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 the
final of the Ranji Trophy championship, their presence there was
considered a fluke. After all, Baroda had last won the Ranji
Trophy in 1957-58 and since then had, for long, been in the
shadow of Bombay and Maharashtra in the West Zone league. And
whenever they got past these two giants and made it to the knock
out rounds, they were eliminated at an early stage. Railways
entering the final was even more surprising. They had never won
the trophy and had qualified for the title clash only once, in
1987-88, when they were thrashed by an innings by Tamil Nadu.
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There are indeed very few `soft’ teams in the |
Certainly, the odds on the two teams making the final the very
next year would have been astronomical. And yet, it has happened
again. This year’s final will again be a contest between Baroda
and Railways. And this time, Baroda, the holders, will not have
the home advantage. In a way, the change at the top is good. New
teams with fresh talent coming to the fore is always an
encouraging sign. In the last couple of years, 34-time champion
Bombay, and Delhi and Karnataka, who have each won the Ranji
Trophy six times, have all failed to make it even to the
semifinal stage. This shift in cricketing equations is bound to
have a positive effect on the game in India. When a team is on
top for long, complacency is bound to set in. Bombay, for
example, got away with some pretty mediocre cricket when they
ruled supreme in the Ranji Trophy for a record 15 years from
1958-59 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 of
winners over the last decade and a half. Among them are teams
such as Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Haryana, Punjab and Baroda
while 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 these
days and the stiffer competition along with the fact that the
leading players are taking part in the knock out stage of the
country’s premier national competition – has raised the level of
the competition this year. And with Baroda and Railways both
having fine players, and with a lot to play for one team would
want to retain the trophy while the other would want to inscribe
their names on it for the first time there is every indication
of the final being a whopper of a contest.Undoubtedly, both teams have been impressive in the lead up to
the title clash. Baroda, a powerhouse in Indian cricket in the
forties and fifties, when they won the trophy four times, fell
into comparatively lean days thereafter. The bleak period lasted
for a considerable period but in the last few years, it was
obvious that the nucleus of a side that could challenge strongly
for the trophy was forming. And presently, they have cricketers
who have played for India in skipper Jacob Martin, Connor
Williams, Zaheer Khan, Atul Bedade and Nayan Mongia. They have
probably the country’s best wicketkeeper in Nayan Mongia, a
strong batting line-up and a balanced bowling attack. Zaheer is
in particularly good form as he showed while claiming a match
haul of ten wickets against Punjab and they have two other game
fighters in Tushar Arothe and Ajit Bhoite. In successive matches,
Baroda have routed Hyderabad by an innings and then turned the
tables on a strong Punjab side and they must be bursting with
confidence.Railways too have had an extended period in the shadows before
emerging as a force to reckon with in the last few years. They
were a fine side in the sixties and even in the face of strong
competition from Delhi and Services, did qualify more than once
for the knock out stage from the North Zone. In the last couple
of seasons they have been building a reputation as a fighting
unit while adding to their ranks players like Murali Kartik,
Sanjay Bangar and Harvinder Singh, all whom have played for the
country. In addition, they have in Yere Goud, a prolific rungetter, besides in-form batsmen like Raja Ali, JP Yadav, Amit
Pagnis and Tejinder Pal Singh. The presence of the three India
players gives their bowling attack a cutting edge. Railways’
confidence level too must be very high after successive victories
over Tamil Nadu and Bengal, and they have acquired a distinct
reputation as a team not overawed by big names on the opposing
side.Last year’s final was a thriller with Baroda converting a 151-run
first innings deficit into a 21-run victory. This season’s title
clash also promises to be just as exciting and it would need a
bold follower of the game to stick his neck out and predict the
winner.
