328 runs to win. 10 wickets in hand. 90 overs to go.
4 India caps. 1 U-19 cap. 2 old hands. A team confident enough in their batting ability to drop the centurion ( and one time captain) from their last match for this game.
And what do they do?
Score 193 runs in 76 overs of play on a wicket on which Mumbai's batsmen hammered 200 runs from 38 overs in the two-and-a-half hour morning session of the third day.
But then again, why am I surprised.
This is a team that could not close the game against Saurashtra. And one whose coach mouths platitudes like "When Shikhar hit Shoaib for a six, the entire team was jumping in joy."
This is how the points table looks like ( after 3 rounds)
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | Aban | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Delhi | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| Mumbai | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Saurashtra | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| Karnataka | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Tamil Nadu | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rajasthan | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Delhi's remaining schedule looks like this
Himachal Pradesh v Delhi at Dharamsala - Dec 1-4, 2007
Maharashtra v Delhi - Dec 9-12, 2007
Karnataka v Delhi - Dec 17-20, 2007
Tamil Nadu v Delhi - Dec 25-28, 2007
Good luck avoiding relegation!
11 comments:
Ah Homer, You hv been partial towards Mumbai. Despite everything, they have conceeded points to Delhi.
And this are valid points
1) Failed to go for a straight win against Karnataka. Happy to see a draw and get few points based on 1st inings lead. Dint take home the advantage of bundling out Karnataka cheaply in 1st innings. Lack of bowling strength in 2nd innigns
2) Conceeded lead to Delhi in 1st innings after a brittle batting with big guns Amol and youth Sharma failing. Conceeded points to delhi, then failed to impose a straight win despite giving 356 runs target to Delhi....
So who s negative ? Delhi or Mumbai ? Mumbai seemed to loose the plot and every time they couldnt muster the advantage. 2nd innings bowling seems to be a trouble. Powar strikes a fan but not a batsman.
Agarkar not good enough to take wkts even in domestic league. And it happens to be Kukreja to impress rather than Sharma and Salvi (one time best Indian new fast bowler , 2003) impresses more than veteran Agarkar...
A true fan is one who would criticise the team for its brittle display, not the one who would find solace in negative display too. And if points table suggest anything, then its Mumbai who faces threat of relegation more than Delhi....
And for the record Mumbai is my fav Ranji team too for sheer class of batsmen it has produced all this years....
I also feel that the rule of awarding points on 1st innings lead should be scrapped. This gives more chances of a draw rather than a straight win!!!!
Sam,
Mumbai was there for the taking for all of the reasons you have highlighted above( fragile batting display in the first innings, bowling travails in the second).
And despite this, and with having 3 India batsmen in its side, Delhi decided to opt out of the chase before it began.
And it is this attitude ( illustrated by Vijay Dahiya's take post the match against the Pakistanis)that will cost Delhi big time.
As regards relegation, Mumbai plays Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Saurashtra in its next 4 matches. I have already put up Delhi's itinerary. You tell me who has a better chance of moving up.
Cheers
Sam,
"Nayar, who is known for his impetuosity in local circles, failed to show restraint and played on while attempting to play across a delivery that angled in. He fell just seven short of his hundred, but his 174-run partnership with Kukreja had swung the momentum Mumbai's way."
AM Nayar b Sangwan 93(96 balls)
"Perhaps excited at the prospect of the double-century, Kukreja played his first rash drive of the day, and the nick was brilliantly picked by Aakash Chopra, who dived to his left at second slip. A visibly upset Kukreja swung his bat in disgust and dislodged the bails, but was quick to apologise to the umpire"
SO Kukreja c Chopra b Sangwan 199 (272 balls)
"In the middle of all this Gambhir was treading the nervous nineties. Nayar had denied him a century in the first innings by getting him lbw when on 89. Gambhir was patient now, his primary responsibility was to bat for time given that Delhi had suddenly lost the momentum. He reached 99 with an on-drive off Nayar for his first boundary after lunch but couldn't manage a run for the next 22 balls, including three maiden overs from Ajit Agarkar who tested him with pace and movement"
G Gambhir not out 137(278 balls)
On the one hand, you have two guys who put the team's cause ahead of their own milestones and on the other, you have a guy trying to book his ticket for India ahead of his teams interests.
That is the difference between Mumbai and Delhi.
Cheers
C'mon Homer...we all know Delhi isn't as good a team as Mumbai is.
I haven't seen the telecast and hope Neo will show it at some point, but negative lines and slow batting could be very much possible from both sides. I suspect, under the circumstances, Delhi would be happy with the points they picked up. Gambhir simply cannot afford another 89-90...in fact none of the Delhi players on the fringe can, the way things are.
The tournament is Mumbai's to lose or win.
Delhi for sure holds edge against HP and Rajasthan, and a good fight would ensure with Karnataka and maharashtra.
MH on the other hand havent played against stronger teams, so...
soulberry,
4 India caps +1 India U-19 player + they drop Shikar Dhawan, who scored a century against Saurashtra + the brightest bowling prospect after Irfan Pathan in Pradeep Sangwan.
Contrast this with a Mumbai side missing Wasim Jaffer and playing 4 rookies.And barring Muzumdar, Agarkar, Powar and Samant ( and to really stretch it, Salvi), Mumbai does not have depth of experience either.
"under the circumstances, Delhi would be happy with the points they picked up. Gambhir simply cannot afford another 89-90.". And that is the reason why Delhi has not won a Ranji Trophy since 1991-92.
Cheers
Sam,
Ishant Sharma will prolly be not available for the Delhi team for the next two games ( what with him getting drafted for the Indian side).
HP is the one game in which Delhi can force an outright win. And given that they were unable to do so against Saurashtra, I have doubts on even that.
Cheers
Shikhar Dhawan's game hasn't graduated as one anticipated. It was a disappointment.
Then, Delhi cricket isn't run as Mumbai or Karnataka cricket is...it's an unescapable and undeniable fact that everybody owns Delhi cricket but the players of merit and the team they make up.
It is never easy to field the best combination and to ensure there is a team spirit within. Can't avoid it...life in Delhi is just like that. That said, Delhi chugs on despite all that.
When Sehwag was playing for India regularly, things fell apart. He was the last of captains who had some say in matters. The rot is too deep and goes down to the age-groups. That's why I felt, Delhi will take whatever they get out of this match.
Gambhir is eyeing a test spot...Sehwag is mulling over one that's lost. really don't know why Chopra isn't playing club cricket in England (must be the winter there), and the rest are just a scrappy, scruffy, bunch.
Cricket stopped developing in a systematic way here long ago. It is now systematic for other reasons.
Soulberry,
It just blows my mind that a team that, over the last few years, has produced India caps like they were going out of fashion, cannot field a winning Ranji team.
Cheers
Have heard of how the Ranji spots are being bidded by influential Delhi people. Yet Delhi has had 4 Test players as compared to Mumbai s 4 (if u include Powar s 1 test sujourn) despite Mumbai winning 7 titles out in last 14 yrs....
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