The scenes of unbridled joy the bhangra dance, the drumbeats, theplayers hugging each other and then paying obeisance to the pitch, thegrabbing of the stumps as souvenirs that followed the fall of thelast wicket in the Ranji Trophy final at the

Partab Ramchand11-Mar-2002The scenes of unbridled joy the bhangra dance, the drumbeats, theplayers hugging each other and then paying obeisance to the pitch, thegrabbing of the stumps as souvenirs that followed the fall of thelast wicket in the Ranji Trophy final at the Karnail Singh Stadium inNew Delhi on Saturday were quite understandable. A maiden triumph isalways special, particularly when it comes about on the 43rd attempt.The imposing Ranji Trophy will adorn the Railways Sports Control Boardshowcase in New Delhi for the first time, and naturally it is a momentof pride, a moment to savour for ever for the players, coach andofficials who all made this dream come true.For long, Railways have been among the `unglamorous’ outfits takingpart in the country’s premier national competition. Lacking the starsand the aura associated with teams like Bombay, Delhi or Karnataka,Railways for 30 years were not even the bridesmaids, let alone thebride.In the North Zone, they had to take third billing to Delhi andServices. When they were transferred to the Central Zone in the midseventies, they found qualification for the knock out stage a biteasier but did not progress beyond the quarterfinal. However, acertain dedication and perseverance did show through, despite thereverses and disappointments and now these twin qualities have beenrewarded. Even as the players are jubilant, it is difficult not tothink back to the 1959-60 season when Railways first played in theRanji Trophy.After they were granted affiliation, Lala Amarnath took upon himselfthe task of recruiting players who would form the nucleus of a sidethat would perform commendably. The former Indian captain was thenalready 48 but he still led by example, scoring runs, picking upwickets and captaining as shrewdly as only he could. Around playerslike Budhi Kunderan, Vijay Mehra, Harold Ghosh, William Ghosh, DSMukherjee and Dattu Phadkar the last named at the fag end of hisfirst-class career – Amarnath formed a side capable enough of takingon even the top two teams in the North Zone – Delhi and Services – onlevel terms.In just the second season of their participation, Railwaysaccomplished a feat that is all too rare in cricket winning withoutlosing a wicket. Playing against Jammu & Kashmir at Srinagar, Railwaysdismissed the home side for 92 and 159 and replied with 236 for nowicket declared and 16 for no loss to register a ten-wicket victory.Kunderan (116) and Mehra (107), both India players at the time,figured in the two unbroken first wicket partnerships to star inRailways’ unusual victory.For the next decade and a half, Railways were in the shadow of eitherDelhi or Services. Making it to the knock out stage became a biteasier when the top two teams from a zone gained entry from the1970-71 season, but at the second stage, Railways again lost out in anearly round.From 1975-76, Railways were transferred to the Central Zone though theRSCB headquarters remained in New Delhi. Qualifying for the knock outnow almost became a formality, but Railways generally came a cropperat the first hurdle. Throughout the early and mid-eighties, this trendcontinued and they were never serious contenders for the title.This did not mean that Railways did not have outstanding players.Yusuf Ali Khan was a tower of strength in their batting as evidencedby his tally of 3782 runs in the national competition with an averageof 54.02 and a highest score of 233. Md Tarif, YM Choudhury, MushtaqAli, MI Ansari, Rajeshwar Vats, P Vedraj, Alfred Burrows, S Balaji,Naresh Churi, Aslam Ali, Rajesh Bora and KB Kala were the prominentplayers who shaped many a Railways victory during the 70s and 80s.But the outstanding player was Hyder Ali. The indefatigable allrounder had one of the finest records in the history of thecompetition. His pugnacious left-handed batting saw him score 2525runs while his left-arm spinners brought him 317 wickets from 87matches. In addition to these illustrious cricketer, India playerslike Dhiraj Parsana and Sunil Valson played for Railways for a fewseasons at various periods.
© CricInfoRailways’ big breakthrough came in 1987-88. Against all expectations,a mixture of pluck and luck saw them make the title round wherehowever they were outplayed by Tamil Nadu. Theirs was a commendablefeat for it was still a side bereft of big names. Suddenly Railwayswere the `hot’ team around the national circuit and stars jumped onthe bandwagon. In the next few years, Syed Kirmani, Yashpal Sharma andPravin Amre represented the side while the trio from Madras comprisingUR Radhakrishnan, R Venkatesh and S Bharathan added both substance andstyle.The last decade has been pretty eventful for the Railways side,culminating in their notable triumph on Saturday. Yusuf Ali Khancontinued to be among the runs; Abhay Sharma, meanwhile, has beentheir batting mainstay and it seemed somehow fitting that he should bethe victorious captain.
© CricInfoBharathan remained the leading all-rounder, good enough to achieve therare double of a hundred and 11 wickets against Rajasthan in 1992-93.Yere Goud added solidity to the middle-order while the discovery ofSanjay Bangar and Murali Kartik brought a touch of class to the side.Suddenly, Railways were not any more an opposition who could be takenlightly; they were a side to be feared. In 1996-97 they were strongenough to defeat Tamil Nadu by an innings and 65 runs in the superleague.Still, the element of inconsistency continued to dog the Railways andthis was attributed to the fact that with the exception of playerslike Kartik and Bangar, who were from Chennai and Mumbai, the othersdid not get either the opportunity to play many matches or the chanceto prove their mettle against strong opposition. Hailing fromdifferent parts of the country, they did not get to play in a highergrade of cricket.Also, coming together for a short camp once the probables wereselected after the inter-railway championship did not give the team afeeling of oneness. That was one reason why the team seemed to thriveon individual brilliance, a factor that prevented Railways fromachieving their full potential. The side needed a more matchestogether and the players also lacked a sense of self belief.By the late 90s however, it was on the cards that Bangar and Kartikwere future India players and sure enough, the left arm spinner wasincluded in the Indian team for the Test series against South Africa.Former India medium-pacer Harvinder Singh also shifted to Railwaysfrom Punjab around this time and last season, as is well known,Railways were the surprise packet, making it to the final.In the knock out stage they had a marvelous run, successivelydefeating Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab. And just when it seemedthat they had sewn up the title, after gaining a first innings lead of151, Baroda turned the tables to win the all important match by 21runs. Yere Goud had a great season scoring 901 runs with a highestscore of 221 not out while opener Amit Pagnis’ tally was 634. Bytallying 504 runs, Abhay Sharma proved that like wine he was gettingbetter with age. Raja Ali got two hundreds in three matches whileBangar confirmed his early promise with 551 runs and 15 wickets.Tejinder Pal Singh was the leading all-rounder with 421 runs and 28wickets while off-spinner Kulamani Parida and Harvinder Singh wereamong the leading wicket-takers with 25 and 23 wickets respectively.By this time, however, it was obvious that this was no flash in thepan performance. Coach Vinod Sharma summed up the 2000-2001 showingsuccinctly. “The biggest factor for Railways’ success was thateveryone was keen to do well. There were a few new faces who wereeager to prove themselves. That in turn saw some of the regularsraising their level. We could bat all the way down and the presence ofa few all-rounders gave the team the right balance.” And then headded: “It was a very satisfying season for us. The team spirit wasamazing and gave me hope of a wonderful time ahead.”The optimism of the coach was not misplaced as events at the KarnailSingh stadium on Saturday proved. And surely it is only a matter oftime before other players from Railways follow Kartik and Bangar intothe national side.