Last year when Baroda and Railways went through to contest the final of the Ranji Trophy championship, their presence there was considered a fluke. After all, Baroda had last won the Ranji Trophy in 1957-58 and since then had, for long, been in the shadow of Bombay and Maharashtra in the West Zone league. And whenever they got past these two giants and made it to the knock out rounds, they were eliminated at an early stage. Railways entering the final was even more surprising. They had never won the trophy and had qualified for the title clash only once, in 1987-88, when they were thrashed by an innings by Tamil Nadu.

There are indeed very few `soft' teams in the Ranji Trophy these days and the stiffer competition ­ along with the fact that the leading players are taking part in the knock out stage of the country's premier national competition - has raised the level of the competition this year.

Certainly, the odds on the two teams making the final the very next year would have been astronomical. And yet, it has happened again. This year's final will again be a contest between Baroda and Railways. And this time, Baroda, the holders, will not have the home advantage. In a way, the change at the top is good. New teams with fresh talent coming to the fore is always an encouraging sign. In the last couple of years, 34-time champion Bombay, and Delhi and Karnataka, who have each won the Ranji Trophy six times, have all failed to make it even to the semifinal stage. This shift in cricketing equations is bound to have a positive effect on the game in India. When a team is on top for long, complacency is bound to set in. Bombay, for example, got away with some pretty mediocre cricket when they ruled supreme in the Ranji Trophy for a record 15 years from 1958-59 to 1972-73.

The shift in cricketing equations has not come about suddenly. There has been a gradual change, as can be seen in the list of winners over the last decade and a half. Among them are teams such as Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Haryana, Punjab and Baroda while sides like Railways, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Hyderabad have been runners-up.

There are indeed very few `soft' teams in the Ranji Trophy these days and the stiffer competition ­ along with the fact that the leading players are taking part in the knock out stage of the country's premier national competition - has raised the level of the competition this year. And with Baroda and Railways both having fine players, and with a lot to play for ­ one team would want to retain the trophy while the other would want to inscribe their names on it for the first time ­ there is every indication of the final being a whopper of a contest.

Undoubtedly, both teams have been impressive in the lead up to the title clash. Baroda, a powerhouse in Indian cricket in the forties and fifties, when they won the trophy four times, fell into comparatively lean days thereafter. The bleak period lasted for a considerable period but in the last few years, it was obvious that the nucleus of a side that could challenge strongly for the trophy was forming. And presently, they have cricketers who have played for India in skipper Jacob Martin, Connor Williams, Zaheer Khan, Atul Bedade and Nayan Mongia. They have probably the country's best wicketkeeper in Nayan Mongia, a strong batting line-up and a balanced bowling attack. Zaheer is in particularly good form as he showed while claiming a match haul of ten wickets against Punjab and they have two other game fighters in Tushar Arothe and Ajit Bhoite. In successive matches, Baroda have routed Hyderabad by an innings and then turned the tables on a strong Punjab side and they must be bursting with confidence.

Railways too have had an extended period in the shadows before emerging as a force to reckon with in the last few years. They were a fine side in the sixties and even in the face of strong competition from Delhi and Services, did qualify more than once for the knock out stage from the North Zone. In the last couple of seasons they have been building a reputation as a fighting unit while adding to their ranks players like Murali Kartik, Sanjay Bangar and Harvinder Singh, all whom have played for the country. In addition, they have in Yere Goud, a prolific run- getter, besides in-form batsmen like Raja Ali, JP Yadav, Amit Pagnis and Tejinder Pal Singh. The presence of the three India players gives their bowling attack a cutting edge. Railways' confidence level too must be very high after successive victories over Tamil Nadu and Bengal, and they have acquired a distinct reputation as a team not overawed by big names on the opposing side.

Last year's final was a thriller with Baroda converting a 151-run first innings deficit into a 21-run victory. This season's title clash also promises to be just as exciting and it would need a bold follower of the game to stick his neck out and predict the winner.

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