The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Pressure on North on a flat pitch

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 06, 2006

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Pressure on North on a flat pitch

Vijay Lokapally

UDAIPUR: The players are enjoying the event, combining their cricket with some sightseeing. Far-flung tourist attractions like Mount Abu and Jaisalmer have been squeezed in between practice sessions and matches. The rest days have been utilised to the optimum by the domestic stars, who have their faithful followers in some small centres to accord them the status they deserve.

Cricketers, even at the domestic level, have learnt to back themselves on professional lines and have contributed in raising the standards.

The sensational stuff that Rohit Sharma produced when belting the North Zone attack here revealed the intensity of the race among youngsters to make it big. The character of his batsmanship belonged to the higher league. He had enough time to plan and place his shots with amazing consistency.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja made a big impression on North skipper Dinesh Mongia. "He looks a bowler with a future. I liked the way he bowled with such confidence," remarked Mongia after his side was handed a humiliating defeat by West at the MB College ground.

Monday's Deodhar Trophy match in the penultimate round of the league between North and South will be played on a track that appears flat and it would pose the bowlers a stiff challenge.

A throwback

For someone like Hemang Badani, it is a throwback to the days when he was trying to make his mark. The second highest run-getter after V.V.S. Laxman when India last toured Australia, he played just one match in Pakistan in 2004. And was never picked again.

"It is frustrating no doubt. I have never been told why I am not being picked or the areas where I need to improve. They (selectors) just tell me you are good enough and will get your chance. But when?"

The South Zone skipper suffered an ankle injury during the match against Central Zone at Indore but has stuck to the responsibility and reported promptly for the next two matches. "I am still not fully fit but... " said Badani, indicating the importance some players attach to domestic cricket.

Sharing a similar fate as Badani are discards Mongia and South wicketkeeper Dinesh Kaarthick, unable to comprehend the reasons for their exclusions despite doing well.

Raw deal

Out of favour for reasons not cricketing, Badani has indeed received a raw deal from the National selectors. A batsman who boasts of an enviable range of strokeplay, the graceful left-hander is one of the quality cricketers on view here.

Actually, South needs to ensure it does not concede a bonus even if it loses this match, for the South-West match on March 9 should then decide the champion.

South did well to make the most of a depleted Central Zone. Centuries by Sivaramakrishnan and Venugopal mean the North attack would face pressure all the way. Bowling has been a worry for North and the way it capitulated against West only exposed the glaring inadequacies of the bowlers when the pitch offered nothing.

The teams:

North Zone: Dinesh Mongia (captain), Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Sumit Sharma, Miithun Manhas, Yashpal Singh, Pankaj Dharmani, Mahesh Rawat, Amit Mishra, Joginder Sharma, Gagandeep Singh, Abid Nabi, Gaurav Vashisht and Ishant Sharma.

South Zone: Hemang Badani (captain), C. Raghu, Robin Uthappa, Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, S. Suresh, Y. Venugopala Rao, Y. Gnaneshwara Rao, B. Akhil, Dinesh Kaarthick, V. Yomahesh, R. Vinay Kumar, I.P.S. Reddy, S. Badrinath, Robin D'Souza and K. Krishnan.

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