Three figure partnerships in one day games in which MS Dhoni is one of the partners

Three figure partnerships in one day games in which MS Dhoni is one of the partners

MS Dhoni partnered HH Pandya in a 118 runs partnership against Australia at Chennai on 17 Sep 17 to provide the 48th occasion of his being a partner in a three figure partnership. All such occasions are tabulated below

 

No Partner Wkt Runs Inns Opposition Ground Start Date
1 R Dravid 4 149 1 v Pakistan Visakhapatnam 05 Apr 2005
2 SR Tendulkar 2 129 1 v Pakistan Ahmedabad 12 Apr 2005
3 Yuvraj Singh 5 103 1 v Zimbabwe Harare 29 Aug 2005
4 Yuvraj Singh 6 158 2 v Zimbabwe Harare 04 Sep 2005
               
5 SR Tendulkar 3 126 1 v Pakistan Peshawar 06 Feb 2006
6 Yuvraj Singh 6 102* 2 v Pakistan Lahore 13 Feb 2006
7 Yuvraj Singh 3 146* 2 v Pakistan Karachi 19 Feb 2006
8 SK Raina 6 118 2 v England Faridabad 31 Mar 2006
9 RR Powar 6 107 1 v England Jamshedpur 12 Apr 2006
               
0 R Dravid 4 119* 1 v West Indies Nagpur 21 Jan 2007
11 R Dravid 5 133 2 v Sri Lanka Margao 14 Feb 2007
12 KD Karthik 6 107* 2 v Bangladesh Dhaka 10 May 2007
13 DPMD Jayawardene 6 218 1 v Africa XI Chennai 10 Jun 2007
14 Yuvraj Singh 4 105 2 v Pakistan Guwahati 05 Nov 2007
15 Yuvraj Singh 4 100 1 v Pakistan Kanpur 11 Nov 2007
16 Yuvraj Singh 5 101* 2 v Pakistan Gwalior 15 Nov 2007
               
17 G Gambhir 5 184* 1 v Sri Lanka Brisbane 05 Feb 2008
18 SK Raina 4 166 1 v Hong Kong Karachi 25 Jun 2008
19 RG Sharma 5 112 1 v Pakistan Karachi 02 Jul 2008
20 SK Raina 4 143 1 v Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 27 Aug 2008
21 Yuvraj Singh 5 105 1 v England Rajkot 14 Nov 2008
               
22 G Gambhir 2 188 1 v Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 05 Feb 2009
23 SK Raina 4 110 1 v New Zealand Napier 03 Mar 2009
24 SR Tendulkar 4 135* 1 v New Zealand Christchurch 08 Mar 2009
25 RP Singh 9 101 1 v West Indies Kingston 28 Jun 2009
26 SR Tendulkar 2 110 1 v Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 14 Sep 2009
27 SK Raina 5 136 1 v Australia Nagpur 28 Oct 2009
28 G Gambhir 4 119 1 v Australia Nagpur 28 Oct 2009
29 Yuvraj Singh 4 148 2 v Australia Delhi 31 Oct 2009
30 V Sehwag 2 156 1 v Sri Lanka Rajkot 15 Dec 2009
31 SK Raina 5 126 1 v Sri Lanka Nagpur 18 Dec 2009
               
32 V Kohli 4 152 2 v Bangladesh Dhaka 07 Jan 2010
33 SR Tendulkar 4 101* 1 v South Africa Gwalior 24 Feb 2010
34 V Sehwag 5 107 1 v New Zealand Dambulla 25 Aug 2010
               
35 G Gambhir 4 109 2 v Sri Lanka Mumbai 02 Apr 2011
36 RA Jadeja 6 112 1 v England The Oval 09 Sep 2011
37 SK Raina 5 169 1 v England Lord’s 11 Sep 2011
               
38 R Ashwin 7 125* 1 v Pakistan Chennai 30 Dec 2012
               
39 RG Sharma 5 167 1 v Australia Bengaluru 02 Nov 2013
               
40 RA Jadeja 6 127* 1 v New Zealand Hamilton 28 Jan 2014
41 SK Raina 5 144 1 v England Cardiff 27 Aug 2014
               
42 SK Raina 5 196* 2 v Zimbabwe Auckland 14 Mar 2015
               
43 V Kohli 3 151 2 v New Zealand Mohali 23 Oct 2016
               
44 Yuvraj Singh 4 256 1 v England Cuttack 19 Jan 2017
45 B Kumar 8 100* 2 v Sri Lanka Pallekele 24 Aug 2017
46 RG Sharma 5 157* 2 v Sri Lanka Pallekele 27 Aug 2017
47 MK Pandey 6 101* 1 v Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 31 Aug 2017
48 HH Pandya 6 118 1 v Australia Chennai 17 Sep 2017

 

MS Dhoni partnered HH Pandya in a 118 runs partnership against Australia at Chennai on 17 Sep 17 to provide the fifth occasion of his being a partner in a three figure partnership against Australia in a one day game. All such occasions are tabulated below

 

No Partner Wkt Runs Inns Opposition Ground Start Date
1 SK Raina 5 136 1 v Australia Nagpur 28 Oct 2009
2 G Gambhir 4 119 1 v Australia Nagpur 28 Oct 2009
3 Yuvraj Singh 4 148 2 v Australia Delhi 31 Oct 2009
4 RG Sharma 5 167 1 v Australia Bengaluru 02 Nov 2013
5 HH Pandya 6 118 1 v Australia Chennai 17 Sep 2017

 

MS Dhoni partnered HH Pandya in a 118 runs partnership against Australia at Chennai on 17 Sep 17 to provide the 48th occasion of his being a partner in a three figure partnership for the sixth wicket in a one day game. All such occasions are tabulated below

 

No Partner Wkt Runs Inns Opposition Ground Start Date
1 Yuvraj Singh 6 158 2 v Zimbabwe Harare 04 Sep 2005
2 Yuvraj Singh 6 102* 2 v Pakistan Lahore 13 Feb 2006
3 SK Raina 6 118 2 v England Faridabad 31 Mar 2006
4 RR Powar 6 107 1 v England Jamshedpur 12 Apr 2006
5 KD Karthik 6 107* 2 v Bangladesh Dhaka 10 May 2007
6 DPMD Jayawardene 6 218 1 v Africa XI Chennai 10 Jun 2007
7 RA Jadeja 6 112 1 v England The Oval 09 Sep 2011
8 RA Jadeja 6 127* 1 v New Zealand Hamilton 28 Jan 2014
9 MK Pandey 6 101* 1 v Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) 31 Aug 2017
10 HH Pandya 6 118 1 v Australia Chennai 17 Sep 2017

 

MS Dhoni hand-holds spinners to success – MS Dhoni orchestrated the dismissal of Maxwell by Chahal

MS Dhoni hand-holds spinners to success – MS Dhoni orchestrated the dismissal of Maxwell by Chahal

The tide turned in Australia’s favour for a brief period in Chennai when Glenn Maxwell turbocharged his way to 33 off 13 balls after winning a mini-battle against Kuldeep Yadav at the half-way mark. The required rate, which had inched towards 11 came down to 9, bringing with it a renewed sense hope for the visitors in a game that had turned pear shaped after so much initial promise. That rosy period lasted all of 15 minutes and four sixes before Yuzvendra Chahal produced a delivery made to order by MS Dhoni to effectively shut the door on Australia.

India’s much-talked about wrist spin combination of Chahal and Kuldeep returned 5 for 63 on the night to underscore their wicket-taking prowess. But the two had a streetwise Dhoni to thank for hand-holding them to success on a surface that had anyway progressively become a spinners’ haven. “Woh maarne wala dalna, andar ya baahar koi bhi (Bowl the one that he tries to hit, turning in or away, either is fine)”. Or the more specific “Woh ghoomane waalaaa (the one that turns)” were some of the samples that Dhoni kept dictating to the two young spinners after every ball.

Overs 11 and 12 bowled by Kuldeep and Chahal respectively served as another validation of Dhoni’s immaculate game-reading skills in the limited-overs format. With Australia four down for less than 50 in a truncated 21-over chase, Maxwell was Australia’s only hope of a revival. Even with the ball turning appreciably, Maxwell’s unorthodoxy and his assortment of sweeps could disrupt whatever rhythm the spinners had worked themselves into.

After Maxwell missed a switch-hit to begin the 11th over, a wary Kuldeep offered a drag down on the leg side and was swivel-pulled over short-fine for four. Dhoni instantly chirped from behind the stumps to toss the ball up and wide. Still not convinced, Kuldeep returned with a staple, tossed-up leg spinner on middle stump. Maxwell slog-swept and despite not getting to the pitch of the ball, got enough connection with his reach to send the ball into the stands. Dhoni chimed pensively from behind the stumps again asking for a full, wide delivery.

Kuldeep now got one half of the instruction. He went full but held on to his middle stump line. Maxwell flat-batted it into the sight screen. Even before the ball had landed beyond the ropes, Dhoni was on it. “Na, na, na,” he shouted, indicating his displeasure at the choice of line and the overly full length. “Isko itna aage nahi (Not this full too),” he said. Now clearly rattled, Kuldeep’s attempted course-correction only moved his line in the opposite-to-intended direction. The leg-stump full delivery was lifted cleanly over square-leg by Maxwell to make it 22 for the over.

At this point, Dhoni had had enough with instructions from behind the stumps. He ran up to his young spinner, put an arm around him and explained the situation. It wasn’t hard to decipher the method he wanted. On a turning wicket, tossing the ball outside off-stump and if possible, taking it further away from the batsman (the wrong ‘un for Kuldeep) would force him to hit against the spin. The line outside off-stump would also force slog sweepers of the Maxwell ilk to drag their attempted swipes, increasing the likelihood of a possible miscue.

Dhoni had been at hand to see Adam Zampa make similar mistakes while bowling to Hardik Pandya in the momentum-turning 37th over of the afternoon. This information was relayed to Chahal at the start of the next over and the leggie bowled successive dots to Maxwell with deliveries full and wide outside off. This time the stump microphones carried Dhoni’s voice of approval. The next delivery saw the ball return to a within-the-stumps line and was dutifully retrieved from the deep square-leg stands.

Success came eventually at a happy intersection of line and length that Dhoni so dearly sought. Maxwell threw his bat at it because the required rate demanded it but this time, with the ball turning away, could only succeed in toe-ending it to long-on.

“I’ve bowled a lot to Maxwell in IPL so I was confident,” said Chahal, deconstructing the dismissal. “My plus point is that, Kuldeep’s ball comes into the batsmen, and mine goes out. Virat and MS told me to bowl the one that turns and keep checking his feet. My idea was to bowl a little wide to him, from there if he hits a good shot, then it is fine. My idea was to bowl outside off-stump and keep mixing it up.

“The plan was to get it to spin, but change our line. Our plus point was we kept bowling wide outside off-stump, so if he had to hit he would have to hit on the off-side, because he is strong on the leg side.”

Chahal held his hand up in celebration. Dhoni offered a wry smile. He’d after all seen it all coming a full two overs before.

Article Courtesy – Cricbuzz.com

First one day – India vs Australia at Chennai on 17.09.17 – India won by 26 runs under DLS Method

First one day – India vs Australia at Chennai on 17.09.17 – India won by 26 runs under DLS Method

This game witnessed the Indian batsmen batting at number three and four scoring ducks {V Kohli  and MK Pandey} to provide the 43rd occasion  of batsmen batting at number  three and four  scoring ducks  in the history of one day games. It also provides the fourth occasion of Indian batsmen accomplishing such a dubious feat.

 

This game witnessed the Indian batsmen batting at number three and four scoring ducks {V Kohli  and MK Pandey} to provide the eleventh occasion  of batsmen batting at number  three and four  scoring ducks  against Australia in the history of one day games. It also provides the fourth occasion of Indian batsmen accomplishing such a dubious feat against Australia..

 

The first such occasion by Indian batsmen against Australia was at Hyd-RGS on 05 Oct 2017. RV Uthappa batting at number three and R Dravid batting at number four collected ducks in this game.

 

V Kohli collected a duck in this game to provide the 427th occasion of a captain scoring a duck in the history of one day Internationals. It also provides the 61st occasion of a captain scoring a duck in a one day game against Australia.

 

V Kohli collected a duck in this game to provide the 42nd occasion of an Indian captain scoring a duck in the history of one day Internationals. It also provides the seventh occasion of a captain scoring a duck in a one day game against Australia. All such occasions are tabulated below

 

No Player Runs Inns Opposition Ground Start Date
1 N Kapil Dev 0 2 v Australia Sydney 05 Feb 1986
2 M Azharuddin 0 1 v Australia Dhaka 28 Oct 1998
3 A Jadeja 0 2 v Australia Colombo (SSC) 28 Aug 1999
4 SC Ganguly 0 1 v Australia Indore 31 Mar 2001
5 MS Dhoni 0 2 v Australia Visakhapatnam 20 Oct 2010
6 MS Dhoni 0 2 v Australia Canberra 20 Jan 2016
7 V Kohli 0 1 v Australia Chennai 17 Sep 2017

 

V Kohli’s duck in this game provides his second duck as captain. The first such occasion was against Sri Lanka at The Oval on 08.06.17

 

V Kohli collected his duck after playing four deliveries in this game to provide the fifth occasion of an Indian captain scoring a duck after facing four balls. All such occasions are listed below

 

No Player Runs BF Inns Opposition Ground Start Date
1 SR Tendulkar 0 4 2 v South Africa Bloemfontein 23 Jan 1997
2 R Dravid 0 4 1 v West Indies Basseterre 23 May 2006
3 SK Raina 0 4 1 v West Indies Kingston 16 Jun 2011
4 MS Dhoni 0 4 1 v England Birmingham 23 Jun 2013
5 V Kohli 0 4 1 v Australia Chennai 17 Sep 2017

 

This game witnessed MS Dhoni {79} and HK Pandya {83} scoring half centuries while  batting at number six and number seven to  provide the 49th occasion of batsmen scoring half centuries while batting at number six and seven in the  history of one day internationals. It also provides the 12th occasion of Indian batsmen accomplishing such a feat.

 

This game witnessed MS Dhoni {79} and HK Pandya {83} scoring half centuries while  batting at number six and number seven to  provide the fourth occasion of batsmen scoring half centuries while batting at number six and seven  against Australia in the  history of one day internationals. It also provides the second occasion of Indian batsmen accomplishing such a feat against Australia.

 

The first such occasion was witnessed at Bengaluru on 25.03.01. In this game V Sehwag batting at number six scored 58 and V Dahiya scoring at number seven scored 51.

 

V Kohli and MK Pandey scored ducks in this game to provide the 82nd and 83rd occasion of Indian batsmen scoring ducks in an innings against Australia. It also provides the 26th occasion of two or more Indian batsmen scoring ducks  in an innings against Australia

 

This game is unique in the history of one day internationals as two teams which have played 900 plus matches were playing against each other for the first time. For India, this game was the 923rd one day game while for Australia this game was the 902nd one day game. India and Australia are the only two teams to have played 900 plus one day games in the history of one day internationals.

 

MS Dhoni’s 79 in this game provide his 75th fifty {10 C + 66 HC}. He became the fourth Indian batsmen to score 75 plus fifties in one day games. Others are – SR Tendulkar {145}, R Dravid {94} and SC Ganguly {93}

 

MS Dhoni’s 79 in this game provide his 30th fifty {07 C + 23 HC} at home. He became the fourth Indian batsmen to score 30 plus fifties at home. Others are – SR Tendulkar {58}, V Kohli {31} and R Dravid {30}

 

MS Dhoni’s 79 in this game provide his 30th fifty {07 C + 23 HC} at home as a wicket keeper batsman. He became the second  wicket keeper batsmen to score 30 plus fifties at home in the  history of one day internationals after KC Sangakkara of Sri Lanka. KC Sangakkara has scored 36 fifties {04 C + 32 HC}.

 

MS Dhoni’s 79 in this game provide his 100th half century across all formats of the game {Tests, One dayers and T20Is}. He became the 14th batsmen to accomplish the feat. The following table lists the feats of all these batsmen

 

No Player Team Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave HC
1 SR Tendulkar Ind 162 164 18 11797 99 80.80 164
2 KC Sangakkara Srl 150 153 16 10367 98 75.67 153
3 JH Kallis RSA 146 149 39 10236 99 93.05 149
4 R Dravid Ind 142 146 22 9996 99 80.61 146
5 RT Ponting Aus 141 146 20 9817 99 77.91 146
6 DPMD Jayawardene Srl 131 136 15 9212 99 76.13 136
7 Inzamam-ul-Haq Pak 124 129 36 8862 99 95.29 129
8 S Chanderpaul Win 120 125 30 8580 97* 90.31 125
9 BC Lara Win 107 111 11 7771 96 77.71 111
10 SC Ganguly Ind 103 107 15 7567 99 82.25 107
11 ST Jayasuriya Srl 102 103 5 7087 99 72.31 103
12 AR Border Aus 98 102 34 7054 98* 103.73 102
13 AB de Villiers RSA 100 102 20 7145 99 87.13 102
14 MS Dhoni Ind 96 100 35 6779 99 104.29 100

 

MS Dhoni’s 79 in this game provide his 100th half century across all formats of the game {Tests, One dayers and T20Is}. He became the fourth Indian batsmen to accomplish the feat. Others are – SR Tendulkar {164}, R Dravid {146} and SC Ganguly {107}. The following table lists the feat of all the four batsmen

 

No Player Team Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave HC
1 SR Tendulkar Ind 162 164 18 11797 99 80.80 164
2 R Dravid Ind 142 146 22 9996 99 80.61 146
3 SC Ganguly Ind 103 107 15 7567 99 82.25 107
4 MS Dhoni Ind 96 100 35 6779 99 104.29 100

 

Indian batsmen scored seven boundary sixes in this game which fetched 34 boundary sixes at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. India now owns the record for scoring most boundary sixes at this  venue. The previous record was 30 boundary sixes by West Indies at this venue.

 

MS Dhoni and HH Pandya added 118 runs for the sixth wicket in this game to provide the 402nd occasion of Indian batsmen posting a three figure partnership in one day games. It also provides the 24th occasion of Indian batsmen posting a three figure partnership for the sixth wicket in one day games.

 

MS Dhoni and HH Pandya added 118 runs for the sixth wicket in this game to provide the 252nd occasion of batsmen posting a three figure partnership against Australia in one day games. It also provides the 13th occasion of batsmen posting a three figure partnership for the sixth wicket against Australia in one day games.

 

MS Dhoni and HH Pandya added 118 runs for the sixth wicket in this game to provide the 54th occasion of Indian batsmen posting a three figure partnership against Australia in one day games. It also provides the second occasion of Indian batsmen posting a three figure partnership for the sixth wicket against Australia in one day games. The other occasion was the 123 runs partnership between S Ramesh and RR Singh at Col-SSC on 28.08.99.

 

MS Dhoni effected three dismissals in this which fetched him a total of 51 dismissals against Australia in one day games. He became the second wicket keeper to effect 50 plus dismissals against Australia in one day games. MV Boucher of South Africa has effected 54 dismisals against Australia.

 

MS Wade was dismissed stumped by MS Dhoni for 9 in this game to provide the 127th occasion of a wicket keeper batsman dismissed stumped in a one day game. It also provides the ninth occasion of an Australian wicket keeper batsman dismissed stumped in a one day game. All such occasions are tabulated below

 

No Player Runs Inns Opposition Ground Start Date
1 IA Healy 3 2 v India Perth 08 Dec 1991
2 AC Gilchrist 103 2 v Pakistan Lahore 10 Nov 1998
3 AC Gilchrist 63 2 v Bangladesh Ch-le-St 27 May 1999
4 JP Maher 30 2 v Sri Lanka Brisbane 15 Jan 2003
5 AC Gilchrist 48 2 v India Centurion 15 Feb 2003
6 BJ Haddin 110 2 v New Zealand Hamilton 09 Mar 2010
7 MS Wade 12 1 v England Manchester 10 Jul 2012
8 MS Wade 42 2 v Sri Lanka Dambulla 28 Aug 2016
9 MS Wade 9 2 v India Chennai 17 Sep 2017

 

MS Wade was dismissed stumped by MS Dhoni for 9 in this game to provide the third occasion of an Australain wicket keeper batsman dismissed stumped against India in a one day game.

 

No Player Runs Inns Opposition Ground Start Date
1 IA Healy 3 2 v India Perth 08 Dec 1991
2 AC Gilchrist 48 2 v India Centurion 15 Feb 2003
3 MS Wade 9 2 v India Chennai 17 Sep 2017

 

MS Wade became the second Australian wicket keeper to be dismissed stumped on three occasions after AC Gilchrist.

 

No Player Runs Inns Opposition Ground Start Date
1 AC Gilchrist 103 2 v Pakistan Lahore 10 Nov 1998
2 AC Gilchrist 63 2 v Bangladesh Ch-le-St 27 May 1999
3 AC Gilchrist 48 2 v India Centurion 15 Feb 2003
             
1 MS Wade 12 1 v England Manchester 10 Jul 2012
2 MS Wade 42 2 v Sri Lanka Dambulla 28 Aug 2016
3 MS Wade 9 2 v India Chennai 17 Sep 2017

 

MS Dhoni’s run aggregate against Australia in ODIs read 1334 at the end of this game. He now occupies the second place in the list  of Indian batsmen who have scored most runs against Australia. SR Tendulkar with 3077 runs occupies the  first place. MS Dhoni went pas RG Sharma who has an aggregate of 1325 runs against Australia. RG Sharma’s aggregate include his 28 runs in this game.

 

India won its 42nd game against Australia when it won this game by 26 runs under DLS Method. India and Australia have played 124 one day games so far. India has lost 72 games, while 10 games have ended in No Result

 

India won its 22nd game against Australia at home when it won this game by 26 runs under DLS Method. India and Australia have played 52 one day games at home so far. India has lost 25 games, while 05 games have ended in No Result

 

Karnataka Premier League – Sixth Edition – Match No 18

Karnataka Premier League – Sixth Edition – Match No 18

18th match – Bellary Tuskers v Bengaluru Blasters at Hubballi – Sep 16, 2017 – Bellary Tuskers won by six wickets

 

PU Deshpande led Bengaluru Blasters in this game to provide the 29th occasion of a captain leading a team in KPL. Bengaluru Blasters is led by three captains in this edition – R Samath, SS Bhavane and PU Deshpande.

 

N Jose was dismissed run out after scoring 55 in this game to provide the sixth occasion of a batsman  dismissed run out  after scoring a fifty in KPL. All such occasions are listed below

 

No Batsmen MoD Runs Team Oppositon Venue Date
1 VST Naidu R out 63 Provident Bulls Bangalore 14.09.09
2 A Hoysala R out 87 Mysuru-W Mangalore Hubballi 05.09.15
3 R Samarth R out 64 Bulls Panthers Hubballi 17.09.16
4 R Samarth R out 53 Bulls Shivamogga Hubballi 24.09.16
5 Anurag Bajpai R out 51 Panthers Mangalore Hubballi 29.09.16
6 N  Jose R out 55 Bengaluru Bellary Hubballi 16.09.17

 

N Jose’s 55 was in a losing cause to provide the 50th occasion of a batsman’s  fifty going in vain in KPL.

 

D Padikkal and KR Kapoor added 108 runs for the first wicket in this game to provide the 28th occasion of batsmen posting a three figure partnership in KPL. It also provides the third such occasion in the ongoing edition of KPL. All such occasions are tabulated below

 

No Partners Runs Wkt Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 D Negi, M Nidesh 100 4th Bulls v Mysuru-W Mysore 04 Sep 2017
2 MA Agarwal, AM Reddy 152 1st Hubli Tigers v Shivamogga Mysore 08 Sep 2017
3 D Padikkal, KR Kapoor 108 1st Bellary v Blasters Hubballi 16 Sep 2017

 

D Padikkal and KR Kapoor added 108 runs for the first wicket in this game to provide the fourth occasion of Bellary batsmen posting a three figure partnership in KPL. All such occasions are tabulated below

 

No Partners Runs Wkt Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 B Chipli, Amit Verma 111 3rd Bellary Panthers Mysore 14 Sep 2015
2 GS Chiranjeevi, B Akhil 104* 5th Bellary Bulls Hubballi 29 Sep 2016
3 RP Kadam, KB Pawan 101 1st Bellary Hubli-T Hubballi 20 Sep 2016
4 D Padikkal, KR Kapoor 108 1st Bellary v Blasters Hubballi 16 Sep 2017

 

D Padikkal and KR Kapoor added 108 runs for the first wicket in this game to provide the record partnership for the  first wicket by Bellary batsmen in KPL. The previous best was the 101 runs partnership between RP Kadam and KB Pawan against  Hubli Tigers at Hubballi oon 20.09.16. Both the partnerships are listed below

 

No Partners Runs Wkt Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 D Padikkal, KR Kapoor 108 1st Bellary v Blasters Hubballi 16 Sep 2017
2 RP Kadam, KB Pawan 101 1st Bellary Hubli-T Hubballi 20 Sep 2016

 

D Padikkal and KR Kapoor added 108 runs for the first wicket in this game to provide the 16th occasion of batsmen posting a three figure partnership for the first wicket in KPL. All such occasions are tabulated below

 

No Partners Runs Wkt Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 MA Agarwal, Anurag Bajpai 169 1st Panthers Mangalore Hubballi 29 Sep 2016
2 MK Manjunath, VST Naidu 168 1st Provident Mangalore Bangalore 09 Sep 2009
3 RK Sabharwal, KK Nair 162 1st Mangalore Bulls Mysore 31 Aug 2014
4 MA Agarwal, AM Reddy 152 1st Hubli Tigers v Shivamogga Mysore 08 Sep 2017
5 RK Sabharwal, B Chipli 139 1st Mangalore Diamonds Bangalore 29 Sep 2010
6 SH Kirmani, SN Ooty 129 1st Shivamogga Rockstars Hubli 08 Sep 2015
7 A Arjun Hoysala, RR Bhatkal 118 1st Mysuru-W Rockstars Hubballi 18 Sep 2016
8 Mohammed Taha, AM Reddy 118 1st Hubli-T Bulls Hubballi 19 Sep 2016
9 J Arunkumar, KS Ponnappa 112 1st Panthers Bulls Bangalore 20 Sep 2010
10 AM Reddy, MA Agarwal 112 1st Panthers Hubli-T Hubli 08 Sep 2015
11 MR Beerala, G Dhiman 111 1st Bulls Panthers Bangalore 16 Sep 2009
12 A Arjun Hoysala, CM Gautam 110 1st Mysuru-W Rockstars Mysore 17 Sep 2015
13 Mohammed Taha, KB Pawan 108 1st Hubli-T Shivamogga Mysore 13 Sep 2015
14 D Padikkal, KR Kapoor 108 1st Bellary v Blasters Hubballi 16 Sep 2017
15 SN Raju, B Chipli 107 1st Panthers Rockstars Mysore 01 Sep 2014
16 RP Kadam, KB Pawan 101 1st Bellary Hubli-T Hubballi 20 Sep 2016

 

 

 

Karnataka Premier League – Sixth Edition – Match No 17

Karnataka Premier League – Sixth Edition – Match No 17

17th match – Belagavi Panthers v Namma Shivamogga at Hubballi – Sep 16, 2017 – No Result game due to rain interference

 

This game was declared as a no result game to provide the eighth occasion of a No Result game in the history of KPL and includes one abandoned game between Bellary Tuskers and Shivamogga at Mysore on 05.09.17 in the ongoing edition of KPL. All such occasions are tabulated below

 

No Team 1 Team 2 Result Ground Match Date
1 Panthers Rockstars No Result Hubballi Sep 05, 2015
2 Bulls Mangalore No Result Hubballi Sep 07, 2015
3 Brigadiers Diamonds No Result Bangalore Sep 24, 2010
4 Panthers Mangalore No Result Bangalore Sep 27, 2010
5 Hubli-T Mangalore No Result Hubballi Sep 10, 2015
6 Bulls Mangalore No Result Hubballi Sep 21, 2016
7 Bellary Shivamogga Abandoned Mysore Sep 05, 2017
8 Belagavi Shivamogga No Result Hubballi Sep 16, 2017

 

Shivamogga became the fourth team in KPL to be involved in a No Result game on two or more occasions. Mangalore is the only team to be involved in a No Result games on four occasions. Bulls and Panthers are the other two teams  to be involved in two occasions

 

No Team 1 Team 2 Result Ground Match Date
1 Bulls Mangalore No Result Hubballi Sep 07, 2015
2 Bulls Mangalore No Result Hubballi Sep 21, 2016
           
1 Panthers Rockstars No Result Hubballi Sep 05, 2015
2 Panthers Mangalore No Result Bangalore Sep 27, 2010
           
1 Bulls Mangalore No Result Hubballi Sep 07, 2015
2 Panthers Mangalore No Result Bangalore Sep 27, 2010
3 Hubli-T Mangalore No Result Hubballi Sep 10, 2015
4 Bulls Mangalore No Result Hubballi Sep 21, 2016
           
1 Bellary Shivamogga Abandoned Mysore Sep 05, 2017
2 Belagavi Shivamogga No Result Hubballi Sep 16, 2017

 

Karnataka Premier League – Sixth Edition – Match No 16

Karnataka Premier League – Sixth Edition – Match No 16

16th match  – Bengaluru Blasters v Bijapur Bulls at Hubballi – Sep 15, 2017 –Bijapur Bulls  won by one run under VJD Method

With this win, Bijapur Bulls has won 25 games in KPL and own the record for most wins in KPL. It went past Belagavi Panthers which has won 24 games. Bijapur Bulls earned the distinction of becoming the first team in the history of KPL to win 25 games

B Chipli’s run aggregate in  KPL read  881 at the end of this  game. He now stands fifth in the list of most run getters in KPL. Others are – MA Agarwal {1368}, KB Pawan {922}, R Jonathan {907} and Amit Verma {896}

A Mithun’s lone wicket in this game fetched him 35 wickets from 35 matches. He now occupies the fifth place in the list of most wicket takers in KPL. Others are – K Gowtham {52}, J Suchith {45}, R Vinay Kumar {45}, VV Kumar {41} and Amit Verma {38}. Note that J Suchit and R Vinay Kumar share the second place jointly with 45 wickets each

Bijapur Bulls won this game by one run { under VJD Method} to provide the second occasion of a team winning a KPL game by one  run. The other occasion was Panthers winning its game against Brigadiers at Bengaluru on 18.09.10.

This game provides the 12th occasion of a KPL game decided on VJD Method or DL Method. All such  games are tabulated below

1 Mangalore United v Malnad Gladiators at Bangalore – Sep 15, 2009
  Mangalore United 135/5 (17/17 ov); Malnad Gladiators 126/7 (17/17 ov, target: 140)
  Mangalore United won by 13 runs (VJD method)
   
2 Malnad Gladiators v Shamanoor Davangere Diamonds at Bangalore – Sep 17, 2009
  Shamanoor Davangere Diamonds 52/2 (7.1/7.1 ov); Malnad Gladiators 36/5 (5/5 ov, target: 44)
  Davangere Diamonds won by 7 runs (VJD method)
   
3 Bangalore Provident (Rural) v Bijapur Bulls at Bangalore – Sep 16, 2010
  Bangalore Provident (Rural) 123/4 (17/17 ov); Bijapur Bulls 75/5 (8.3/9 ov, target: 75)
  Bijapur Bulls won by 5 wickets (with 3 balls remaining) (VJD method)
   
4 Malnad Gladiators v Shamanoor Davangere Diamonds at Bangalore – Sep 17, 2010
  Malnad Gladiators 149/8 (20/20 ov); Shamanoor Davangere Diamonds 113/5 (16/16 ov, target: 116)
  Malnad Gladiators won by 2 runs (VJD method)
   
5 Bangalore Brigadiers (Urban) v Malnad Gladiators at Bangalore – Sep 27, 2010
  Malnad Gladiators 109/4 (13/13 ov); Bangalore Brigadiers (Urban) 89 (12/13 ov, target: 111)
  Malnad Gladiators won by 21 runs (VJD method)
   
6 Bellary Tuskers v Bijapur Bulls at Mysore – Aug 30, 2014
  Bellary Tuskers 145/8 (20/20 ov); Bijapur Bulls 87/3 (8.2/10 ov, target: 86)
  Bijapur Bulls won by 7 wickets (with 10 balls remaining) (D/L method)
   
7 Hubli Tigers v Mangalore United at Bangalore – Sep 6, 2014
  Hubli Tigers 190/6 (20/20 ov); Mangalore United 150/5 (16/16 ov, target: 154)
  Hubli Tigers won by 3 runs (D/L method)
   
8 Belagavi Panthers v Mysore Warriors at Bangalore – Sep 6, 2014
  Mysore Warriors 169/5 (19/19 ov); Belagavi Panthers 126/8 (14/14 ov, target: 133)
  Mysore Warriors won by 6 runs (D/L method)
   
9 Mysuru Warriors v Belagavi Panthers at Hubballi – Sep 9, 2015
  Belagavi Panthers 91/4 (10/10 ov); Mysuru Warriors 74/9 (10/10 ov, target: 96)
  Belagavi Panthers won by 21 runs (VJD method)
   
10 Bellary Tuskers v Namma Shivamogga at Hubballi – Sep 18, 2016
  Bellary Tuskers 169/6 (20/20 ov); Namma Shivamogga 161/6 (15.4/16 ov, target: 159)
  Namma Shivamogga won by 4 wickets (with 2 balls remaining) (VJD method)
   
11 Bellary Tuskers v Hubli Tigers at Hubballi – Sep 20, 2016
  Bellary Tuskers 164/6 (20/20 ov); Hubli Tigers 143/3 (14.5/16 ov, target: 139)
  Hubli Tigers won by 7 wickets (with 7 balls remaining) (VJD method)
   
12 Bengaluru Blasters v Bijapur Bulls at Hubballi – Sep 15, 2017
  Bijapur Bulls 125/9 (20/20 ov); Bengaluru Blasters 64/2 (9/9 ov, target: 66)
  Bijapur Bulls won by 1 run (VJD method)

 

 

 

Twins – Aprajith and Indrajit – score double centuries in Duleep Trophy – earns the distinction of becoming the first twins to accomplish the feat

Twins – Aprajith and Indrajit – score double centuries in Duleep Trophy – earns the distinction of becoming the first twins to accomplish the feat

Twin brothers from Tamilnadu – B Aparajith and B Indrajit – entered the record books of Duleep Trophy as twin brothers to score double century in the history of Duleep Trophy. B Aparajit had scored 212 for South Zone against West Zone at Chennai in Oct 2013. B Indrajit emulated him by scoring 200 for India Red against India Blue at Kanpur in Sep 2017

The twib brothers were born 26 minutes apart to Dr.TN Baba couples who was the former Media Manager of  the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

 

No Player Runs Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 B Aparajith 212 South Zone v West Zone Chennai 03 Oct 2013
2 B Indrajith 200 India Red v India Blue Kanpur 13 Sep 2017

 

B Indrajith’s 200 provide the 46th occasion of a batsman scoring a double century in Duleep Trophy. All such occasions are tabulated below. Hanumanth Singh has the credit of scoring the first every double century in the Duleep Trophy.

He scored 210 for Central Zone against South Zone at Lal Bahadur Shastry Grounds Hyderabad in Nov 1964

 

No Player Runs Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 Hanumant Singh 210 Central Zone v South Zone Hyd-LBS 14 Nov 1964
2 AL Wadekar 229 West Zone v East Zone Kolkata 04 Feb 1965
3 AA Baig 224* South Zone v North Zone Delhi 29 Oct 1966
4 MAK Pataudi 200 South Zone v West Zone Mumbai (BS) 28 Oct 1967
5 SM Gavaskar 228 West Zone v South Zone Vadodara 30 Oct 1976
6 M Amarnath 207 North Zone v East Zone Mumbai (BS) 08 Oct 1982
7 M Azharuddin 226 South Zone v Central Zone Jamadoba 06 Jan 1984
8 LS Rajput 221 West Zone v North Zone Trivandrum 11 Oct 1985
9 J Arun Lal 214 East Zone v Central Zone Pune 20 Oct 1986
10 J Arun Lal 287 East Zone v West Zone Pune 25 Oct 1986
11 SV Manjrekar 278 West Zone v Central Zone Nagpur 15 Oct 1987
12 LS Rajput 275 West Zone v Central Zone Nagpur 15 Oct 1987
13 R Lamba 320 North Zone v West Zone Bhilai 21 Oct 1987
14 AD Gaekwad 216 West Zone v North Zone Bhilai 21 Oct 1987
15 PK Amre 240* Central Zone v North Zone Visakhapatnam 30 Dec 1989
16 RB Parikh 218 West Zone v South Zone Bengaluru 30 Dec 1989
17 VG Kambli 208 West Zone v East Zone Mumbai 15 Jan 1992
18 V Yadav 201 North Zone v South Zone Surat 15 Jan 1992
19 A Jadeja 264 North Zone v Central Zone Vadodara 10 Oct 1993
20 AK Sharma 202 North Zone v Central Zone Guwahati 03 Nov 1994
21 SS Bhave 292 West Zone v South Zone Rourkela 30 Nov 1994
22 WV Raman 250* South Zone v West Zone Rourkela 30 Nov 1994
23 Bantoo Singh 214 North Zone v East Zone Kolkata 30 Nov 1994
24 SS Karim 200* East Zone v West Zone Nagpur 21 Oct 1995
25 AA Muzumdar 209 West Zone v North Zone Indore 19 Nov 1995
26 V Sehwag 274 North Zone v South Zone Agartala 01 Dec 1999
27 D Mongia 201 North Zone v South Zone Vijayawada 04 Jan 2001
28 VVS Laxman 217 South Zone v West Zone Surat 18 Jan 2001
29 D Mongia 208 North Zone v Central Zone Delhi 25 Jan 2001
30 GK Khoda 300* Central Zone v South Zone Panaji 01 Feb 2001
31 Yuvraj Singh 209 North Zone v South Zone Faridabad 12 Mar 2002
32 V Rathour 249 North Zone v East Zone Delhi 26 Mar 2002
33 Y Venugopal Rao 228* South Zone v England A Gurgaon 21 Feb 2004
34 A Chopra 205* North Zone v East Zone Rajkot 11 Feb 2008
35 M Manhas 205* North Zone v East Zone Rajkot 11 Feb 2008
36 S Badrinath 200 South Zone v North Zone Rajkot 29 Jan 2009
37 M Kaif 202* Central Zone v East Zone Amritsar 19 Jan 2010
38 AM Nayar 259 West Zone v North Zone Rajkot 26 Jan 2010
39 YK Pathan 210* West Zone v South Zone Hyd-RGS 02 Feb 2010
40 MK Pandey 218 South Zone v Central Zone Hyd-RGS 26 Jan 2011
41 Yuvraj Singh 208 North Zone v Central Zone Hyd-RGS 14 Oct 2012
42 MK Pandey 213 South Zone v West Zone Chennai 03 Oct 2013
43 B Aparajith 212 South Zone v West Zone Chennai 03 Oct 2013
44 NV Ojha 217 Central Zone v North Zone Mohali 22 Oct 2014
45 CA Pujara 256* India Blue v India Red Greater Noida 10 Sep 2016
46 B Indrajith 200 India Red v India Blue Kanpur 13 Sep 2017

 

D Monga, J Arunlal, LS Rajput, MK Pandey and Yuvraj Singh are the five batsmen who have scored double centuries on two occasions  in Duleep Trophy. Their performance is listed below

 

No No Player Runs Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 1 D Mongia 201 North Zone v South Zone Vijayawada 04 Jan 2001
  2 D Mongia 208 North Zone v Central Zone Delhi 25 Jan 2001
               
2 1 J Arun Lal 214 East Zone v Central Zone Pune 20 Oct 1986
  2 J Arun Lal 287 East Zone v West Zone Pune 25 Oct 1986
               
3 1 LS Rajput 221 West Zone v North Zone Trivandrum 11 Oct 1985
  2 LS Rajput 275 West Zone v Central Zone Nagpur 15 Oct 1987
               
4 1 MK Pandey 218 South Zone v Central Zone Hyd-RGS 26 Jan 2011
  2 MK Pandey 213 South Zone v West Zone Chennai 03 Oct 2013
               
5 1 Yuvraj Singh 209 North Zone v South Zone Faridabad 12 Mar 2002
  2 Yuvraj Singh 208 North Zone v Central Zone Hyd-RGS 14 Oct 2012

 

D Mongia and J Arunlal are the two batsmen to score two double centuries in the same season. J Arunlal was the first batsman to accomplish the feat in 1986 and D Mongia emulated him in 2001.

 

No No Player Runs Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 1 D Mongia 201 North Zone v South Zone Vijayawada 04 Jan 2001
  2 D Mongia 208 North Zone v Central Zone Delhi 25 Jan 2001
               
2 1 J Arun Lal 214 East Zone v Central Zone Pune 20 Oct 1986
  2 J Arun Lal 287 East Zone v West Zone Pune 25 Oct 1986

 

MAK Pataudi, S Badrinath, B Indrajith and SS Karim are the four batsmen who have scored exact 200 runs in the tournament. SS Karim remains the only batsman to score 200 and remain not out. The performance of these four batsmen are tabulated below

 

No Player Runs Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 MAK Pataudi 200 South Zone v West Zone Mumbai (BS) 28 Oct 1967
2 S Badrinath 200 South Zone v North Zone Rajkot 29 Jan 2009
3 B Indrajith 200 India Red v India Blue Kanpur 13 Sep 2017
4 SS Karim 200* East Zone v West Zone Nagpur 21 Oct 1995

 

R Lamba and GK Khoda are the two batsmen who have score triple century in the tournament. R Lamba’s 320 for North Zone against West Zone at Bhilai in Oct 87 is the highest individual score by a batsman in Duleep Trophy. The following table lists the performance of these two batsmen

 

No Player Runs Team Opposition Ground Match Date
1 R Lamba 320 North Zone v West Zone Bhilai 21 Oct 1987
2 GK Khoda 300* Central Zone v South Zone Panaji 01 Feb 2001

 

Unforgettable Ananda Rau – commentator with a golden voice

Unforgettable Ananda Rau – commentator with a golden voice

The author of this  article is Shri C Prahlada Rao – one of the greatest cricket connoisseur I have come across. He used to work for Syndicate Bank and then later on joined Dena Bank as General Manager – Computers at Mumbai. Its here that i came across this genial gentleman who used to reel off many anecdotes just through his sheer memory. He is now settled in Mumbai and me at Bangalore but the  distance does not come in between us when we talk of cricket through telephone for many hours. Here is what Sri C Prahlada Rao thinks of Sri P Anandra Rau

As 15 year olds, my friends and I , became big time fans of commentator P.Ananda Rao around 1966-67 . What first drew us to him was his golden voice ( though a tad nasal ) and his superb command over English. Add to this, his fascination for detailing and his endearing narration made him extremely popular.

We also loved Anant Setalwad , who too had a gifted voice and a smooth narration; but Ananda Rao stood out with his unique style, which made his listeners yearning for more.

Those days, media meant only the radio and the newspapers ( even sports magazines such as SportsStar, SportsWorld came much later ) and listeners had no choice but to cling to every word a commentator would utter to catch up with the action. And here, Ananda Rao was the master !

Sample these ..” And that marks the end of another typical Nadkarni over, a maiden, of course ” or “Conrad Hunte drives powerfully towards the covers region, Pataudi goes down on one knee, makes sure of stopping the ball, which he eventually does.”

On Wes Hall, in the 1966-67 series “Wes Hall, the old fire still burns. The gentle giant, steams in almost from the boundary line, his majestic run-up reminds one of a well-oiled express locomotive. You can see his shirt wide open, with his silver cross dangling from his powerful neck; you can feel his big muscles ripping against his white trousers . He delivers another thunder-bolt at Sardesai, which the batsman defends, showing the full face of his bat. Hall collects the ball on his follow-thru , throws it to Rohan Kanhai fielding at Mid-on and begins his long walk to the top of his bowling mark. Kanhai, meanwhile, is seen vigorously polishing the new ball on his trousers, runs after Hall and throws the ball at the receding back of the tall and lithe fast bowler. The ball hits Hall’s back with a thud, must cause him tremendous burn; but Hall catches the ball showing no visible signs of any pain and strides back to the top of his bowling mark…”

What narration !

Ananda Rao, with his picturesque commentating skills , drew a fascinating visual of a tear-away world class pace bowler in full throttle . What more do the listeners want ?

We also looked forward to P.Ananda Rao’s summing up of the day’s proceedings upto the tea interval , for the benefit of overseas listeners. His summing up reflected an extra-ordinary memory, his in-depth knowledge of the game and a perfect lesson for wrapping up in style. He was so much focused on this tough job that he would overlook any unusual event happening on the field. As listeners, whenever there was a roar from the stadium, we had no alternative but to hazard a guess that a wicket has fallen or a boundary or a six has been hit, depending on whether India was batting or fielding, as the case may be.

Truly, a master of his art !

When I read a news item in “The Hindu” that my favourite commentator was the General Manager of Das Prakash Group of Hotels, I could relate to him even more, as the Group hailed from Udupi, my home town.

A cricketer and a gentleman Balu Alaganan – A tribute by V Ramnarayan on Balu’s demise

A cricketer and a gentleman Balu Alaganan – A tribute by V Ramnarayan on Balu’s demise

Balu Alaganan who led Madras to its first Ranji Trophy triumph against Holkar at Indore in 1954-1955, was a popular captain, with an impeccable pedigree in the game. After his high school education in Colombo, he came back to his native Madras state, where he captained the strong Madras Christian College team at Tambaram. Alaganan was an all round sportsman, who won singles and doubles titles in state tennis, and played golf as a keen amateur.

The sad news of this gentleman cricketer’s death was announced today.

A conversation with Balu (circa 2000)
In a free flowing conversation about Tamil Nadu’s maiden Ranji triumph, Balu Alaganan revealed some unusual facets of that famous victory “I was a member of the selection committee that made me the Madras captain the year we won the Ranji Trophy!” he said. “It was a bombshell to me. I had been in and out of the side, had done nothing of note, though I had a hundred against Mysore in a junior match under the captaincy of M S Shastri, uncle of Ravi Shastri. M J Gopalan, C Ramaswami and R T Parthasarathi were the other selectors who persuaded me along with ‘Ghanta’ Srinivasaraghavan (the Madras Cricket Association secretary). Ghanta promised he would be there to watch us when we won the Ranji Trophy, but while we were playing Hyderabad we received news of the air crash that claimed his life.

About his dream run, culminating in a match-winning innings in the final, Alaganan recalls: “The players were more motivated than I. They kept on encouraging me. On the night before the last day of the match, A K Sarangapani had a dream in which he scored 74, the exact number of runs he made in the second innings. M K Murugesh came up to me at no.11 and said: “Don’t treat me as a tailender, I’ll stay with you”, and our partnership proved vital. The 50 runs we put on were in the end the margin of our victory”.

“In the semifinal, C D Gopinath plotted Pankaj Roy’s dismissal on the hook shot off the bowling of BC Alva with his fastish offbreaks. We had a fielder about halfway to the boundary, Alva bowled short and Roy could not resist the temptation.”

“Kripal played a great role in our win. He was writing his exams and we wanted a postponement, which was granted. The star-studded Holkar team captained by Mushtaq Ali, put us in on jute matting, perfect for batting, thinking they would finish the match earlier as their main bowler Dhanwade wanted an extra day in Bombay on his way to the English league.”

As it turned out, Madras made 479 and took the lead. Holkar had heard of Gopinath, but not of young Kripal Singh who played two wonderful innings and bowled superbly. Alaganan wanted to drop himself, as he hadn’t been among the runs. True to form, he scored a zero in the first innings, the only batsman to do so.

After that memorable victory, Alaganan retired and was nominated as a Vice President of the Madras Cricket Association, but was found to be underage, and had to wait until he was 35!

“One year, we all had to resign from the committee when S R Jagannathan sued the Association, but I was determined to become president after that, which I did,” says Alaganan, who was the popular choice it seemed, whenever unpleasant tasks had to be carried out.

He it was who had to inform skipper P K Belliappa he had to stand down as Tamil Nadu skipper in favour of Venkataraghavan, because the off spinner was being groomed for the South Zone captaincy and India vice captaincy.

Years later, when some players went up to him to express their unhappiness with Venkat, again it was Balu who had to convey their feelings to the captain.

A memorable match as manager of the state team was when Tamil Nadu beat Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy semifinal at Poona. “When Maharashtra went into bat for the last time in the match, we led only by 120 runs, but I told the boys not to give up. Skipper Venkat said: ‘Don’t worry, we will win the match’. There was some great bowling by Venkat and VV, and we bundled Maharashtra out for 96, to register an incredible win.”

Balu was a lucky manager. At least that’s how he describes himself, though players who have toured with him think of him as a thoughtful official who really cared for them and contributed meaningfully to team strategy. The Indian teams that visited Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies in the seventies thoroughly enjoyed touring with him.

Balu also did a fairly long stint as radio and TV commentator. One unforgettable incident involved the late P Ananda Rau, who invariably summed up the day’s proceedings for the benefit of overseas listeners who tuned in just after teatime on Test match days in Madras. On one such occasion, even as Ananda Rau was summing up, a few wickets fell, and the commentator went on with his resume, paying no heed to current happenings. The crowd was roaring all the while, and the noise level was quite deafening. Acting on phone calls from worried listeners, who feared some mishap at the ground, the police landed there. Balu nudged Ananda Rau even as the police were making their way towards the commentary box, and Rau woke up from his trance to announce: “As I was talking to you, dear listeners, three more Indian wickets fell.”

The veteran administrator recalls with a chuckle an instance of attempted match fixing from his own experience. It was an intercollegiate match in the forties between Loyola and Madras Christian College, Alaganan’s team. Loyola’s captain Fullinfaw wanted an outright win, as otherwise Engineering, who had star players like Aruldoss, B C Alva, and G Ramanathan, would become the league champions. He asked the MCC captain to lose the match intentionally. “Our captain G Zachariah said, ‘No, I am a true Christian, and won’t throw away a match under any circumstance,’ and we drew the match. The Loyola College crowd, obviously in the know of things, booed us.”

The magicians called radio commentators – E R Ramachandran

The magicians called radio commentators – E R Ramachandran

I was very young when the whole house erupted in unbridled joy and hysterical happiness. Syed Mushtaq Ali, the swashbuckling opener whose hand was broken and had retired hurt, came as the last man to hit a four singlehanded to get an improbable victory for India! Those days radios worked only on valves and carried lot of airways ‘noise’ along with the commentary. But the commentator had sent the whole nation into an electrifying ecstasy by conveying what was happening on the field miles away. In clear contrast to this, when John Arlott was describing India’s innings with India 0 for 4 (yes, zero runs for four wickets) at Headingly, Leeds, you could hear a pin drop piercing the hushed silence as Freddie Trueman sliced through India’s batting using the ball as if it were a meat slicer. Such was the power of radio commentators.  Sanjay was the first commentator who narrated the 18-day Kurukshetra war between Pandavas and Kauravas in Mahabharatha to the blind king Dhritarashtra through Divya drushti (power to visualise what’s happening elsewhere and convey the same).
Radio commentators were pure magicians who could convey the see-saw feelings that erupted in the field to fans thousands of miles away staring at nothing but ceiling and yet participate in whatever happened in the field.  There was AFS Talyar khan, AFST giving the commentary for a full five days all by himself!  Maharajkumar of Vijayanagaram (Vizzy), who would describe Polly Umrigar as the ‘Palm Tree’ hitter for the sixers he was famous for. Quite a majority of cricket lovers grew up listening to ‘Berry’ Sarbadhikari, Pearson Surita, Anant Setalvad, Chakrapani, Dicky Rutnagar, Raj Singh Dungarpur, Ananda Rao, Balu Alaganan, Devraj Puri and his son, the ENT doctor Dr. Narottam Puri.  When the only way you saw action was through some pictures on the Hindu sports page next day, or the Weekly ‘Sports and Pastime’, these magicians by their collective range of voice and sheer artistry brought home the unalloyed ecstasy of winning, the despair of waiting for a draw or the agony of losing a nail-biter. Anant Setalvad’s soothing voice would comfort the desperate crowd at paanwala shops in street corners that Chandu Borde and Russi Surti were rebuilding an innings lying in disarray. Or, the smile that danced on the face of crowd when Dicky Rutnagar described the effortless ‘on-demand sixers’ by Salim Durani or ML Jaisimha to whichever part of the field the demand came from! As you walked from Churchgate station towards Nariman Point in Bombay, you would see hundreds shaking their collective head when you heard Dr. Narottam Puri lament India’s inexplicable collapse from the radio at Lotus Court office of Philips. A cabbie or a chauffeur-driven Mercedes, who would otherwise get frothing mad at the trespass of a carefree pedestrian with a tilted head, would smile and pardon his indiscretion shouting at the same time to know the latest score! Most people had one ear affixed to their transistor sets, while riding their cycles, running to catch a local or while haggling with vegetable vendors as they do with mobile phones nowadays! When Abbas Ali Baig, in company of Ramnath Kenny, drew a match against Australia with a fine 58 and was returning to pavilion, a girl came from nowhere and planted 13 kisses on him. The number was actually counted and conveyed by Vijay Merchant who lamented that he had played for years and lived practically on a cricket field, but never did a girl even look at him!  Did the commentators go wrong? Sometimes, but at extraordinary times! It took quite some time for everybody to realize they had a tie on hand, the first ever in cricket’s history in December 1960 at Brisbane! Our own All India Radio in the afternoon news at 1:30 News first flashed Australia had won and changed it to West Indies before finally coming out with the news of the first tie ever! Listening to John Arlot, Brian Johnston, Rex Alston, Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Peter Baxter, Trevor Bailey over shortwave radio was like sitting in a cricket coaching class; their commentary when Jim Laker took 19 wickets in a Test was no less than the feat itself. Alan Mcgilvary, Micheal Charlton, Richie Benaud, Johnnie Moyes, Jim Maxwell were some of the finest Australian commentators who brought the drama of cricket right to the living room. Into this box walked young Harsha Bhogle to bring ball-by-ball commentary from Australia.  It was as much of a debut as Sunil Gavaskar or a Sachin Tendulkar would make on the field and Harsha had a great debut series in Australia. He is one of our best but somehow, the magic of what he did as a radio commentator has eluded him, such is the medium of radio compared to television. Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjrekar too should sometime go on the air to experience the power of radio in commentary.  How was India’s victory in Port of Spain, West Indies, conveyed in India? India chased a near-impossible score of 400-plus runs against West Indies with both Vishwanath and Sunil Gavaskar scoring a century each, laying the foundation for the chase. When Brijesh Patel scored the winning run, both Hindi and English Commentators on the All India Radio panel wanted to break the news simultaneously!  There was a minor scuffle as to who should convey India’s victory between Ravi Chaturvedi and Suresh Sarayya! Those were the glorious days of ‘Emergency’ then and everybody had to be politically correct in their behaviour in public or the alternative was a quick spell in jail! So the commentators had to heap praises on the then Kings and Queens before they could shower some on the cricketers for the famous victory!

First Published: October 19, 2011, 4:56 PM IST