If they were taking bets on the Ranji Trophy tournament, bookies would have offered odds of 1000 to one or something similarly outrageous on a Baroda-Railways final. And it is fair to say that no punter, even those who believe in taking unusual bets, would have placed a wager on such an eventuality.

A little background would probably put the picture in clearer perspective. Baroda's last title round appearance was in 1957-58. Since then, they were almost always the bridesmaids and never the bride in the West Zone itself. Second to Mumbai, or third behind Mumbai and Maharashtra, Baroda would just about make it to the knock out stage and then make an early exit. So certainly a team which last won the Ranji Trophy 43 years ago could not have been fancied to be strong challengers for the title.

But in Baroda's case, they had at least inscribed their names on the trophy four times, the three earlier triumphs coming in 1942-43, 1946-47 and 1949-50. During the same period, Baroda had finished runners-up twice, in 1945-46 and 1948-49. So the West Zone team had a rich tradition and history on their side, even if they had fallen on rather hard times in the recent past. Railways on the other hand cannot boast of the kind of record that Baroda has. Sure, they do have history on their side, but not the kind of hoary tradition associated with Baroda.

Railways made their debut in the Ranji Trophy only in 1958-59 and for some years they were a force to reckon with in the strong North Zone. But with Delhi and Services too in the same zone, qualification for the knockout stage was next to impossible. In the mid 70s, Railways moved to the Central Zone and made a few forays into the knockout stage as the second team in the zone. And in 1987-88, a combination of luck and skill saw Railways, quite unexpectedly, make the title round where however they were worsted by Tamil Nadu. Since then their record in the national competition did not even remotely suggest that they would make the final a second time. And yet, here they are again clashing with Baroda in the five day final to be held at Baroda from April 19 to 23.

It is a final between unlikely opponents but no one can say that Baroda and Railways do not deserve to be there. Baroda in succession defeated Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Orissa while Railways in the knockout rounds got the better of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Punjab. There is something positive about the victories notched up by the two finalists for if their opponents did not have the services of some of their leading players, Baroda and Railways too were not always at full strength. Also their performance in the knockout rounds is creditable for neither Baroda nor Railways finished on top in their respective zones. Baroda were only third behind Mumbai and Maharashtra in the West Zone while Railways were second to Rajasthan in the Central Zone. But they raised the level of their game when it mattered most.

Both teams are expected to be at full strength for the title clash with Zaheer Khan back to represent Baroda and Murali Kartik back to play for Railways. And while a final between these two teams may lack the glamour of a final involving Mumbai or Punjab, Hyderabad or Karnataka, Baroda and Railways could still provide the perfect climax to the country's premier national competition with a close finish. Predicting the winner is fraught with danger.

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