Domestic melting pot boils as mercury rises

The players who take the field tomorrow can be broadly slotted into three categories: the stars, the stars who’ve faded away and the wannabe stars.

First, the stars. Delhi’s Virender Sehwag and Baroda’s Zaheer Khan (and, through sheer resilience, Mumbai’s Ajit Agarkar too) fall in category A. The India regulars have nothing to prove — though this is an ideal time for them to sort out flaws in their technique — but, by playing a Ranji match they have answered those critics who have had harped on the repeated absence of stars from state squads.

And the fact that both have preferred Ranji to the English circuit has, at least for the time being, aborted the county vs country debate.

This is also time for Aavishkar Salvi to show his stuff. With Javagal Srinath on the verge of retirement, Salvi can be pardoned if he talks about stepping into the veteran’s shoes.

The most crowded section is the second — the ‘been-there, not really done that’ category. Tamil Nadu’s Sadagoppan Ramesh and Hemang Badani have a few India caps in their kitbag which they’d like to add to. While Ramesh would need something really out of the ordinary to be considered again, Badani, with his fine showing during India’s A tour — the late middle-order spot in the national squad is still up for grabs — will be desperate to prove a point before it is too late.

Then there are the two openers — Mumbai’s Wasim Jaffer and Baroda’s Connor Williams. Both had short stints with the national side — Jaffer was dropped after a lean (Avge: 20) series in England, while Williams was in the squad that played the same opponents at home. But the latter’s elevation came during the experiments with Deep Dasgupta and all the boy from Baroda did was carry drinks.

The two have a chance, particularly after that forgettable New Zealand trip, where the much-famed Indian line-up crumbled. But for that they have to contend with Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir who has an eye-popping domestic CV. A brilliant ‘A’ tour to the West Indies and a Ranji average of around 90 makes him the frontrunner. Forget the Dhaka tri-series, a chance for Gambhir in Tests seems inevitable.

With Anil Kumble’s retirement round the corner, now’s the time for Sarandeep Singh and Sairaj Bahutule to push their cases. However, two men who aren’t here — leggie Amit Mishra and left-arm spinner Murali Karthik — have a better chance of playing Tests.

Among the pacers, Amit Bhandari (Delhi) and L Balaji (Tamil Nadu) have been on the international sidelines after one poor international game each. But Bhandari (40) and Balaji (37) are the top two wicket-takers in Ranji this season and another good performance may see them get the selectorial nod.

The rookies’ section presents the most heartening prospects. Baroda pacers Rakesh Patel and Irfan Pathan, despite great seasons, are still to get an international game. Delhi batsman Mithun Manhas and Baroda batsman Satyajit Parab have three tons each this Ranji season and average in the 60s. And there is also Delhi’s Aakash Chopra, who too had a terrific season so far.

One intriguing footnote: two of the wicket-keepers on view — Baroda’s Nayan Mongia and Delhi’s Vijay Dahiya — were once first-choice for the national team till they were unceremoniously dropped. It’s long been speculated — with no definite answer — why they were axed. The two Ranji semifinals might provide answers to several cricketers taking part but the two keepers, it seems, may remain perpetually stumped.