Search This Blog

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Amul Baby ! - Bihar Ranji !!

Sure most like ‘Amul Baby’ !  -  decades ago in 1961,   White Revolution had just begun in India,  Amul’s advertising agency was on the lookout for a baby girl to feature on the packet of the milk powder. Out of a whopping 712 photographs of adorable babies,  they  picked one. The photograph was advertising professional Chandran Tharoor’s second child, Shobha.  Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s younger sister, was just ten months old when she was photographed by filmmaker Shyam Benegal to become the first-ever Amul baby. The photograph of a wide-eyed, chubby baby with thick, straight hair isn’t something that India forgot easily.

 


 

In 1955 at Brabourne India beat New Zealand by an innings and 27 runs!  There was a debutant – who opened -    Vijay Mehra was the youngest India to play Test cricket - 17 years, 265 days - a record till Maninder Singh broke it in 1982-83. A slightly built right-hand opening batsman, Mehra did not make much  in that match. After a test or so, he  was forgotten for six years before being brought back for the Test at Calcutta against England in 1961-62. 

Following Ranji Trophy 2024 – TN lost its first match of the season to Gujarat.  The first round of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy saw eleven outright wins and seven draws, Puducherry's win over Delhi perhaps being the biggest upset.  Delhi stood exposed as they were handed a nine-wicket defeat by Puducherry, new entrants no more. Gaurav Yadav, the fast bowler, playing his first first-class game for his new team since moving over from Madhya Pradesh took a ten-wicket haul. Within minutes of the loss, Yash Dhull, India's Under-19 World Cup winning captain from 2022, was removed as Delhi captain. Test cricketers  Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini managed just three wickets between them in the first innings as Puducherry's lead of 96 proved decisive. 

Pondy is captained by Arun Karthik.  Konda Bhaskir Arun Karthik, is a right handed top order batter and wicket keeper.   Arun Karthik began his first-class career with 149 on debut against Karnataka in 2008-09. He was part of a power-packed Tamil Nadu batting quintet that season, scoring 344 runs in four games. Arun Karthik began his mainstream career in Sri Lanka, where he represented Badureliya Sports Club for one season. He initially had an IPL contract with Chennai Super Kings and was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. That move paid off quite spectacularly in the Champions League later that year, when his last-ball six against South Australia took Royal Challengers to the semi-finals. 

Elsewhere in the Elite Group B match at Patna (5-8 Jan 2024) Mumbai beat Bihar easily.   IPL big hitter Shivam Dube was in the fray.  Dube  is back in India's T20I setup following a stellar IPL. Although he was part of the Asian Games winning squad, his selection for the Afghanistan T20Is is significant considering it is India's last assignment prior to the T20 World Cup in June. He struck a 61-ball 41 in a low-scoring first innings where Mumbai managed just 251, but it was enough to secure an innings and 51 run win as Bihar were bowled out for 100 in each innings. Dube finished with combined figures of 6 for 23 in the match.

 


There was a big milestone  when Bihar handed a first-class debut to Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged just 12 years and 284 days. His official age, confirmed by the BCA, makes him the youngest Indian first-class debutant.  Suryavanshi, a left-hand batter, made 93 runs in five innings at the Vinoo Mankad Trophy for Bihar. That earned him a spot in the Under-19 Challenger Trophy as well as in the Under-19 Quadrangular, also involving Bangladesh and England, following which the junior selection panel named their India squad for the Under-19 World Cup to be held in South Africa later this month. He didn't figure in that. 

Alimuddin, who made his debut at the age of 12 years and 73 days for Rajputana against Baroda in the 1942-23 Ranji Trophy holds the record for being the youngest to play First Class cricket in India. The Ajmer-born Alimuddin played for Rajputana in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Baroda at the Maharaja Pratap Singh Coronation Gymkhana in Baroda. 

He is the ninth player in the world to make his First-Class debut before turning 13. Besides those mentioned above, the others in the list included former Pakistan international Aaqib Javed (1984-85), Mohammad Akram (1968-69), Rizwan Sattar (1985-86), Salimuddin (1954-55) and Qasim Feroze (1970-71). 

In Tests – Hasan Raja of Pak is the youngest (14Y 227D); followed by Mushtaq Mohammad, Pak; Mohammad Shariff Bangla, Aaqib Javed Pak & . .. .. the man who holds so many records Sachin Tendulkar who made his debut on 15.11.1989 at Karachi when he was 16Y 205 D. 

Some of the teens who played for India include : Sachin, Maninder, L Sivaramakrishnan, Parthiv Patel, Prithvi Shaw .. .. …
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
10.1.2024 

No comments:

Post a Comment