FIrst-Class Matches India 2005/06 and 2006/07

India in 2006/07 By contrast to the previous season, 2006/07 was very quiet in terms of India’s Test commitments. Not a single Test was played at home, the side’s only engagement being the three-Test rubber in South Africa, in which India recorded a fine win in the first Test only to suffer defeat in the other two. The focus of international attention during the season was the World Cup, hosted by West Indies in March and April, in which India fared dismally and failed to progress even to the second (‘Super Eight’) stage. In the 2007 ‘off’ season India played two further rubbers away from home. The first of these was in Bangladesh and resulted in a rain-ruined draw in the first Test and a crushing Indian win in the second. But much more satisfaction will have been derived from the three-Test rubber in England that followed, for India emerged with a hard-fought but well-deserved 1-0 win to become the inaugural holders of the new Pataudi Trophy. In the absence of any Test tour India’s first-class programme in 2006/07 consisted completely of domestic cricket. The only suspicion of an international flavour came with the participation of Sri Lanka A as the guest side in the Duleep Trophy and, at the very start of the season, in the form of a match for the Mohammad Nissar Trophy. This new initiative, the product of the (relatively) good cricketing relations with Pakistan over the previous few years, matched Uttar Pradesh against Sialkot in their capacities as current holders of the Ranji and Quaid-e-Azam Trophies. It was won very comfortably by the Indian champions. In marked contrast to the struggles of guest sides in previous seasons, Sri Lanka A proved a powerful force in the Duleep Trophy. They won both Group B matches to qualify for the final against North Zone, who had prevailed thanks to first-innings leads after all three Group A matches were drawn. And in the final, so far from wilting as many sides might have done after conceding a first-innings lead of 340, the Sri Lankans fought back strongly with 426 and forced North Zone to work hard for their eventual victory. Elite Group A of the Ranji Trophy was headed by Baroda and Karnataka, with four and three outright wins respectively (no one else gained more than two). Their domination might have been more complete, but in the final round Karnataka could only draw while Baroda suffered their only defeat at the hands of lowly Tamil Nadu. These mediocre results were a portent: for all their success at the group stage, both Baroda and Karnataka succumbed to their Group B opponents in the semifinals. For Baroda, this represented an agonizing reprise of the previous season’s experience of easily heading the group but failing immediately in the knockouts. Elite Group B also generated a clear result, with Bengal and Mumbai the only sides to achieve three outright wins. But, perhaps significantly, and in contrast to Baroda and Karnataka in Group A, Bengal and Mumbai both rounded off their group programme with thumping innings wins. Carrying this form forward into the knockout stage, Mumbai muscled their way past Baroda while, in the other semifinal, Bengal prevailed against Karnataka despite the latter’s spirited 455 in the second innings after being dismissed for only 89 in the first with opening bowler Ranadeb Bose claiming 6-38. So it was that Mumbai and Bengal squared off in the final; and to mark the importance of the occasion even Sachin Tendulkar turned out, making his first appearance for Mumbai since September 2003. Nor did he disappoint: his 105, allied to Wasim Jaffer’s 112, ensured a decent first-innings score, against which Bengal could muster no more than 143 thanks to 5-40 by Zaheer Khan, yet another of Mumbai’s internationals putting in a rare Trophy appearance. In the end Bengal, set 472 to win, saved face with a respectable, but insufficient 339. Mumbai thus claimed the famous Trophy for the 37th time in their illustrious history. 111