NKP Salve Challenger one-day cricket tournament 2004-05 
2004-05 Challenger Series
February 7-10, 2005
In 1994-95, the Board of Control for Cricket in India introduced the Challenger series, an annual day-night one-day tournament, keeping in view India's one-day international commitments. The India Senior and India A & B teams are the participants. From 1998-99 the tournament was known as the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, named after former Board of Control for Cricket in India president NKP Salve - the man who brought the World Cup to the sub-continent in 1987.
2005 Challenger Trophy Schedule:
Feb 7: India Seniors v India A
Feb 8: India Seniors v India B
Feb 9: India A v India B
Feb 10: Final.
2005 Challenger Trophy Results:
Match one (Feb 7) - India 'A' beat India Seniors by six wickets. Dravid (45 from 44 balls, 3 boundaries and a six) and Kaif (49 from 32 balls, 5 boundaries and a six) featured in an unbroken 82-run stand for the fifth wicket to steer India 'A' past the Seniors' huge total of 280 for 9, with just two balls to spare. India 'A' added 78 runs in the last 10 overs and 47 off the last five to overhaul the target in a closely-contested encounter.
Electing to bat, India Seniors were reduced to 52 for 3 by the 11th over, with Zaheer picking three wickets for 22 runs in his first spell. Captain Sourav Ganguly was caught by Yusuf Pathan in the slips off Zaheer after scoring 10.
For India Seniors, left-arm spinner Dinesh Mongia emerged the most successful bowler, claiming 4 for 48 in his 10 overs.
Match two (Feb 8) - India 'B' lost to India Seniors by eight-wickets. Left-handed Dhawan and right-handed Dhoni combined forces in splendid fashion in a 187-run stand, rattling up runs at over seven an over and making light of a stiff asking rate of 5.52 set by India 'B', who had piled 275 all out in 50 overs after choosing to bat first.
Dhawan compiled a stroke-filled 126 off 124 balls, while 23-year-old Dhoni set the Wankhede stadium alight with his audacious stroke-play. His swashbuckling knock of 102 included 10 fours and four sixes and came off only 96 balls.
For India 'B', V V S Laxman scored 67 and Sridharan Sriram a splendid 52.
Match three (Feb 9) - The Punjab Ranji captain, Dinesh Mongia's 3-47 for India 'A' on Wednesday helped his team run home easy victors over India 'B' by a whopping 90 runs, and to the final against Seniors tomorrow. India 'A' skipper
Rahul Dravid slammed 115 runs off 139 balls. India 'A' scored 294 for 9 wkts, in 50 overs while India 'B' were all out in 36.5 overs for 204.
For India 'B', Uttappa top scored with 66 followed by Rayudu (36). VVS Laxman (27) and Sehwag (26) both fell before they could make any significant contributions.
Dravid's India 'A' lift Challenger Trophy
The Finals (Feb 10) - Skipper
Rahul Dravid guided India 'A' to the NKP Salve Challenger one-day cricket tournament title with an unbeaten 72 in the summit clash against India Seniors at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. Set 212 to win by Sourav Ganguly's India Seniors, who were skittled out for 211 in 47.2 overs after electing to bat first, India 'A' won the match by six wickets with eight balls to spare.
Dravid's 72 came off 101 balls and included six fours. He was involved in two crucial stands worth 101 runs with opener Dheeraj Jadav, who scored a patient 58, and an unbroken 73 runs for the fifth wicket with Mohammed Kaif, who remained unconquered on 42. Dravid and Jadav joined forces when India 'A' were in dire straits at 38 for three in the 12th over following a fiery opening spell by Laxmipathy Balaji during which he pegged back opener Satyajit Parab and one-down Dinesh Kaarthik cheaply.
Earlier, left-handers Ganguly and Niraj Patel batted fluently to notch individual half centuries, but India Seniors never recovered fully from a poor start. Ganguly won the opening battle in his skirmish with India 'A' captain
Rahul Dravid by winning the toss, but thereafter was forced to see wickets tumble at the other end as India Seniors were bowled out in the 48th over.
The winners received Rs 500,000 while the runners-up got Rs 250,000.
Teams for Challenger Series:
India Seniors: Sourav Ganguly (capt), M S Dhoni (wicket-keeper),
Yuvraj Singh, S. Raina, Venugopal Rao, Neeraj Patel, Anil Kumble, Irfan Pathan, L Balaji, Gagandeep Singh, Rajesh Powar and Shikhar Dhawan.
India A: Rahul Dravid (capt), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), S S Parab, Dheeraj Jadhav, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Murali Kartik, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, R P Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa.
India B: Virender Sehwag (capt), Parthiv Patel (wicket-keeper), Gautam Gambhir, V V S Laxman, S Sriram, Rohan Gavaskar, Romesh Powar, Joginder Sharma, Ashish Nehra, S S Paul, Amit Bhandari and A T Rayudu