Published: Oct 06, 2011, 10:32 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 23, 2014, 02:24 AM (IST)
Shikhar Dhawan: 150-plus in both innings at a strike-rate of over a run-a-ball © Getty Images
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
In the midst of the Champions League T20 (CLT20) frenzy, India’s domestic season opener featuring the Ranji Champions of 2010-11 and Rest of India took a backseat. The Irani Trophy 2011-12 encounter took place very quietly at Jaipur’s Sawai Man Singh Stadium. Rajasthan, the surprise winners of the Ranji Trophy 2010-11, locked horns with a Parthiv Patel led side comprising some of India’s top performers in first-class cricket.
The Irani Trophy is an ideal opportunity for the selectors to test some of India’s domestic stars on a slightly bigger stage. India’s home season starts around October and this tournament helps the team management assess the form and fitness of various contenders of national spots. This time around, the season curtain raiser seems to have become even more crucial. A lot of India’s senior players are out injured and that has allowed various youngsters to fill in and stake a claim for a permanent spot. The fact that six of the Rest of India eleven are a part of India’s squad for the first two One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against England just enunciates the importance of the game.
Rest thrashed Rajasthan by 404 runs as they dominated with both bat and ball. It was a good team effort as the batsmen helped pile runs beyond the reach of Rajasthan and the bowlers didn’t allow the opposition batsmen to score the big runs they needed.
Shikhar Dhawan, the Delhi opener was the one who stood out with the bat. His big hundreds in both innings helped put Rest in a position of absolute control. The most impressive aspect about his performance was his strike-rate. In both innings he scored at over a run a ball which is absolutely brilliant considering the fact that it was a first-class game. A batsman can have the odd knock in first-class cricket where he scores at a very brisk rate, but to do it twice in a match while scoring 150-plus is very commendable.
Abhinav Mukund, Dhawan’s opening partner, made up for his first innings failure with a brisk knock of 154 in the second outing. Mukund hasn’t had the best time in the India whites but continues to show promise at the domestic level. This hundred would give him immense confidence after the disastrous tour of England and would keep him in the frame when India hosts the West Indies for Test matches later this year. Dhawan’s twin hundred would propel him in the race for the openers spot in India’s line-up. If he gets a few more big scores before West Indies arrive, it may just get him ahead of Mukund.
Virender Sehwag’s recovery process would determine the fate of both Mukund and Dhawan. If Sehwag recovers in time for the West Indies series, then one of the two would be picked. However, if his shoulder continues to bother him, Dhawan and Mukund may find themselves competing with each other to walk along side Gautam Gambhir in the whites and face the new ball.
Ajinkya Rahane continued his good work from England into this match. As Dhawan crushed the bowling, Rahane brought sanity to the proceedings by stroking a cool 152 off 266 balls in the first innings. Rahane was impressive in England as he showed good temperament and technique against the new ball. He showed that he had the ability to adjust to the pace of the game and isn’t just a player for the longer version. This knock has given him sufficient time in the middle which would hold him in good stead when he dons the India jersey against England.
There were other important contributions such as Parthiv Patel’s 55 and Mandeep Singh’s 60. The Rest of India tail wagged as Vinay Kumar (43), Varun Aaron (41) and Rahul Sharma (52) added to the frustration of the Rajasthan bowlers.
Pragyan Ojha just proved that the national selectors cannot ignore him for long as he has been performing consistently. His match tally of nine wickets was as crucial as Dhawan’s hundreds simply because he didn’t allow the Rajasthan batsmen to get on top. The Irani Trophy display comes close on the heels of his brilliant stint in the English county championship. It is a mystery as to why he is ignored for the ODIs. Whenever given an opportunity he has shown the ability to pick up wickets. The loop he gives the ball is his biggest strength as the batsmen aren’t sure about is length. The ball just dips which leaves the batsman confused about his shot selection.
Rahul Sharma, the other spinner in the line-up, didn’t have a very successful outing. An impressive performance in the Indian Premier League may have got him into the Indian squad, but his non-performance with the ball in the Irani Trophy will reignite the debate if selections based on T20 should be considered for first-class cricket. In the first innings he went wicket-less but picked up two lower order batsmen in the second. As expected his economy rate was good, but he failed to make an impact in the wickets column.
Coming to the pace department, Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav had decent outings. Both picked four wickets in the match, but Varun Aaron was a disappointment as he had just one scalp to show in the entire match. He needs to prove that there is more than just pace to his bowling.
With Chennai Super Kings out of the tournament, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will have a good rest. But he would also have a close look at the scorecard of this game as it would help him decide the team combination. It will be no surprise if he asks for Ojha to be recalled into the ODI squad after the first two matches against England.
Dhoni’s yellow cap is off, but the thinking cap should be on!
(Nishad Pai Vaidya, a 21-year-old law student, is a club and college-level cricketer. His teachers always complain, “He knows the stats and facts of cricket more than the subjects we teach him.”)
