-pacer who played a couple of Tests in the late 1970s, retains the same kind of enthusiasm today as he did when the late Polly Umrigar recommended him to the Gujarat Cricket Association for the groundsman's job 25 years ago. Parsana, who is a consultant on the BCCI curators committee, is of the firm belief that dew "will be a factor", but he is doing his utmost to ensure that the moisture doesn't rise up too much.
The process starts five to six days before the match. "First, we start by cutting the grass low on the outfield. If the height of the grass is high the dew sets on it, so we cut the grass to a height of between two to four millimetres." His caution: cut it too fine and the fielders will have bruised bones and dirty laundry.
The second important factor is not to leave the ground damp immediately before the match. "We don't water the ground for a day and a half before the game. So, I will water the ground today [Wednesday] around mid-day, and the next time I will water the outfield will be on Thursday evening after the game."
His other important task is to ensure that the pitch is good for one-day cricket, and remains fair to both teams over the entire duration of the match. He explains his perfect formula: "Maintain around two inches of hardness immediately below the top surface, and below that at least four inches of moisture is needed to help keep the shine on the surface and bind it."
The Motera stadium has been Parsana's nursery from 1982, when the ground came into existence. At 60, Parsana, a former Gujarat left-arm medium-pacer who played a couple of Tests in the late 1970s, retains the same kind of enthusiasm today as he did when the late Polly Umrigar recommended him to the Gujarat Cricket Association for the groundsman's job 25 years ago. Parsana, who is a consultant on the BCCI curators committee, is of the firm belief that dew "will be a factor", but he is doing his utmost to ensure that the moisture doesn't rise up too much.
The process starts five to six days before the match. "First, we start by cutting the grass low on the outfield. If the height of the grass is high the dew sets on it, so we cut the grass to a height of between two to four millimetres." His caution: cut it too fine and the fielders will have bruised bones and dirty laundry.
The second important factor is not to leave the ground damp immediately before the match. "We don't water the ground for a day and a half before the game. So, I will water the ground today [Wednesday] around mid-day, and the next time I will water the outfield will be on Thursday evening after the game."
His other important task is to ensure that the pitch is good for one-day cricket, and remains fair to both teams over the entire duration of the match. He explains his perfect formula: "Maintain around two inches of hardness immediately below the top surface, and below that at least four inches of moisture is needed to help keep the shine on the surface and bind it."
Dharmani to lead young Punjab side
Veteran wicketkeeper Pankaj Dharmani will lead an inexperienced Punjab team in the Ranji Trophy this season. The team will be coached by Gursharan Singh, who played one Test for India and also led Punjab to the Ranji title in 1992-93.
The team, left depleted after seven of their players had defected to the Indian Cricket League (ICL), features five uncapped players and three who have played less than 10 first-class games. They have also recalled Ankur Kakkar and Chandan Madan, who last played in 2005.
The fast-bowling department looks strong with Gagandeep Singh and VRV Singh to be joined by the 18-year-old Amanpreet Singh, who took four Mumbai wickets on debut last season. Uncapped legspinner Sarabjit Ladda and the 6'4" seamer Manpreet Gony are already highly talked about.
In the batting department, Dharmani and Ravneet Ricky, who have been their mainstay over the years, will have all the more responsibility in the absence of Dinesh Mongia and Reetinder Sodhi. Young batsmen Sumit Sharma, the 19-year-old who has played for India Under-19, and Ravi Inder Rajji, who is leading Punjab in the CK Nayudu Trophy, might be the ones to watch out for. Karan Goel, the highest run-getter in the domestic Twenty20, will look to carry that form into first-class cricket.
Gursharan has spent 14 days with the team at a preparatory camp, after which they spurned the list of 30 probables to 17. Although Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh have been named in the 17, it is unlikely they will play many matches for Punjab.
Squad for the first match: Pankaj Dharmani (capt/wk), Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Karan Goel, Ravneet Ricky, Ravi Inder Rajji, Uday Kaul, Ankur Kakkar, Chandan Madan, Gagandeep Singh, Amanpreet Singh, VRV Singh, Sarabjit Ladda, Manpreet Gony, Sunny Sohal, Sumit Sharma, Varun Khanna
The team, left depleted after seven of their players had defected to the Indian Cricket League (ICL), features five uncapped players and three who have played less than 10 first-class games. They have also recalled Ankur Kakkar and Chandan Madan, who last played in 2005.
The fast-bowling department looks strong with Gagandeep Singh and VRV Singh to be joined by the 18-year-old Amanpreet Singh, who took four Mumbai wickets on debut last season. Uncapped legspinner Sarabjit Ladda and the 6'4" seamer Manpreet Gony are already highly talked about.
In the batting department, Dharmani and Ravneet Ricky, who have been their mainstay over the years, will have all the more responsibility in the absence of Dinesh Mongia and Reetinder Sodhi. Young batsmen Sumit Sharma, the 19-year-old who has played for India Under-19, and Ravi Inder Rajji, who is leading Punjab in the CK Nayudu Trophy, might be the ones to watch out for. Karan Goel, the highest run-getter in the domestic Twenty20, will look to carry that form into first-class cricket.
Gursharan has spent 14 days with the team at a preparatory camp, after which they spurned the list of 30 probables to 17. Although Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh have been named in the 17, it is unlikely they will play many matches for Punjab.
Squad for the first match: Pankaj Dharmani (capt/wk), Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Karan Goel, Ravneet Ricky, Ravi Inder Rajji, Uday Kaul, Ankur Kakkar, Chandan Madan, Gagandeep Singh, Amanpreet Singh, VRV Singh, Sarabjit Ladda, Manpreet Gony, Sunny Sohal, Sumit Sharma, Varun Khanna
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
India Vs Australia, 5th ODI
Result Australia won by 9 wickets (with 145 balls remaining)
India innings (50 overs maximum)
Total (all out; 39.4 overs; 192 mins) 148 (3.73 runs per over)
Australia innings (target: 149 runs from 50 overs)
Total (1 wicket; 25.5 overs; 111 mins) 149 (5.76 runs per over)
Toss India, who chose to bat first
Series Australia led the 7-match series 3-1
Player of the match MG Johnson (Australia)
Umpires Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and AM Saheba
TV umpire SL Shastri
Match referee BC Broad (England)
Reserve umpire SD Ranade
India innings (50 overs maximum)
Total (all out; 39.4 overs; 192 mins) 148 (3.73 runs per over)
Australia innings (target: 149 runs from 50 overs)
Total (1 wicket; 25.5 overs; 111 mins) 149 (5.76 runs per over)
Toss India, who chose to bat first
Series Australia led the 7-match series 3-1
Player of the match MG Johnson (Australia)
Umpires Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and AM Saheba
TV umpire SL Shastri
Match referee BC Broad (England)
Reserve umpire SD Ranade
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