Performance of Indian players in Irani Trophy match and probable selections for the test series against Australia.

The Rest of India team ran over Delhi in the Irani Trophy to secure the coveted trophy by a victory of 187 runs. This victory comes as a great morale boost to the Rest Of India (ROI) team who are to face the Aussies in the next few days. There is a strong round of rumors which claim that the ROI team for Irani Trophy is essentially the same which will be picked for the first two tests against the visitors.

If the rumors turn out to be true, Ganguly should start auditioning for judge in comedy or dance competitions. The selectors appear stern about the aging Fab Four and Ganguly can very well be the first one to go. Indian Coach Gary Kirsten, who gave weightage to the game as a warm-up before the test series against Australia remarked, “We got what we wanted out of this game. It was important for batsmen to get time out at the wicket. The players we needed to make contributions did so.”

Skipper Kumble accredits the victory to his side’s fielding and catching. Count worthy amongst ROI catches were Mohammad Kaif's low one at slip to dismiss Aakash Chopra in Delhi's first innings, two brilliant catches from Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps, and a couple of sharp takes at slip by Rahul Dravid. Dravid’s abysmal performance in Sri Lanka where he could manage only 148 runs in three tests had made him likely to be left out of the squad. But his 46 and 69 in vadodara have put him back in the run. ROI bowler Harbhajan Singh claimed 4/31 and Kumble claimed 3/19 sending loud warning signs to the touring team to brace up for a spin attack which is in a really good shape.

The match also saw ROI bowler Munaf Patel misbehaving with several Delhi players, most noticeably Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag. He has been charged 70% of his match fee as a penalty. This incident might go against his selection, which seems likely in light of his good recent performances. In the meanwhile, Tendulkar has been declared fit for the upcoming home series. he was excluded from the ROI team owing to injuries and his fitness is a welcome sign for the Indian team.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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