The Irani Cup has traditionally been the season's opener and often a virtual trial match for the year ahead. There have occasionally been departures from the pattern, when the match has been a meaningless end-of-season farce.

The Irani Cup match at Nagpur has been in the news mainly because of the opportunity it afforded VVS Laxman to test his return to full fitness and get some runs under his belt in the process. Laxman duly did so and there have been a handful of good performances by young players. Unfortunately, provided all the leading contenders are fit, there are few vacant slots in the Indian team and a Test series in South Africa is hardly the occasion to blood a youngster, so none of these may get the selectorial nod.

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MRF Pace Foundation trainee Tinu Yohanan seems to have impressed the selectors more than most. According to chairman of selectors Chandu Borde, the tall Kerala lad bowled with fire and pace. Connor Williams of Baroda has given firm notice to the selectors with scores of 143 and 83, and Dinesh Mongia served them a reminder.

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Sarandeep Singh quietly picked up five wickets, showing a rare consistency if you recall his last appearances in a Test match and a tour game against the Australians, in which too, he grabbed a clutch of wickets. He will know that it will take a miracle to displace the Turbanator. Two wicket keepers have batted well in the match. While Nayan Mongia has probably played his last Test, young Ajay Ratra has certainly done his chances a world of good with his fighting innings.

As it so often happens in matches of this kind, noteworthy more as selection trials than as contests per se, a player not exactly in the running for a Test place, turned in an immaculate display. Valmik Buch looked a most competent spinner, but his girth suggests that the young left armer is not a serious candidate for higher honours.

The Irani Cup has traditionally been the season's opener and often a virtual trial match for the year ahead. There have occasionally been departures from the pattern, when the match has been a meaningless end- of-season farce. The Rest of India team composition has sometimes drawn flak for not being the best in the land, but that is because the critics did not agree with the selectors' choice of Test prospects. Yet the tie has repeatedly confounded the critics by throwing up some spectacular successes.

Anil Kumble was an Irani Cup find who hasn't done so badly for India thereafter. A young man called Dilip Vengsarkar hit a magnificent 110 for Bombay against a Rest attack that included Bedi and Prasanna, and forced his way into Test reckoning.

Vengsarkar's teammate Paddy Shivalkar was less fortunate. He took nine wickets including six in the first innings of the same match, but never played for India. On at least one earlier occasion, the left-arm spinner had bowled Bombay to an Irani victory, only to make way for his senior, Bapu Nadkarni, in the Ranji Trophy!

Kapil Dev was another star-in-the-making to make waves in the Irani Cup. His all round display at Bangalore in 1978-79 merely confirmed the selectors' assessment of the Haryana lad as Test class.

Probably the unluckiest achiever in the history of the event was Surinder Amarnath, whose unbeaten 235 in 1980-81 failed to win him a place in the squad for the Australian tour that followed. TE Srinivasan and Kirti Azad who also did well in that game were luckier.

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