HIL: City's Aakib picked by Hyderabad Toofans

By Paritosh Pramanik

City’s talented hockey midfielder Syed Aakib Rahim has been picked by Hyderabad Toofaans  during the two-day auctions of Hockey India League held in New Delhi.

Aakib, who plays for India Navy in the domestic hockey circuit, was picked at the base price of Rs 2 lakh by the 

franchise.

Apart from Aakib, other Nagpur players including Wasim Khan (Eastern Railways), Irshad Mirza (CR) and Niyaz Rahim (Indian Railways) went unsold during the auction.

Soorma Hockey Club, Team Gonasika, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Tamil Nadu Dragons

Hyderabad Toofans, UP Rudras, Delhi SG Pipers, Kalinga Lancers

The league will be held in December. 

Aakib, a former St John’s High School and Sindhu Mahavidyalaya student, has also won titles for Indian Navy. He has also clinched gold medal for Services team at Jhansi Nationals. 

Aakib had in the past also helped the Navy team win title at Senior Nehru Hockey Tournament in 2022.

Aakib also represented Mohun Bagan that won the Kolkata Premier League last year.

Ranji Trophy: Vidarbha’s Opening salvo

By Paritosh Pramanik

AT LUNCH, with Andhra cruising at 163-1, Vidarbha’s hope of a win was slowly evaporating. But the 11 men in the middle were confident and had belief in each other. 

The lunch break helped Vidarbha regroup and the two-time Ranji champions showed tremendous courage to take nine wickets in the second session to snatch a 74 runs outright victory against Andhra at VCA Civil Lines ground, on Monday.

The second new ball did the trick as pacer Aditya Thakare (4-74) snared three wickets in one over to floor Andhra and help Vidarbha collect six points from their opening encounter.

Thakare broke the backbone of Andhra first by sending captain Ricky Bhui (26) back on the second ball of his over with Wadkar grabbing the catch. The next delivery nipped in and rattled new man T Vijay’s furniture. Two deliveries later, Lalith Mohan (0) poked his bat to a widish delivery to give Thakare his third wicket. 

Captain Akshay Wadkar was acrobatic in taking the catch of Mohan diving to his right. An over later, Thakare completed the formalities taking the wicket of Andhra’s last man KV Sasikanth. This stunning win will boost Vidarbha’s confidence tremendously given that they were one bowler short from Day One with premier pacer Umesh Yadav getting injured bowling only 6.5 overs.

Vidarbha were unable to find success in the morning session with overnight batters Abhishek Reddy (78) and Shaikh Rasheed (74) going strong. 

Spinners Akshay Wakhare (2-71) and Harsh Dubey (4-69) tried all tricks but somehow were unable to break the partnership.

There were edges that flew from the bats which at time beat wicketkeeper captain Akshay Wadkar as well as short-leg fielder Danish Malewar. 

Finally, the moment for Vidarbha to cheer came in the seventh over after lunch break when Abhishek was trapped in front off Wakhare. The dent was made in Andhra batting and Vidarbha bowlers pounced on the opportunity. Next to go was Rasheed with Dubey finding his pads in front of the wicket. 

From 163-1, Andhra were reduced to 189-3. India stumper KS Bharat tried to release the pressure but was caught at point region by Aman Mokhade off Dubey and then Ashwin Hebbar was caught by Malewar at short leg off Wakhare. The writing was on the wall for Andhra and Vidarbha took the new ball and Thakare made full use of it, completing the formalities wiping out the remaining wickets in no time.

Vidarbha will now travel to Pondicherry on Tuesday for their second match of Group B starting October 18.

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Umesh Yadav out for four weeks; Shorey, Rekhade added to squad

Vidarbha were dealt with a severe blow when India pacer Umesh was ruled out for at least four weeks due to tendinitis injury. The fast bowler suffered the injury during Vidarbha’s bowling on the first day of their Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha at VCA Civil Lines ground. 

Yadav limped back to the pavilion midway and was unable to bowl in the match. He did come to bat and scored three boundaries but was unable to bowl in Vidarbha’s second innings. “His injury is not good. The tendinitis got injured while he was bowling on the opening day of the match. 

“It will take at least four week to heal and he would be unable to take part in the next three matches of Vidarbha,” said Vidarbha team physio Nitin Khurana, after the match. 

Meanwhile, Dhruv Shorey was declared fit for the second match and was included in the team along with Parth Rekhade.

Rekhade will replace Mandar Mahale in the squad.

THE SQUAD: Akshay Wadkar (C & WK), Atharva Taide (VC), Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Akshay Wakhare, Aditya Thakare, Shubham Kapse, Nachiket Bhute, Siddhesh Wath (WK), Praful Hinge, Danish Malewar, Parth Rekhade, Karun Nair, Dhruv Shorey.

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‘Dubey was informed of bowling long spell’

n By Paritosh Pramanik

Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar knows the VCA pitch as the back of his hand.

He was aware that the pitch will assist spinners in the fourth innings and once pacer Umesh Yadav was ruled out to bowl in the match, he huddled in with his two spinners —Akshay Wakhare and Harsh Dubey— to re-plan the plot.

Expectedly, left-armer spinner Dubey was forced to bowl for extended spell.

And Dubey, who has just nine First Class Games under his belt, did not disappoint his captain.

The spinner took a match-haul of eight wickets to help Vidarbha thrash Andhra in their opening match.

Wadkar said that he (Dubey) was informed well in advance about bowling for an extended session. “After Umesh got injured the pressure was on the four bowlers—two seamers and two spinners. With Andhra having most right handers, Dubey was the only man to do the job for us,” said Wadkar after the match.

“We had informed him that he will have to bowl an extended spell and he was eager to bowl long. He was getting turn and bounce also, and we are happy that he did the job for us,” said Wadkar.

In the second innings, Dubey bowled 15 overs continuously  while Wakhare bowled 14 at a stretch.

Wadkar was happy with the start and said the win would help in the future matches.

“It is a good start and will help us in the coming matches. We were down in the first innings but came back strongly. The bowlers as well as the batters, specially Atharva Taide, batted well in the second innings to post a challenging target.” said the Vidarbha skipper.

Exciting finish on cards

By Paritosh Pramanik

VIDARBHA finally played like two-time Ranji champions!

Led by opener Atharva Taide, who cracked his fourth Ranji century on the second day, Vidarbha batters showed how to bat on the home turf, as they amassed 336 in their second innings against Andhra in the Ranji Trophy match at VCA Civil Lines ground on Sunday.

Chasing 318, Andhra were 79 for one when the play was called off due to bad light for the second time in three days making the final day an exciting one.

Spinner Harsh Dubey, who took four wickets in the first innings, managed to get rid of Hanuma Vihari (22), trapping him in front. Abhishek Reddy (38) and Shaikh Rasheed (18) were at the crease with Andhra still needing 239 and Vidarbha nine wickets for an outright victory.

After a dismal batting in the first innings, Vidarbha bowlers, led by premier spinner Akshay Wakhare (4-10) and Dubey (4-52) bundled out the visitors for 167, conceding a first innings lead of a meagre 49 runs.

In the second essay, Taide, resuming at 115, could add only three runs to his overnight score before his stumps were castled by PVSN Raju in the second over of the day.

But other batters, including Aman Mokhade (53), debutant Danish Malewar (63), professional Karun Nair (43) and captain Akshay Wadkar (40) built on the strong foundation put up by the opening pair of Taide and Mokhade who had added 137 runs.

After Mokhade’s departure, Malewar joined left-handed Taide in the middle to post 67 for the second wicket. Debutant Malewar grew in confidence and hit six beautiful boundaries in his 167-ball stay in the middle. Malewar was strong on his feet as he slammed an appreciation seeking backfoot boundary towards midwicket fence off spinner Lalth Mohan. Then, a couple of overs later, there was a late cut boundary towards third man off PVSN Raju. 

After Taide’s dismissal in the morning, Malewar, who celebrated his 21st birthday, on October 8, did not hesitate in playing reverse sweep as well. He and Nair batted well and the duo scored 78 for the third wicket as Vidarbha took control of the day. With Malewar scoring freely, Nair took chances and once stepped out to hit Lalith Mohan for a long off boundary. When the bowler pulled the ball back, Nair gently cut the ball towards the third man breaching the slip cordon. But Nair’s departure put brakes on the run flow and it was once again left to captain Wadkar to take the innings forward with the help of tail.

Wadkar once again played sheet-anchor’s role for his 40 runs and added valuable 40 runs with Wakhare. Umesh Yadav, despite being unable to walk, entertained the sparse crowd hitting three boundaries before getting out in the 103rd over.

Andhra overworked spinners with Lalith Mohan who bowled 17 overs on the trot and took three wickets while Tripurna Vijay bowled straight 15 overs for his four wickets.

In chase, Andhra started aggressively and scored 52 runs for the opening wicket. The fall of Vihari brought Shaikh Rasheed in the middle and he and Abhishek Reddy added 27 runs for the second wicket.

With the pitch assisting spinners and Wakhare and Dubey already sharing eight wickets in the first innings, Vidarbha will walk out in the middle on the final morning full of confidence to pocket an outright victory.

Vidarbha woes: Batters fail; Umesh injured

By Paritosh Pramanik

VIDARBHA captain Akshay Wadkar sat squatted at the non-striker’s end with his hands on his helmet, looking at his partner Danish Malewar in disbelief. Debutant Malewar was the last recognised batter and was looking good with his two boundaries. But his wicket in the 15th over of the day exposed Vidarbha’s tail. From 47-5, the hosts’ innings folded at 118 in 38.5 overs against Andhra on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy match at VCA Civil Lines ground on Friday 

morning.

Wadkar was the lone survivor for Vidarbha with a gritty unbeaten 46.

In reply, Andhra were 114-1, trailing by just four runs when the day was called off due to bad light.

Opener Abhishek Reddy (62) and SK Rasheed (49) had added unbeaten 113 runs for the second wicket. Both batted with utmost ease and picked runs in boundaries without any trouble, finding gaps in the field.

Vidarbha had a forgettable day. If the batters failed in unison, their premier bowler Umesh Yadav hobbled out of the field due to an injury to his heel after bowling just 6.5 overs.

In the morning, Vidarbha won the important toss but their decision to bat first backfired as the batters failed to apply themselves against Andhra’s three-pronged pace attack.

None of the Vidarbha batters, barring skipper Wadkar, showed intent to stay in the middle.

Only four of Vidarbha batters managed double digits while three failed to open their account. Wadkar’s 46 and 20 from pacer Umesh Yadav helped Vidarbha cross the 100-run mark.

“We wanted to post 300 plus runs on this pitch. We all know that it would be difficult to bat in the fourth innings hence we decided to bat first. On any ground, the first hour of play happens to be crucial but our batter could not see off those 60 minutes in the morning,” explained a dejected looking Vidarbha captain Wadkar after the day’s play.

Vidarbha got off to a disastrous start as opener Aman Mokhade got run out on the third ball of the innings. Atharva Taide and Mokhade went for a non-existent run and Tripurna Vijay’s direct hit from gully opened the floodgates for Andhra.

Yash Rathod (0) was brilliantly caught at slips by Hanuma Vihari off CH Stephen in the third over and Taide (17) ballooned a simple catch to captain Ricky Bhui at short mid-off.

Hopes rested on professional Karun Nair (12) and he carved out two beautiful boundaries, one through covers and the other through third man region. However, Andhra pacer KV Sasikanth brought the next delivery in to trap the batter in front of the wicket.

Malewar showed grit and faced Andhra pacers confidently. He left the away going deliveries and looked unfazed. But he tried to hit PVSN Raju walking down the track and edged the ball to SK Rasheed who grabbed a brilliant low catch.

“Malewar was batting well. We were talking in the middle and he was confident. He had scored two beautiful boundaries and I asked him to stay put. But he went for that shot and our partnership got broken,” Wadkar reasoned for his reaction after his partner’s wicket.

Wadkar and Yadav added 32 runs for the eighth wicket which helped Vidarbha cross the 100 runs mark. But Umesh’s decision to throw his bat four deliveries before lunch saw his and team’s downfall as Vidarbha’s innings folded 44 minutes after lunch.

Andhra batters started their chase aggressively and scored 100 runs from 25 overs.

They easily negotiated Vidarbha pacers -- Yadav, Aditya Thakare and Nachiket Bhute.

“Umesh has an injury in his heel and he can’t run. He will not be able to bowl tomorrow. We will try to take wickets early tomorrow morning and if we fail to do so, we will go with a defensive approach,” Wadkar hinted.

Ranji Trophy: Vid start afresh, aim to go one step further

By Paritosh Pramanik

“THE Ranji Trophy runners-up tag is now a thing of the past. This is a new season and we have to start afresh,” was the to-the-point reply from Vidarbha coach Usman Ghani on the eve of home team’s opener against Andhra at Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Civil Lines ground.

Despite Ghani’s remarks, the defeat to Mumbai in the final last season will definitely stay in some corner of Vidarbha’s mind when they take the field on Friday and aim to go one step further than the 2023-24 season. 

And the team is confident of once again dominating the scene with their all-round efforts.

Thursday morning witnessed Akshay Wadkar-led side sweating out hard for one last time before they take the field against last year’s quarter-finalists Andhra, which is led by previous season’s run-machine Ricky Bhui (902).

Vidarbha will look to starting their season on a positive note against Andhra against whom they have a better head to head record.

The teams have met thrice and Vidarbha have come out ‘winners’ on all two occasions, taking first innings lead.

The batting line-up looks strong with vice-captain Athrava Taide, Aman Mokhade, captain Wadkar, Akshay Karnewar, to name a few, having the ability to score big runs.

Vidarbha will be once again banking on professional Karun Nair who was instrumental in taking the team to the final last season with 690 runs under his belt. The only worry for Vidarbha in the opening game is the unavailability of indisposed Dhruv Shorey.

“Yes, we will miss him as he is not well. But we have other batters who can do the job,” Ghani said confidently.

The bowling department will be led by India pacer Umesh Yadav along with Aditya Thakre, Shubham Kapse, Nachiket Bhute. 

Senior player Akshay Wakhare will take the care of spin department and it would be interesting to see how left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey performs after his stellar show against Mumbai in last year’s final where he captured the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, and Musheer Khan at Wankhede Stadium.

As for Andhra, they too are confident of a favourable start with skipper Bhui leading from the front. Bhui has scored a couple of centuries in the Duleep Trophy a couple of weeks back and has expressed his desire to carry that form. Their batting line-up is bolstered with the inclusion of KS Bharat and former captain Hanuma Vihari. Seamer K V Sasikanth and left-arm medium pacer Ch Setphen will be eager to strike early on a deck which may assits fast bowlers early in the match.

“The pitch looks good, hard. It would be interesting to see how the seamers take advantage of the overcast conditions. The first hour would be crucial,” Vidarbha coach Ghani stated.

With rains on the eve of the match, there is a slight possibility of a delayed start to the match on Friday. Though the centre pitch was well under cover, the concern would be the outfield which may force the umpires to start the game a few hours late.

Teams: Vidarbha: Akshay Wadkar (Captain & WK), Atharva Taide (Vice-Captain), Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Akshay Wakhare, Aditya Thakare, Shubham Kapse, Nachiket Bhute, Siddhesh Wath (WK), Praful Hinge, Danish Malewar, Umesh Yadav, Mandar Mahale, Karun Nair.

Andhra: Ricky Bhui (C), Shaikh Rasheed (vc), KS Bharat (wk), Hanuma Vihari, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Maheep Kumar, Vamsi Krishna (wk), Abishek Reddy, KV Sasikanth, Ashwin Hebbar, CH Stephen, Satyanarayana Raju, A Lalith Mohan, G Manish, T Vijay, M Hemanth Reddy.

Rahim brothers expecting Hockey India League glory

By Paritosh Pramanik

Oct 10, 2024

CITY’S hockey players, Aakib Rahim and Syed Niyaz Rahim, cousin brothers, who are dazzling all over the country with their skillful game, have been picked in the draft for the relaunched Hockey India’s Hockey India League (HIL) which will be back after a break of seven years.

Midfielder Aakib is playing for Indian Navy while Niyaz, also a midfielder, is captain of Indian Railways and has led the team to title victories on many occasions.

Niyaz was also in India’s 33-member core probables list for the Tokyo Olympics.

Both the players are expecting to be picked by one of the eight franchises during the mega auction to be held on Sunday and Monday. The base prices are set at Rs 2 lakh, Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.

According to sources, several franchises are collecting information about both players and have shown interest in them.

The eight men’s team are named as Delhi SG Pipers,  Hyderabad Toofans, Kalinga Lancers, Bengal Tigers, Team Chennai, Team Lucknow, Team Punjab and Team Ranchi. The league will be held in December.

“We have been included in the draft and are hoping to be picked by one of the teams,” Niyaz said about the auction.

Niyaz is leading the Indian Railways team since 2019 and under his leadership the team has won five gold medals in Hockey India’s national championship. 

Similarly, Aakib, a former St John’s High School and Sindhu Mahavidyalaya student, has also won titles for Indian Navy. He has also won the gold medal for the Services team at Jhansi Nationals. Aakib also helped the Navy team win title at Senior Nehru Hockey Tournament in 2022.

Aakib also represented Mohun Bagan that won the Kolkata Premier League last year.

Skipper Bhui eager to carrying on Duleep form

Andhra hit nets at VCA Civil Lines for gruelling Ranji season ahead

By Paritosh Pramanik

Oct 10, 2024

WITH two Duleep Trophy centuries under his belt, Andhra captain Ricky Bhui is aiming to carry on his form this Ranji season with their opening game against Vidarbha at Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Civil Lines ground.

The opening four-day match begins from Friday and Andhra team wasted no time in fine-tuning their skills as they stepped out on the lush green VCA Civil Lines ground on a cloudy Wednesday afternoon. 

Bhui was the top scorer in last Ranji Trophy season with 902 runs for Andhra Pradesh with four centuries and three half-centuries to his name. He continued his commanding form in Duleep Trophy last month with two centuries for India D (119 * against India B and 113 against India A). 

The captain said he will love to carry on in the same vein.

“We have prepared well for this season like we do every time. We, as a team, believe in process and will stick to our plan this season as well. Yes, I would love to carry on with my form and am confident after my knocks in Duleep Trophy,” Bhui told ‘The Hitavada’ after the nets session on Wednesday afternoon.

On the opening match against former two-time champions and last season’s runners-up Vidarbha, Bhui said that they are prepared to take the home side. “No doubt, Vidarbha is a quality side but we too had made it to the quarters last season. So it will be a good contest between bat and ball,” said the Andhra captain.

Bhui said they did not change much from the last season and said it all depends how mentally tough you are to the given situation.

“Skill wise we are at par with the best teams. We are working on the mental aspect. If we play with confidence I am sure we too can go the distance,” he confidently said.

The Andhra team got a boost with top batters like Hanuma Vihari and Srikar Bharat in the squad. “We have a strong side with Vihari and Bharat in the squad which makes our batting line-up tough, so it would be a good contest.” Bhui explained.

Bhui said that the pitch looks good but it still has some grass and would be in better position to comment on the eve of the match.

“Its a good pitch. Even though it is under cover. There is some grass which would be shaved off tomorrow. We will get a better idea of the strip tomorrow only. But going by previous matches at this ground, it seems that it is a true wicket with something for bowlers as well as for batters,” the captain signed off.