Despite a string of scintillating individual performances there was something amiss in the two Ranji Trophy semi-finals. Despite both matches ending in wins for the away team, one inside three days, you were left with a feeling of being less than satisfied.If there was any one reason, it was this: the lack of a single display by an unfancied player to create a buzz in the stands. The kind of display that prompts the comment, ‘‘Watch out for this kid, he’ll go places.’’ Nehra back NEW DELHI: India’s left-arm medium pacer Ashish Nehra returned home last weekend after undergoing a successful knee-joint operation in South Africa. Nehra is on crutches now and is expected to resume training in late July. ‘‘Ashish is feeling a lot better,’’ said the bowler’s elder brother Dinkar when contacted at his Cantonment home today. Nehra underwent a surgery on April 17 on the knee-joint and forced him to miss the tri-series in Dhaka ‘‘He will be going to South Africa on May 15 and the plasters would be removed on May 19. He will be taking two months rest and expected to be fit to resume playing latest by the end of July,’’ Dinkar said. (ENS) Yes, Sehwag, Agarkar, Bahutule, Ramesh and Balaji did do their bit but nothing more than was expected of them. Indeed, this was supposed to be an opportunity for the fringe players.Starting with the openers, India’s perennial problem spot — especially away from home, and given the instability of the Das-Sehwag pairing. There were several prospects on view: Gautam Gambhir, Akash Chopra, Wasim Jaffer, Satyajit Parab, Connor Williams and Sadgopan Ramesh. Going by runs alone, Ramesh was the winner. With national selector Sanjay Jagdale looking on, he racked up 82 and 55. He will, however, face a sterner test on the livelier Wankhede track and against the quicker Mumbai bowlers.Gambhir and Chopra, who’ve enjoyed terrific seasons so far, both failed abjectly and have presumably harmed their chances of qualifying for the big league. Poor shot selection and the lack of will to stick around shows that still they have a long way to go. Baroda’s Williams and Parab were sorted out by some top-notch bowling from Agarkar and Aavishkar Salvi. Jaffer had limited opportunity as Mumbai batted just the once but the final on home ground gives him another chance. All of which left one thing clear: Sehwag was leagues ahead of his peers.In the bowling department, despite the hype about the pace war at the pacy Baroda track the most heartening display came on the dead Kotla pitch. Balaji’s seven-wicket match-winning spell against Delhi certainly makes him best among the fringe pacers. His challengers, Rakesh Patel and Irfan Pathan, failed to make the most of home advantage and a fast GSFC pitch. The Mumbai final will offer an intriguing contest to see who among Balaji, Agarkar and Salvi will join the seniors Zaheer, Nehra and Srinath. Bahutule was the winners in the race of the spinners to replace the ageing Kumble as Sarandeep Singh and Rahul Sanghvi had forgettable outings.There were, however, two unheralded players who showed potential. Mumbai’s 21-year-old Bhavin Thakkar and Baroda’s 18-year-old Rakesh Solanki, batting against good pace attacks on a lively track, emerged top scorers for their respective teams. Solanki’s 43 and 38 were the only bright sports for a beleaguered Baroda while Thakkar’s 76 against Zaheer, Patel and Pathan was creditable. But they have a long way to go.
