UP-and-down, defending champs on relegation path

In the Indian domestic circuit, it would be hard to find a team as fascinating and maddening as Uttar Pradesh.

In the Indian domestic circuit, it would be hard to find a team as fascinating and maddening as Uttar Pradesh. They are reigning Ranji champions, who have three senior India players in the team, more than a couple of India Under-19 cricketers and surely a decent mix of talent that is better than a lot many teams in the current Super League tournament.

And yet, even as their fifth match of the Ranji Trophy is in progress, UP surprisingly find themselves on the road to relegation with just one match to go.

Kaif8217;s boys are currently lying at the bottom of the table along with Tamil Nadu, with just four points to their credit. And in the ongoing match against Baroda, they already look like having conceded two points on the basis of first innings lead. Baroda are now 10 runs short of surpassing UP8217;s total of 269 runs, with four wickets to spare.

8220;Relegation? We8217;re not thinking about that yet,8217;8217; says Kaif with a smirk. For now, he8217;s weighed his options well and knows that 8220;at home, things will be definitely better.8217;8217;

UP have been completely unpredictable, suffering an innings defeat against a team like Haryana but collecting points against teams like Tamil Nadu. Coach Rajinder Singh Hans sums it up well: 8220;We have to stay there and see this through till the last ball of the league is bowled. 8217;8217;

UP is a team that certainly has talent in abundance. There are individual performers who were busy taking five-wicket hauls and scoring hundreds last season when they won the title. The result was, players like Piyush Chawla led the India Under-19 team, Tanmay Shrivastava and Praveen Kumar became vital members of that team, Kaif, Suresh Raina and RP Singh went back to playing for India and so on.

But this year, UP are spending less time studying the opposition as compared to the time spent in studying points table. Last season, their highly talented top-order batted with an overall average of close to 50 and this year, they have dipped to almost 28. Chawla and Kumar had four five-wicket hauls each and this year, it is Chawla who has just one.

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To the team, Kaif is certainly the guiding light. For now, however, it is not just Kaif or any other individual but the entire unit that is now confident of making the cut in the Super League.

8220;Abhi ek match baaki hai,8217;8217; says Praveen, certainly not sure what he8217;s going to do.

Brief scores: Uttar Pradesh 269 vs Baroda 259/5 Satyajit Parab 113, Jacob Martin 42; Piyush Chawla 2/40.