Related Links

By Venkat

After the highly entertaining Samsung Cup in Pakistan, domestic cricket returns in India for the all important Ranji Trophy final clash between defending champions Mumbai and runners-up and hosts Tamil Nadu beginning on the 26th March. This 5-day encounter promises a keen battle between both the dominant forces of Indian domestic cricket. Mumbai have previously won the championship a record 34 times and Tamil Nadu have just bagged the honours twice. Last year, when these two teams met at Mumbai, the match twisted and turned, but, this year I guess it will be competitive and a hard fought game, thereby making it difficult to pick the favourites or underdogs. Cricketfundas.com gives you an exclusive preview and analysis of the "Clash of the Indian Titans" - The 69th Ranji Trophy Final at Chennai.

MUMBAI:

The Bombay Boys under skipper Sairaj Bahutule have enjoyed a dominating run in this season, where a loss has not yet come their way ! Mumbai's batting looks in great form, with all batsmen among the runs. Opener Wasim Jaffer, scored a brilliant 127 in a shield match, which will do his confidence no harm. His opening partner Vinayak Mane, milked the Hyderabad bowling in the Semis with a gritty yet superb knock of 154. Mumbai's middle order, which struggled in the initial stages of the season, looks settled now. Vinod Kambli has taken many bowlers apart this season, as he has amassed more than 1000 runs already. Amol Mazumdar and Bhavin Thakkar are in reasonable touch, although a long stay on the wicket will help them. One area where Mumbai scores over the other team is the presence of all-rounders, who can change the course of the match at any time. Robin Morris, Sairaj Bahutule, Vinit Indulkar are the all rounders to watch out for ! Indeed, Mumbai will miss the services of Ramesh Powar, who turned last year's final around, as he is on India duty in Pakistan and also Ajit Agarkar, who grabbed crucial wickets of Sriram and Badani in last year's finals at Mumbai.

Bowling so far has been the strength of the Mumbai team. The bowling line up consists of a harmonious balance of raw pace, skillful seam bowlers and crafty spinners. Munaf Patel, has shown signs of improvement ever since he wore the Mumbai cap. This speedster has ripped through many top orders, with the recent victims being Hyderabad. His partners with the new ball Usman Malvi and Vinit Indulkar are brilliant future prospects and have got many a team into tangles with their swinging deliveries. Nilesh Kulkarni and Sairaj Bahutule form Mumbai's spin twins. Sairaj, who has played for India is in devastating form this season, and played a major part in the defeat of Hyderabad in the semis with his match haul of 10-wickets. One feature Mumbai lack is the presence of non-regular bowlers, who could break partnerships. I think, it would take good patient batting from Tamil Nadu to overcome the strength of the Mumbai bowling if they have to grab the top honours.

TAMIL NADU:

Tamil Nadu has been a force to reckon with in Indian Domestic Cricket, ever since they entered the finals last season. This season, they have been a side which has showed consistency in all departments of the game. They are an equally well balanced side, who also are yet to lose a game this season. Their batting consists of some stalwarts of Indian Cricket. Indian test-discard Sadagoppan Ramesh and captain Somashetty Suresh have been a great batting partnership so far this season, especially the former in brilliant form. The strength of the TN batting comes from their middle order, filled with consistent run getters like Sridharan Sriram, S.Badrinath, Hemang Badani (if he is available) and Sridharan Sarath. Sriram, who scored 172 against Railways in the Semis has so far been the "Wall" of the TN batting with veteran Sarath guiding the lower order. One bonus, where TN score above the others is a wicketkeeper who can bat and bat well. Dinesh Karthik, the India U-19 stumper has carried his form from Dhaka to Chennai, where he and Sriram featured in a match winning partnership in the Semis, with Dinesh notching his maiden Ranji ton. The lower order, with Vidyut and Ramkumar can add a few crucial runs, which could prove to be the difference between losing and winning for Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu bowling is one of the most talented bowling line-ups in the country. It has a lot of variety in store for the batsman. Novice pacemen D. Tamizhkumaran and C.Ganapathy will shoulder the responsibility with the new ball in the absence of L.Balaji, who is also away on national duty in Pakistan. One man who could make the difference is Ramakrishnan Ramkumar. This lanky left-arm spinner, has been a major contributor in most of the victories secured by Tamil Nadu. He could be regarded as the 2nd best left arm spinner in the country after Murali Kartik. Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan will also play in as a regular spinner. Suresh , Badani and Sriram could chip in with some overs, and add more variety to the bowling attack. Tamil Nadu's bowling attack is an equally sharp and good enough to get 10 Mumbai wickets, and only good batsmanship from the visitors (Mumbai) could give them their 35th Ranji title.

All in all, this looks like a close game, with a slight edge to Tamil Nadu as they are playing at home and have a strong batting order. This game is not only played for the Ranji Trophy, but also in order for some players knocking on the selectoral door to impress the selectors and stake a claim in the national side.

Top of the Page