Bowlers Getting Centuries - Harbhajan

1st Test, India Vs New Zealand, 4-8 Nov 2010

By Vikram Afzulpurkar

Another hero comes along
Indians are overjoyed. In the backdrop of coach Kirsten's prod that the current Indian cricket team may earn the tag of the greatest Indian team ever, the poster boy Harbhajan Singh, an off-spin bowler by all counts, SCORES A CENTURY batting AT NUMBER 3 (or 4) and RESCUES INDIA FROM POSSIBLE DEFEAT.

Take a closer look
With this writing on the wall, our fans are ecstatic but caution, my India! Cynical thought it sounds, explore the circumstances, rather the things that favoured him. Sure, it was a joyous result but let's not be overjoyed - the Kiwis had such an attacking field, the only go was (and it is his penchant) for the Sardar to go over the heads of the infield, which he did.

Certain situations allow for flair
These days, with the sheer number of pressure-situation-matches everybody can throw the bat (with moderate discretion of course). Yes, cricket is a hit-or-miss affair and on this day, the Punjab player didn't miss and got to 115. Interestingly, the other star of the day VVS Laxman (50 runs) got several plaudits about ten years ago for scoring 165 at a fast pace during a rubber against Australia. Emotional Indians as we are, our journalists wrote reams to the effect 'the boy stood on the burning deck, whence all but he had fled,' and even accused the Australian media of deriding this praise which the latter wrote he had scored when the field was 'in' as Australia had no go but to push for the win.
Reflect
There is a great element of truth in the critical media's appreciation which was grudging. These are the aspects fans need to understand.

World's Greatest?
At the moment team India are in some danger of getting lax because of excessive praise. Note that for the cricketing world, India is their oyster. IPL, Champions League, Indian investments in the Australian domestic T20 league are the components. Nobody wants to criticise India in this decade. After all lucrative contracts are to be had for players, commentators, administrators as long as India is in. Look at the praise being lavished and judge whether it's overplayed:

• An Australian coach describing Suresh Raina as 'the best young talent.' (As if there isn't in Australia, Pakistan etc)
• Dean Jones in 2007 describing Ishant Sharma as the 'next superstar of world cricket' (Is he even a star today?)
• Venkatesh Prasad being talked about as part of Team Australia cricket staff. (He's good but that good to invite global attention?)
• Gary Sobers making a press statement that "Subhash Gupte was a better leg-spin bowler than Shane Warne" for whatever specific reasons. (Did Gupte even get the accolade of being the best during his time in the '60s?)
• There's hardly been a dirty sledge against any Indian batsman (or bowler) since 2008 when the first IPL was held and huge money from 'Indian coffers' became a possibility for any player on the globe.
• A relative nondescript in current day context like Murali Kartik getting an English county contract. He's neither a current Indian player nor truly incisive. (Jolly good effort, eh, old chap? Please some Kolkata Knight Riders' selectors or administrators to 'consider' some players from England for future IPLs?)

Think India, think and filter this world praise, some of it self promoted of course.

Mumbai Indians Prove Inept

Champions League T-20 2010
Mumbai Indians Vs South Australian Redbacks, 14 September 2010

By Vikram Afzulpurkar

The Mumbai Indians' sad display in not defending 180 against the Redbacks is a case in point of Indian self-centredness in glory as opposed to Australian/South African phegmatism even in bang-bang cricket. What were Rayadu and Saurabh Tiwary thinking in trying to cart a six when they holed out, considering their respective overs had yielded sufficient runs? The latter was undoubtedly going for his fourth consecutive in that over which had seen something like 4,2,6,6,6,_ before he flashed his macho mane and bat.

There's also a doubt about whether the Indian section of the TV commentary team is analysing correctly. Just because one version said the pitch was worth 140 runs they summed up that anything over and above was a boon, therefore calling the target of 181 for the Redbacks an uphill task. In that light, Tiwary was portrayed as a hero who supposedly got unlucky in trying harder.

By now, it should be famil1ar gospel in 20-20 that if you've batted well, then you ought to carry on responsibly because it is your day. If you can't because of a good ball or a difficult situation, no minus marks. After all you've made the opposition feel they'll have to work hard to get their wickets. On the contrary, if you display that you are game for personal glory (under the guise of team glory) you've shown your weakness. The opposition immediately has its tail up.

Another failure of TV pundits is to accredit knocks from batsmen that are close to the two-runs-a-ball average, for example 47 off 26 balls as already good and on that premise that these hallowed batsmen can now do little wrong. What must instead be understood is that no contribution is complete until the batter responsibly plows the furrow. Till good balls do him part.

The context of run-a-ball or more-than-a-run-a-ball is wrongly being portrayed as an index of the batsmen batting well, a definite hangover from 50-over cricket, where again in its early days, this average was definitely a positive. Contrary to this thinking, one must appreciate that even 26 runs in 30 balls can be a great contribution at that point, depending on matured a way the batsmen understood the situation and saw off not necessarily a hostile situation, but a lukewarm one prone to even greater dangers of over-hitting.

Kieron Pollard on his part played well and learned from his previous game's mistake where he tried for glory at an inappropriate time. Today, he finally perished in the end overs when it was necessary for a big man like him to bang it at whatever cost. Therefore, full marks. If only his predecessors had taken the cue, which it would be good if they do, however, it's now a fairly Asiatic malaise to try for glory. Time will tell, hopefully another story.

One can assign little blame to the Mumbai Indian bowlers, except for Zaheer Khan's failed reverse swing attempts resulting in full tosses when Harris or the other Redbacks' batsmen flicked for sixes at a time when it was yet possible to claw back into the game. At the start, no wicket fell until the Redbacks scored about 112, which is what you'd expect on a good pitch particularly when it isn't going to be the Mumbai Indians day. Yes, the odd catch will also be dropped because at the Redbacks' score of about 90 because the fielding side is under that much more pressure to get their first scalp. This needn't mean the death of fielding and the public at large must also be careful not to blame the loss on poor outcricket or bad bowling. It was a pitch full of runs and when batting, individuals in the Mumbai Indians' team should have eschewed belligerence at the inappropriate time, therefore leading to a higher total. One can argue that 200 would have been a do-able total from the Indian outfit.

In the end the Redbacks reached home quite easily, therefore shredding the TV pundits' theory that 180 from the Mumbai Indians was a big score.

Scrap the Duleep - Clear the Calendar

15th February 2010

By Vikram Afzulpurkar

Well, the backdrop is of two of the most exciting finals of domestic Indian tournaments within barely days of each other. It's going to make our blood run thick about national cricket tournaments. Mumbai edged out Karnataka by six runs in the Ranji finals, during which Manish Pandey's brilliance brought the latter ever so close to winning. There was more in store only days later - The Duleep Trophy final.

Classic Duleep final
The Duleep final, though not seeming as close, was a monumental effort from both sides, but especially for West Zone's Yusuf Pathan who seemed to have achieved the impossible. Even in these days of wider imagination and scores of 433 being chased in 50 overs. Yusuf powered West's world record first class chase of 513 when punters probably weren't even willing to offer odds. His double hundred second innings effort sealed it, but wait, there was more earlier. He'd scored a hundred in the first innings!

Dinesh Karthick led from the front for South with hundreds in both innings, not to mention stewarding his side to give them the early advantage. Herculean efforts and great entertainment. The games before the final though did not seem to have the same hunger for the players; somehow, state pride comes above so called zone pride if there is such a thing.

Scrap or not?
I opine that the Duleep Trophy be scrapped however. No doubt, the odd match will be a good show. But the clarion call from wise players, Dravid recently, is strong, that the calendar is crunched and therefore some tournament needs to be shelved.

Dravid's case is strong because he's telling us specifically that domestic cricket itself is suffering because captains play defensively by holding back their key bowlers so as to not tire them for the matches to come. An easier calendar will allow them rest and recovery. This is the best example of end-user feedback which must be heeded, or else the cricket establishment will let it pass.

So, we're staring at an irony here - scrap a domestic tournament, which recently provided a grand fest, while serving a good cause to domestic tournaments in general. Not to mention that these kids playing the domestic tourneys will lift their game and graduate to playing for the country.

A Step Back in Time
A historical perspective can delve into two periods - perhaps the late 1930s and then the mid 1990s. At both these points, there were scarcely enough cricket, relative to the eras, being played to groom youngsters in India. To the Ranji Trophy, which Mahatma Gandhi approved as opposed to the Pentangular which was run on regional lines, was therefore added another tournament. It sought to combine the best of each cricket zone in the country, apparently providing cricket for the selectors to view. And what better name to give it than the Duleep Trophy after an illustrious son of Indian origin, Duleepsinghji.

The Birth and Intent of Modern Domestic Tournaments
The mid '90s represents another period, when the Indian Board decided to add tournaments like the Challenger Trophy, and in any case many other tournaments including the Irani Trophy had already been born. A good solution at the time. However, we all know the cash rich nature of today's cricket and consumerism. Many more tournaments were added in the fifteen years since the Challenger. Some of them are corporate driven and cannot be axed because India Inc fuels cricket growth today and to a good cause.

If this action of scrapping relatively dead tournaments is to see light, some more can come under the axe:

The Irani: Is nothing but a chauvinistic show of Mumbai's might, characteristic of their winning the Ranji Trophy for something like 15 successive years, starting from the late '50s. There is no sting in that theory now because as Mumbai themselves will admit, there are many more sides hard to beat in this professional era.

The Challenger (NKP Salve) Trophy: In today's Academy-led grooming and selection process, this tournament's viewer response too is poor. Sure, the selectors watch these but more out of habit.


We need to take some fast action. For posterity's sake, Duleepsingh's name can be lent to another tournament which better catches the public eye in this era, even if it's a 20-20.

IPL early favourites

22nd January, 2010

By Vikram Afzulpurkar

So, with Pakistan or without, P.T. Barnum's circus rolls on -  the IPL is a larger than life show for the cricket world and there certainly ain't no business like it.

One or two countries are no loss
Old adages apart, this show business will attract an audience even if, hypothetically, three countries are not able to send their players. Just goes to show that our human imaginations can take in whatever's there and complete our entertainment. Yes, perhaps if a fourth country's players opt out can there be a dip in the popularity of the event, again marginally depending on which country.

Foolproof check
None of this is going to happen! We're just taking a rock-bottom situation check and the tournament still emerges a survivor, which only proves the theory of popularity of this event - After all Forbes lists the the IPL brand as the fourth hottest sporting property in the world. There was just the mild threat that the Aussies may not play but now, they're on.

My Favourites
Watch out for the innocuous Rajasthan Royals. They're so dangerous; even as they were bidding for their players during the auction, they stayed quiet and frugal, but neverthless trusting Warne's judgement via an ongoing telecon. Here's what makes Warne's team dangerous:

• He picks lesser known or unknown players who figure prominently in the XI and achieve their short-term targets.
• Handpicks his one lethal player - Watson earlier and/or Damien Martyn who will be seen in that role now
  
• Has a finger on the pulse as captain, coach, selector and can make last minute changes in the selection of the XI that'll benefit the side
  
• Dangerous bowler even for bowling just his stipulated four overs
• His side fought back against KKR last year almost defending about a 100 but for a few errors from the juniors

This team lets the others do the big-name chasing which gives the latter a feeling of laxity. On the match day, the Royals simply make it an event of one set of eleven against another. Watch out for these guys!

Golden Learnings

Learnings from the Karnataka - Mumbai Ranji Trophy final 2010 concluded 14th January


1. Even when chasing a championship record score in the fourth innings, after some studying of the pitch, attack in the middle overs (Pandey, Joshi), especially with the middle order is already out there batting. But remember, the more suitable conditions are the prime requisite so in the event that they haven't resulted yet and, say, you've lost wickets and your middle order is already out there batting, hang on. Just because they are better batsmen than your lower middle or lower order, there's no point in making them commit harakiri. Although Mumbai's top batsmen in either innings cannot be complimented for putting on substantial runs, they cannot be blamed because they did not throw away their wickets with ambitious shots. This control typified the team's approach and the lower order came good in both innings.

What's good with this method: It's better than trudging along in the battle of attrition while defending your wicket dourly, and getting singles with the odd boundary every 6 or 8 overs blah blah. Remember though, the latter is the approach to take in less than optimum conditions, typically with the top order or tailenders batting on a difficult pitch.

Why: Wickets will fall even while defending and playing discrimate shots on the merit of the ball. Get your runs before your own wickets fall and more ideal conditions for the bowling team result, for e.g. the new ball being claimed on a lively pitch, or crumbling wicket (4th of 5th day) turning ideal for big spin while the ball is old. (You might even say Abhishek Nayar did the right thing in Mumbai's 2nd innings by trying to create an aerial boundary, although that didn't work)

2. Look for the safe aerial route in attacking in the semi-optimum conditions (Pandey, Joshi): This upsets fielding plans and bowler brains apart from adding runs.

Mind you: You mustn't make the aerial route a must and must carpet drive where runs and boundaries will come. The aerial route is an option especially against spinners because of the mental destruction it causes to the bowlers. Remember, if you don't follow that tenet, you're doing exactly what the bowling side wants -  baiting yourself as if you're playing their benefit match.

3. Talk to yourself as if commentating, when under pressure (Abhishek Nayar): The footage will show Nayar talking to himself at the batting crease in a pressure situation of 50 for 5, almost like he was a retard, except that he was exactly the opposite - bold. And innovative. Remember, outside pressure apart, we create our own and compound it. Talking to oneself (because you don't have to sound logical) is one brilliant way of warding it.

4. Have bowling conferences when you badly need a wicket (Jaffer with Abdulla): Even if you're discussing nothing, the batsman thinks you are and is distracted by the thought that something is afoot.

5. If you have a bowler whose in-swing and out-swing actions have very little difference in visual cues to the batsman (Mithun), make his ideal line (on a lively wicket) outside rather than on or around off stump. And also delivering from wider at the bowling crease.
Why: Batsmen will have to play at an outside off stump ball (which they'd normally be at liberty to leave) not knowing if it's the inswinger or outswinger. For the ocassional outswinger when the bat is beaten, the batsman's chances of playing away from the body increase and in direct proportion does the risk of the ball catching his edge.

6. Always anticipate a third-day-onward decline in pitch liveliness and set chasing targets for the opposition accordingly.
What happened: Everybody seemed to have been convinced after watching days 1 and 2 that the pitch was helpful for the bowlers. Had Mumbai anticipated or planned for its slowness when Karnataka was to chase on Day 3 and 4, their urgency to add more runs through Nayar and Kulkarni would have been more evident to the respective batsmen. These two had done a match-saving job but Mumbai experienced Day 4's morning session when Pandey and Satish showed how it was possible to get easy runs without getting threatened. The Mumbai team would have hoped for an extended effort from their own batting pair instead of the slight show of abandon when they lost their respective wickets.

Mumbai Prevail

Day 4 (match concluded) Ranji Trophy final 2010, Karnataka Vs Mumbai

By Vikram Afzulpurkar

Mumbai won an exciting and close encounter by 6 runs to grab the Ranji Trophy title for 2010 and deny Karnataka an equal opportunity.

Master moves/plays by Karnataka in order of priority and (usually) more recent first because of context of playing in pressure and deliver time.

• G Satish's batting of fibre (70 odd) in the final chase
  
• Manish Pandey's 150 at nearly a run a ball
• Karnataka's strategy of attacking before the second new ball would become due for Mumbai (2nd innings)
• Joshi's attacking even after the new ball was taken (he was smart to realise that staying only invites pressure and fatality, which can be neutralized by picking the right ball to hit, that to over the fielders, again highly frustrating them
• Mithun's superlative bowling in both innings and the threat he posed at all times

Mumbai's master moves/moments were:

• Dhawal Kulkarni's wickets of Stuart Binny and Vinay Kumar in the second innings
• Sunil Joshi's dismissal through a regulation caught behind (second innings)
• Iqbal Abdulla's being brought on to bowl left-arm orthodox and equally Wasim Jaffer's conferences with him (video replays of the match will show a startling regularity between those and the fall of a Karnataka wicket in the second innings. Whether it was the actual conversation or the time-out causing a break in rythm to the batsman is only known to the Mumbai team)
• Avishkar Salvi's three wickets in the first innings. Remember these were three top batsmen and at a time when wickets were needed. The low Karnataka first innings score of 130 is largely owed to this, because of which, don't forget, the eventual target of 338 got created for Karnataka
  

Karnataka's forgettable moves/moments were:

•  Not matching Mumbai enough in judgement outside the off stump when batting, which would have saved a few batsmen or delayed their fall. That element of Mumbai fibre helped their team feel they had a mighty weapon and imposed on their opponents in a way not possible to word.
• Their dropped catches and importantly non-alertness to half chances. In contrast, Mumbai latched on to everything and seemed to have been unable to convert just one half chance (Jaffer), not withstanding Rahane's 'almost dropped the world cup, son' dying moments effort, which unfortunately for him qualifies more as a full chance because it was the title-snatcher, and the famous Pandey spill by keeper Samant.
• Amit Verma's dubious dismissal (not their fault)
  

Mumbai's forgettable moves/moments were:

• Assuming like the rest that 338 would be safe enough a target to defend. Shouldn't they remember that in the last, and title, match of the season, the rivals would pull out all stops and strategise towards it. After all, don't forget what the last decade taught us - even 433 can be chased in 50 overs in international cricket.
• Semi related to the above point is the fact that they suspected but did not urgently press the case that the pitch would in fact slow down on day 3. If they did, then some strategising perhaps in imploring Abhishek Nayar never to go over the top (in the second innings) and pleading with Dhawal batting to leave the good new ball outside the off stump, might have been the order of the day. After all, the way these two had salvaged operations, it seems a better manner of dismissal (we all have to meet that fate eventually) might have been more deserved. Not to mention that it would likely have added runs... but wait... there's more...frustrated the Karnataka fielders and bowlers into more loose balls even.
• Keeper Samant dropping Pandey early in his innings
  

Points
1. I'd like to touch upon some above mentioned points because they may just become 'one in the list' - Joshi's batting (2nd) actually got Karnataka closer to the title although the spectators will harp on his lame dismissal. Upto the point that the old ball was in operation, it seemed to be the team decision, spearheaded in execution by Pandey no doubt, to attack it before its time ran out. But once the new ball was claimed, it would have seemed the commonsense thing to play out normally. That is where Joshi was smarter than the rest (unless his camp was on the same page with him), and a case in point is his own dismissal - that hanging around only makes the Mumbai team sniff wickets and in the battle of attrition, a wicket falls (unfortunately before too many runs are added). He went over the top even against the new ball, unsettling fielders and bowlers with timely boundaries and helped ease the pressure. A good performance from an elder statesman.

2. G Satish's name has been prioritized above Pandey's above. Reasons: Pandey would not have been able to play his strokes without Satish's type of batting for support. Pandey is a different brand of player and is expected to dish out a role the way he did. Satish, however, has not enjoyed a similar kind of confidence state-wide and therefore played out of his skin. Pandey's own knock was slightly above the expected going by his own high standards and supported by the team strategy. So 150 runs off just as many balls is something to marvel at when compared to the other individual scores and the strike rates in this match, but must not be quoted out of context, given the license to execute. Three cheers for Satish.

3. Some guys assume a larger than life figure and Mithun, because of his knack for taking top-order wickets posed a different threat for Mumbai's batsmen who probably played him differently and were put in a shell even though wickets were not necessarily falling later. His open action and line just outside off stump combine to make batsmen play the ball for fear that it may be the inswinger. And of course we all know that the chances of the batsmen to edge are better when they play away from the body, which would be the more likely case whenever they were playing Mithun. This contrasts to regular-action bowlers from both sides whose side on actions require a more pronounced twisting outswing body-action decipherable by the batsman who are therefore not necessarily committed to playing at the resulting ball. Also many of the others pitched their outswingers on or around, not that it is a sin, off stump,allowing the batsmen to play close to the body when they did, therefore minimizing the threat of the edge.

Peach deliveries at crunch time

Mumbai's adoring thousands who watched the match on TV must have likened Dhawal Kulkarni's two match-turning strikes of Stuart Binny and Vinay Kumar to those that Pakistan's Wasim Akram facilitated in their World Cup final of '92 (Sorry, that comparison is a must again). Again, both were bowled, one a batsman (Stuart vis a vis Allan Lamb) threatening to take the game away and falling to a superbly crafted delivery with opened up the right hander. The other an all-rounder (Vinay Kumar vis a vis Chris Lewis) who failed to read the extent of the inswing. Both the dimissals in either game came at a time when the bowling team was not exactly sniffing a wicket but quite in contrast when the batting team looked relatively settled and recovered.

Karnataka take the day's honours

Anyway, recovering from superlatives, one must size up the day's proceedings - Pandey and Satish smashed and milked the Mumbai bowling respectively to helplessness to raise an eventual and unimaginable 200 run stand, a sight unfortunately denied to many television viewers because of a network breakdown. Pandey fell just before lunch and when it looked like at least alternate wicket stands would trickle down the required runs to an achievable score, which it did, the Mumbai pace bowlers epecially kept coming out out with something special. Certainly, if deservedness needs to be attributed to a Mumbai victory it would have be for Dhawal Kulkarni's clean-bowling reasonably good batsmen, bowling the new ball even without the support of a full slip cordon - Binny's and Vinay's dismissals.

Bowling masterpieces
Dhawal's were superbly hand-crafted deliveries because in either case the batsman was not slogging but was beaten all ends up. Amit Verma can consider himself really unlucky to be given out caught behind by umpire Saheba when the ball had in fact hit his pad as he attempted to flick away Abdulla's spin. This highlights an important point of referral and the use of technology to minimize human error. There was no referral in this instance but the replays clearly showed a huge gap between bad and ball. This dismissal, like when Abdulla schemed Pandey's caught-at-slip earlier was preceded by a captain-bowler conference, one of them pre-over, the other mid-over. So, there's the trick - call a conference even if you're talking about your holiday in Spain! Well, Warne and Healy in '95 spoke of exactly these things before holding up Basit Ali from 3 minutes to bowl him with the last ball of the day. No strategy there except to upset the rythm.

Sticking to commonsense
In the dying moments, Karnataka, as a strategy chose not to nominate a strike-hogger (who would protect the  lesser batsman), probably rightly so, as they needed every run. Well, just to deviate, in the famous Twenty20 2007 final lost to India, Pakistan, probably the batsman himself, Misbah decided not to run singles or run runs which would expose the weaker batsman, that too when balls were at a premium. History had to freeze there to analyze if this would become a trend. Anyway, the Karnataka batsmen cast that theory aside (which eventually Karnataka cynics might deliberate after Arvind's evidenced vulnerability) probably because Vinay as a batsman was only slightly better than Arvind and every run was precious. Karnataka then garnered as many singles from either batsmen, initially Arvind and Vinay and afterwards the former and Mithun. Unfortunately Arvind, who'd a couple of minutes earlier cut one just above head level to Rahane at point for a spilled chance (maybe a three-quarter chance) fell to the experienced Agarkar's - attempting to turn away the ball past leg, the deviation did him in and he returned an easy leading edge to the ecstatic bowler.

Agarkar came into the match

Agarkar in a way got his way, symbolically clinching the last wicket and also being the leading wicket taker in the second innings for Mumbai with a tally of five. His aggro with the Karnataka team, starting with his diabolical run-out by wicket-keeper Mithun seemed to typify the theme of the match. He'd got Mithun's wicket too, the first, and at another point, as one newspaper reports, the entire Mumbai team had huddled to mouth an obscenity to the departing batsman Uthappa, retribution for the latter's employing ball-abuse, akin to racquet-abuse in tennis, that is, banging the ball into the ground to see off batsman Agarkar departing. Oh, but for the terror and tumult of hate to cease.... and life to be refashioned on anvils of peace! But neither team was in the mood for Wordsworth.

The Karnataka boys played like winners

Karnataka have to take heart from the fact that they didn't really lose this match because of the way they came back, but unfortunately there has to be one nominated winner.

Most relieved player (of the tournament): Ajinkya Rahane

Karnataka build 4th-wicket stand to maintain outside chance

Day 3, Ranji Trophy final, Karnataka Vs Mumbai

By Vikram Afzulpurkar

Karnataka ended the day with their tails up by taking the last session of Day 3 with a stoic batting partnership. They're not out of the woods at 140 odd for 3, chasing 338 to edge out Mumbai for the title.

Hero Pandey
Manish Pandey has stroked a fluent half century, completely contrasting with any other individual innings in the match - almost a run a ball, striking many boundaries and chanceless. G Satish must equally be commended for the support - how else would it have been possible for Pandey to finish his backlift in a flourish and score boundaries with the gaps he found?

Brilliant Mumbai batting and spectacular Manish
Resuming at the overnight 108 for 5, a doughtily fought landmark from 50 for 5 by the Nayar-Kulkarni combine, the pair took their partnership to almost a hundred. Definitely a frustrating affair for the perservering Karnataka bowlers until Manish Pandey who was one of the many felons that had dropped half-chances until then took a catch that cannot get any better than this. There may be catches in the history or future of the game that will be great but will have to share the number 1 space with this one. Hence the expression "a catch as good as any" - As Nayar attempted to go aerial with spinner Sunil Joshi at long on, Pandey started to move towards the ball that was descending but well out of his reach and flinging his body at least ten feet in a dive, enabled wrist extension that helped him grab the chance cleanly. Grey-haired commentators and ex test cricketers immediately tried to compare it with catches in history, Milind Rege, former India player, talking about John Dyson making such a catch in the 80s and of course the name of Jonty Rhodes came up more than once. The talk on this catch will continue long after the match is over.

A micro-moment of cynicism against Mumbai
Depending on what kind of a cynic you are of Mumbai's strategy, you might say, this was a mini-turning point considering that Nayar had grafted so meticulously.... and to give it away with an aerial shot! But wait, his shot can be justified with many reasons: he was playing Joshi comfortably, he wanted to clear the close in fielders so that the batters could play for singles and twos more effectively, the new ball would be due in about 20 overs, and lastly that it was reasonably safe to hit it where he did (remember, Pandey 'created' the catch). So, only in the context that Karnataka are now looking much better at 140-odd for 3, and with you being a cynic of Mumbai's strategy can you say that the stroke was not justified.

Powar, Kulkarni build again
But anyhow, there was soon to be another frustrating stand put up by Kulkarni and Powar that added runs and made the Karnataka team looked ragged when Mumbai were 8-down. Kulkarni finally perished slashing at the new ball to be caught at gully and this time even cynics have to accept that with only two wickets in hand, the batsmen were justified in picking balls to score runs off.

Slower pitch
The Mumbai cynic then would be somebody who had read well into the pitch, expecting it to slow down on Day 3 and aid Karnataka in a chase, while all were going gaga that even 250 would be a very difficult total to chase, that too in the last innings and that too in a final. All justified in the context of how the pitch seamed on Day 1 and Day 2, but then there were probably a few connosieurs who were conjecturing Day- 3-onward pitch behaviour. It seems to be playing easier.

Karnataka cynics
Karnataka cynics will feel the lame dismissal of Robin Uthappa has robbed them of one of their top two batsmen - it was a regulation away-going ball outside off stump that Robin followed after he was committed to the stroke. Nothing very lame about that except that if you feel the pitch is slowing down, then Robin, or any other top batsman should have eschewed such chasing for the stakes now involved. About their other two dismissals, wild card Gautam who opened played a hard square cut in the first over by Agarkar to give a catch in the gully, while gritty Pawan was trapped in front by a sharp inswinger. Expect for Pandey's brilliant catching effort, Karnataka fans will feel many chances were dropped which would be determining factors in a final of this calibre. The stands of Kulkarni-Nayar and Kulkarni-Powar were so frustrating, one must feel that there must exist some solution in strategy or fielding that escaped them, so what if the Mumbaiites should dogged grit as they famously do.

Karnataka should compliment themselves and keep going
Three hundred and thirty eight is achievable by Karnataka on this possibly slowing pitch, considering their current position of 140-odd for 3 but it is a mountain. Manish Pandey shows no signs of slowing his scoring rate with the kind of bowling being dished out to him. It's possible the Mumbai bowlers are baiting him. Satish at the other end seems the ideal foil and is defending dourly as he should, while seizing the loose ball for runs. It's going to be interesting to see if there is a sudden character change in Pandey and he starts to graft, based on advice from his camp. At least Pandey and Satish have pulled the chance for victory out of the realms of the impossibility that it seemed to be heading towards after three wickets fell relatively early. Even if coasting to the score easily, the hosts must be wary of Mumbai's ability to pull a rabbit out of the hat.

The Dhawal-Ashishek Wall

Day 2, Ranji Trophy final 2009-10, Karnataka Vs Mumbai, at Mysore

By Vikram Afzulpurkar

See-sawing fortunes for both teams, not surprisingly on a lively bowling pitch, characterized the day at the picturesque Gangotri Glades ground in Mysore. Mumbai ended the day at a comfortable 108 for 5, after being 50-odd for the same number of wickets, therefore taking their overall lead to 215, after bowling out Karnataka for 130 just after lunch. The Jai-Veeru batting combination of Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar took highest honours.

Mithun slices the Mumbai spleen
The end situation on Day 2 does not tell the sorry tale the visitors’ top order described, again collapsing to 18 for 3, with the stoic Mithun striking with deceptive swing while pitching just outside off stump. Two more wickets fell amidst a mild stability, taking them to just over 50 runs before Dhawal Kulkarni walked in and put up possibly the most crucial stand in the match so far, with the solid Abhishek Nayar.

Mumbai had their moments early in the day also
Earlier in the day, Mumbai had reason to be excited, dismissing their rivals for 130 and gaining what on this wicket can be described as a huge 103 run first-innings lead. Salvi’s jubilation at the fall of the last wicket was probably the only time the body language showed the relief of securing the first innings lead, but everybody had resigned themselves to the fact that this would be a match decided on outright result.

The Karnataka dilemna
Karnataka have a worrying situation on their hands unless they scheme well overnight to plot the downfall of the current Kulkarni-Nayar partnership and ensure they continue the trend for the next four wickets. They must be wondering how they allowed a non-batsman like Kulkarni to settle into a 90-minute crease occupation especially when wickets were tumbling at their will? But of course, it’s easy to be a couch potato. They tried their best. The Mumbai duo just got stuck in there. Of course, if they clean them up and the rest of the batters early, it’ll still require great batting from Karnataka to reach their 250+ target.

Karnataka’s optimistic approach tomorrow
To take a realistic view, Mumbai would probably be able to add 50 more runs in session 1 on Day 3 tomorrow. Now, how would the pitch play post lunch Day 3? Possibly slower, therefore allowing Karnataka the best batting surface across both sides because they would bat into Day 4 as well, again with the pitch not developing spin devils, something possibly expected on Day 5. Possibly, but not necessarily.

Deviation check
In all of this Karnataka will be well aware of the batting might of the defending champions and the possibility of them batting up to tea on Day 3 and adding yet another fifty.

Get the Mumbaiites for 50 more and chase well
So, it would seem that for Karnataka to get the Mumbaiites all out by lunch and for a maximum of 50 runs would be a good target. Any earlier and for any lesser runs is even better! And a possibility of the hosts batting on a slowing surface. Oh, for Dravid (who’s missing this match because of a schedule mismatch with national committments)! But then that evens it up, or Mumbai’ll be crying hoarse for Sachin.

Let’s see how tomorrow unfolds.

Bowling wins

Day 1, Ranji Trophy 2009-10 final, Karnataka vs Mumbai, Mysore

By Vikram Afzulpurkar

Full marks to Karnataka for being dynamic with their host venue option and choosing Mysore’s Gangotri Glades ground because of the green wicket. Their pacers had pegged out the first three Mumbai batters within the first half hour to leave the hosts at 21 for 3.

No fault of the Mumbai top order
While the credit for hurling the ball in the right area goes to the Karnataka fast bowlers, which yielded the first three wickets, neither of the Mumbai batsmen, Sahil Kukreja, Wasim Jaffer, nor Ajinkya Rahane played injudicious strokes in their dismissals. The grassy wicket's movement and bounce made the ball find the edges of Kukreja and Rahane in what you might call regulation caught-behind dismissals. Jaffer played a shot that anybody in his right mind would do – flick a fast bowler off his hips – but unluckily to give a catch to the forward-short-leg fielder, purely a reflex catch that stuck after some minor juggling. Pacer Vinay Kumar, with his model action, accounted for these three.

Mithun to the fore again
Innovative bowling should win tournaments. The romantic of mind probably remember Pakistan’s World Cup triumph in 1992 and Aquib Javed clean bowling Greatbatch with what turned out to be a finger-spun leg-spinner to the left hander, and then Wasim Akram castling Lamb and Chris Lewis in the final with late reverse swinging balls. It required as much ability as guts in the pressure situations to innovate. Similarly, Indians remember Balwinder Sandhu’s World Cup 1983 final’s ball to Greenidge which famously shattered his stumps while he intended a glorious 'leave.' Did the much touted A Mithun, Karnataka’s find-of-the-season pacer, do the same today? His wickets of two top-class Mumbai left-handers Omkar Khanvilkar and Abhishek Nayar yorked the batsman and probably opened the floodgates.

Mithun read the batsmen well
While Mumbai batted until that point, it seemed that bowling the right length to the batsman would be the theme. After all it was a green wicket that had vindicated itself by at least two dismissals upto that point because of the swing and bounce factor. Planning the executioner's ball, Mithun who was by now really bending his back sent down two old-fashioned yorkers, maybe with a hint of swing in them.

Day of the yorker
A question - Has the yorker otherwise lost its prominence in day to day cricket and instead being replaced with hundreds of variations of a slow ball, the knuckle ball, the across-the-seam grip ball? Are yorkers mostly favoured only when reverse swing is possible with the older ball? Mithun changed the tempo as he actually thought out of the box.

Wicket keeper’s controversy
Well, right from Rod Marsh behind the stumps asking batsman Ian Botham “So, how’s your wife and my kids” to being the vocal therapists of every ball, wicket keepers open up a pandora’s box on the spirit of the game. Today, the Karnataka wicketkeeper chose a quieter route to controversy by apparently running out Agarkar when the batsman safely believed it was a dead ball and for a moment had his feet outside the popping crease when shadow-practising a stroke. Considering that the umpires deliberated over the decision before giving it, therefore expending some time, there seemed to be no effort from Karnataka to recall the appeal. Mumbai will be fuming with this one, but the game goes on. Well, this is now a game that allows the non-striker to back up as much as he wants to while the bowler can do nothing to run him out at his end. So, wont' batting sides that are wronged question the spirit of the game and why the fielding side or even the law not supporting a striker injudicious action.

Jaffer’s life-learning
Vinayak Samant, probably the last of the genuine bastmen, did an admirable job with his 60-odd runs, also displaying the instinct of protecting number 11 batsman Salvi by selective running of singles which would bring the latter on strike. Mumbai will definitely feel proud of their lower order taking them to 233 when earlier in the day 6 wickets had fallen for 106 runs only. Perhaps Wasim Jaffer’s takeaway so far will be to trust the nature of the wicket and deviate from the famous bat-first philosophy, which he adhered to in the morning when he won the toss. He must’ve been thinking that if the last 4 wickets could raise 117 runs, wouldn’t the top 6 have given at least a hundred more to add to the 233? What’s the best way to decide? Take strong local opinion instead of reading the hosts’ newly laid pitch yourself? But then again, had he lost the toss, he would have had to take first strike.

Expect the unexpected
Even though Mumbai is historically a 'batting side,' Karnataka will not take the former's bowling and teamwork lightly on a crucial second day. Mumbai have famously pegged back oppositions in the past, whether with a stack of wickets, runs or catches especially with the chips down.

Match lasting five days?
Maybe too much emphasis is being laid by all –players, coaches, commentators and spectators - on the first innings lead. On this proven greentop, would a game last five days? The cynic feels that even with a speculative first innings score from Karnataka of about 350 by lunch on the third day, giving them the first innings lead, at what rate Mumbai scores its runs in the second innings will tell us if the game is going to head to an outright finish by two innings. If Mumbai's famed batting tank hits up an ambitious 450 in a day and a half, can their bowlers defend a target of, say 325, by bowling out Karnataka in one full day's play, that is, on the final day? But this is mere speculation.

Can Karnataka do a dour defending act in the first innings?
It may be unlikely that Karnataka consume two full days in stretching out their first innings lead, which as an outcome would place them as favourites for winning on the first innings basis. The reason for this is that ultra defensiveness will cause them to lose wickets. With attacking fields set by the Mumbaiites, the Karnataka batters will have to play attacking strokes or hit over the top, therefore increasing the chances for Mumbai to get wickets, which simultaneously enabling Karnataka to get quick runs.