da 888casino： There are indeed very few `soft’ teams in theRanji Trophy these days and the stiffer competition along withthe fact that the leading players are taking part in the knockout stage of the country’s premier national competition – hasraised the level
Partab Ramchand01-Mar-2002Last year when Baroda and Railways went through to contest thefinal of the Ranji Trophy championship, their presence there wasconsidered a fluke. After all, Baroda had last won the RanjiTrophy in 1957-58 and since then had, for long, been in theshadow of Bombay and Maharashtra in the West Zone league. Andwhenever they got past these two giants and made it to the knockout rounds, they were eliminated at an early stage. Railwaysentering the final was even more surprising. They had never wonthe trophy and had qualified for the title clash only once, in1987-88, when they were thrashed by an innings by Tamil Nadu.There are indeed very few `soft’ teams in theRanji Trophy these days and the stiffer competition along withthe fact that the leading players are taking part in the knockout stage of the country’s premier national competition – hasraised the level of the competition this year.Certainly, the odds on the two teams making the final the verynext year would have been astronomical. And yet, it has happenedagain. This year’s final will again be a contest between Barodaand Railways. And this time, Baroda, the holders, will not havethe home advantage. In a way, the change at the top is good. Newteams with fresh talent coming to the fore is always anencouraging sign. In the last couple of years, 34-time championBombay, and Delhi and Karnataka, who have each won the RanjiTrophy six times, have all failed to make it even to thesemifinal stage. This shift in cricketing equations is bound tohave a positive effect on the game in India. When a team is ontop for long, complacency is bound to set in. Bombay, forexample, got away with some pretty mediocre cricket when theyruled supreme in the Ranji Trophy for a record 15 years from1958-59 to 1972-73.The shift in cricketing equations has not come about suddenly.There has been a gradual change, as can be seen in the list ofwinners over the last decade and a half. Among them are teamssuch as Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Haryana, Punjab and Barodawhile sides like Railways, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra and Hyderabad have been runners-up.There are indeed very few `soft’ teams in the Ranji Trophy thesedays and the stiffer competition along with the fact that theleading players are taking part in the knock out stage of thecountry’s premier national competition – has raised the level ofthe competition this year. And with Baroda and Railways bothhaving fine players, and with a lot to play for one team wouldwant to retain the trophy while the other would want to inscribetheir names on it for the first time there is every indicationof the final being a whopper of a contest.Undoubtedly, both teams have been impressive in the lead up tothe title clash. Baroda, a powerhouse in Indian cricket in theforties and fifties, when they won the trophy four times, fellinto comparatively lean days thereafter. The bleak period lastedfor a considerable period but in the last few years, it wasobvious that the nucleus of a side that could challenge stronglyfor the trophy was forming. And presently, they have cricketerswho have played for India in skipper Jacob Martin, ConnorWilliams, Zaheer Khan, Atul Bedade and Nayan Mongia. They haveprobably the country’s best wicketkeeper in Nayan Mongia, astrong batting line-up and a balanced bowling attack. Zaheer isin particularly good form as he showed while claiming a matchhaul of ten wickets against Punjab and they have two other gamefighters in Tushar Arothe and Ajit Bhoite. In successive matches,Baroda have routed Hyderabad by an innings and then turned thetables on a strong Punjab side and they must be bursting withconfidence.Railways too have had an extended period in the shadows beforeemerging as a force to reckon with in the last few years. Theywere a fine side in the sixties and even in the face of strongcompetition from Delhi and Services, did qualify more than oncefor the knock out stage from the North Zone. In the last coupleof seasons they have been building a reputation as a fightingunit while adding to their ranks players like Murali Kartik,Sanjay Bangar and Harvinder Singh, all whom have played for thecountry. In addition, they have in Yere Goud, a prolific rungetter, besides in-form batsmen like Raja Ali, JP Yadav, AmitPagnis and Tejinder Pal Singh. The presence of the three Indiaplayers gives their bowling attack a cutting edge. Railways’confidence level too must be very high after successive victoriesover Tamil Nadu and Bengal, and they have acquired a distinctreputation as a team not overawed by big names on the opposingside.Last year’s final was a thriller with Baroda converting a 151-runfirst innings deficit into a 21-run victory. This season’s titleclash also promises to be just as exciting and it would need abold follower of the game to stick his neck out and predict thewinner.