India Blue does it

True to tradition, the Challenger Series turned the spotlight on many up and coming youngsters. S. Sabanayakan reports.

The Challenger Series for the N. K. P. Salve Trophy has always been a happy event for fringe players. Since its inception 15 years ago, a number of young hopefuls have used it as a springboard for greater recognition. The 14th edition of the Challenger Series that concluded at Cuttack recently was also no exception.

This year’s series had a fair mix of players who have either been in and out of the Indian team or have been knocking on the doors of international cricket. There were also those trying to showcase their wares at the National level.

The tournament, with three league matches and a final, was a big success in the sense that it drew an appreciable crowd on all four days with the turnout for the final on a Sunday (Oct. 26) exceeding all expectations. It is indeed a good decision on the part of the Board to allot such tournaments to non-Test venues where the passion for the game is truly high. The Orissa Cricket Association deserved kudos for doing a fine job. Even the rival captains for the final, Yuvraj Singh and Subramanium Badrinath, were all praise for the OCA.

Out of the Indian team for a few months now, Robin Uthappa of India Blue made a telling statement with a superb performance. His scores of 94, 76 and 46 in three innings for a total of 216 and the Man of the Series award were largely instrumental in his team retaining the trophy. On this showing alone the 22-year-old Karnataka opening batsman could come into the reckoning for a place in the Indian ODI squad against England.

The other batsman to impress was Mumbai’s middle-order player Rohit Sharma of India Red. Endowed with oodles of talent, Sharma produced a breathtaking unbeaten 117 that helped his team make the final thus eliminating India Green.

With that one innings, the Mumbaikar redeemed himself after a poor series in Sri Lanka. The others aiming to retain a Team India slot — Yuvraj Singh, S. Badrinath, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli — were unimpressive by and large. India Blue skipper Yuvraj collected a paltry 17 runs in three innings; India Red skipper Badrinath failed in two innings, but managed a laborious 56 in the final which his team lost by eight wickets.

If India Green captain Kaif did a Yuvraj by managing just 22 runs from two innings, his team-mate Raina looked better and his 74 in two innings with one half century did not go unnoticed. India under-19 World Cup winning captain Virat Kohli of Delhi impressed with his fielding ability and took two stunning catches. His three-inning total of 62 should be enough for him to stay in the reckoning.

Among the newcomers, it was Tamil Nadu’s Murali Vijay of India Red who was the most talked about batsman in the series. With a total of 164 runs in three innings and finishing second behind Uthappa in the scorers’ list, this right-hander did himself a world of good. A slow starter, this 24-year-old looked more suited for the longer version of the game. Yet, he was quick to make those small adjustments to meet the demands of the format and had scores of 89, 45 and 30. The coming season should augur well for this youngster.

Saurashtra’s Cheteshwar Pujara of India Green, considered to be the most talented in his age group, came up with 83 in two innings, the second outing fetching him a well-made 65. The other batsman to impress was Mumbai’s Ajinkya Rahane of India Blue with a total of 81. The two have successfully launched their careers and would be keenly watched in the coming season.

At a time when THE Indian pace bowling is on an upswing, Amit Mishra, the leg-spinner, got a break and made an impressive debut in Mohali. The Challenger Series brought to light at least three future spin stars in Ravichandran Ashwin of Tamil Nadu, Chetanya Nanda of Delhi and Mohnish Parmar of Gujarat.

Ashwin, the Tamil Nadu off-break bowler playing for India Blue, was the highest wicket-taker of the series with a haul of eight for 105. He has to improve his fitness and fielding to make a mark at the higher level. Nanda also playing for India Blue, overshadowed an established leg-spinner, Piyush Chawla, with his turn and bounce. Nanda’s overall figures of five for 87 were owing to good line and length. Coming in as Mishra’s replacement, Nanda grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

In the Muttiah Muralitharan mould, off-spinner Mohnish Parmar looked a confident sort and stood up to the test well. The India Red bowler’s series haul of four for 106 did not portray his command over the batsmen. His ‘doosra’ kept the batsmen guessing and in the face of some lusty hitting, Parmar held his own, repeatedly beating those who tried to cart him around.

Among the pacemen, the most impressive was Bengal’s Ashok Dinda. The India Blue player generated good pace and tested the batsmen with well-directed bouncers. When someone in the class of Raina tried to hit him out of the attack, the result was a catch at mid-off. Dinda has become a different bowler after the IPL where he bowled along with Pakistani bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul. The confidence he gained last season showed in the Challenger Series.

Two medium-pacers, Gujarat’s Siddharth Trivedi of India Blue and Manpreet Gony of India Green, are striving for greater recognition. The former caught the eye with his nip and movement. His three for 23 earned him the Man of the Final award. Gony, a find of the IPL, bowled a very good line and was difficult to score off.

Out of the six wicketkeepers selected for the three teams, only five got a chance to show their prowess. Out of the five, only three — Madhya Pradesh’s Naman Ojha, Bengal’s Wriddhiman Saha and Mumbai’s Yogesh Takawale — were trying to break into the big league. Ojha’s 96 and 11 for a total of 107 earned him an overall fourth rank among run- scorers in the series. Yet, his keeping left a lot to be desired. On wicket-keeping skill alone Saha was the best with Takawale the least impressive.

Among the all-rounders, the two who impressed the most were Yusuf Pathan of India Green and Abhishek Nayar of India Red. Yusuf had the tournament’s best figures of three for 21 and a 34-run cameo against India Blue, while Nayar’s crucial partnership with Rohit Sharma enabled Red to beat Green.

THE SCORES

League Match 1: India Blue 235 for nine in 50 overs (R. Uthappa 94, A. Rahane 28, I. Pathan 43) bt India Red 186 in 45.3 overs (M. Vijay 89, M. Tiwary 45 not out, R. Ashwin three for 27) by 49 runs. India Blue 5 points, India Red 1.

League Match 2: India Green 260 for nine in 50 overs (N. Ojha 96, S. Dhawan 45, S. Raina 58, P. Chawla three for 50) lost to India Red 263 for five in 48.5 overs (M. Vijay 45, R. Sharma 117 not out, S. Badrinath 27, A. Nayar 34) by five wickets. India Red 4 points, India Green 0.

League Match 3: India Blue 218 in 44.2 overs (R. Uthappa 76, Y. Takawale 34, I. Pathan 28 Y. Pathan three for 21) bt India Green 199 in 44 overs (C. Pujara 65, Y. Pathan 34, R. Ashwin three for 46) by 19 runs. India Blue 4 points, India Green 0.

Points table: India Blue 9, India Red 3, India Green 0.

Final: India Red 151 in 43 overs (M. Vijay 30, S. Badrinath 56, P. Kumar 35, S. Trivedi three for 23) lost to India Blue 152 for two in 25.4 overs (A. Rahane 53, R. Uthappa 46, V. Kohli 35 not out) by eight wickets.

STATISTICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Highest total – India Red (263/5) vs India Green.

Highest scorer – Robin Uthappa (India Blue) 216 from three innings.

Highest wicket-taker – Ravichandran Ashwin (India Blue) eight for 105.

Best bowling figures – Yusuf Pathan (India Green) three for 21.

Most catches by a fielder – Manoj Tiwary (India Red) 5.

Highest partnership – 102 for first wicket between Naman Ojha and Shikhar Dhawan (India Green) vs India Red.

Most dismissals by a wicketkeeper – Dinesh Karthick (India Blue) 3 (two catches one stumping).

Man of the Series – Robin Uthappa (India Blue).

Man of the Final – Siddharth Trivedi (India Blue).