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Cricket
By Our Special Correspondent
INDORE, April 2. There was stirring action right from the first over in the inter-zonal Duleep Trophy league tie between North and Central Zones at the Usha Raje Ground on Tuesday. Seamer Vineet Sharma, who walks to his bowling mark flat-footed, but appears sprightly on his return leg, approaching the bowling crease with spring in his steps, uprooted the stumps twice in his first two overs. It was not really a good beginning for Central after it won the toss and elected to bat. Trouble brewed right from the start for the home team. But then Central's famous cricketing Yadavs - southpaw Jyoti and right-hander Jaiprakash - came together to stop the rot. After a brilliant response from these two, Devendra Bundela struck the big blows to steal the thunder. Overall, it was wonderful display of cricket, from both the teams, but one that ended in favour of Central, as it managed to garner 339 for eight wickets in 91 overs. Easily it was the best day out for the Central batsmen in 21 days of the championship. The eleventh-hour replacement for the injured Tejinder Pal Singh of Railways by the local boy, Bundela, proved to be worthy. Form wise, Bundela was not in great nick this season in the Central Zone Ranji league. An odd century wasn't sufficient enough to get him a place in the team. Bundela had figured in Ranjinder Singh Hans' (Central zone coach) list at forenoon on Monday. Hans had griped about his batsmen's shoddy display against East and losing to West after many years. He broached the topic of including Bundela, but the former Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner could not impress the Central selector Sanjay Jagdale. But hours later, Bundela was in the team, with Tejinder Pal Singh making a `no show' at the ground. On his part, Bundela saw a hint of a clarion call. He grabbed the chance with both hands. After making a brief appearance in the India `A' team, Bundela's name was virtually unheard of in the circuit. Neither did he make enough runs to alert the selectors nor did his home team Madhya Pradesh progress beyond the league phase of the National championship for three years. A promising career seemed to be at the crossroads. Obviously, Bundela's inclusion delighted many. Hundreds of die-hard supporters with a splash of colour all over their attire, and faces smeared with thick oil paints, had assembled on `Rang Panchami' day to cheer their local heroes. The Malwa breeze that stayed right through the hot and stifling day was a welcome relief, but not before Bundela's dazzling array of strokes, did Central feel happy at the turn of events. Three National selectors - Madan Lal, Ashok Malhotra and Sanjay Jagdale - watched Bundela come into bat at No. 6 after the fall of Jyoti Yadav when Central's score was at 149. He showed adequate technique, fine temperament and demolished both off-spinner Sarandip Singh and left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi. Being a tall man, he showed the propensity to drive strongly off his front foot, but he also exhibited the whipped drive off his back foot, to the left and right of mid-on. The pitch was certainly batsmen-friendly. Initially, Vineet Sharma used the new ball exceptionally well to make a mess of Gagan Khoda and Paresh Sutane's defence and was quite nippy off the pitch. It was a day he missed some one like Ashish Nehra to give him company from the other end. Shakti Singh did not rise to the occasion to trouble the Central Zone batsmen. North got rid of Yere Goud for two runs. Goud struggled against the North attack for nearly an hour. Central recovered and rallied with the help of the fourth-wicket partnership between Jyoti Yadav and Jaiprakash Yadav. Both played attractive shots in front of the wicket. The left-hander lifted Sarandip straight for his first six and thereafter Jaiprakash followed suit, hitting a six each of Sanghvi and Sarandip.There were fielding lapses and catches were put down, but some of them were just half-chances. North skipper Mithun Manhas took a fine running catch to send back Rohit Jhalani, but on this occasion the ball went high and required Manhas to show a fast pair of heels to come under the spiralling ball at widish mid-on. North also found a fielder in Yashpal Singh, who managed to scoop a tough catch at mid-off when Jyoti Yadav (80, 164m, 131b, 12 x 4s, 1 x 6) drove Sarandip. Jaiprakash Yadav (68, 123m, 103b, 10 x 4s, 2 x 6s), fell almost in a similar fashion, this time Shafiq Khan held the catch in the deep. The double blow came when Central was at 175 before Bundela showed his class for over three hours. Rohit Jhalani and Harvinder turned out to be ideal foils lower in the order. The partnership for the seventh wicket produced 86 runs in one and a half hours. It was the time when Bundela drove with authority, cut and pulled and even swept. In the penultimate over, he pulled and drove Sarandip for two exquisite boundaries that took him two runs short of a century. The wait for both Bundela and Indore has to continue till play resumes on Wednesday morning. The scores: Central Zone — Ist Innings: Jyoti Yadav c Yashpal b Sarandip 80, Gagan Khoda b Sharma 0, Paresh Sutane b Sharma 9, Yere Goud c Rathour b Sarandip 2, Jaiprakash Yadav c Shafiq Khan b Sanghvi 68, Devendra Bundela (batting) 98, Rohit Jhalani c Manhas b Sarandip 11, Harvinder Singh lbw b Manhas 31, Kulamani Parida c Sangram b Sarandip 0, Sachin Pandey (batting) 10, Extras (b-2, lb-6, nb-22) 30. Total (for eight wkts. in 91 overs) 339. Fall of wkts.: 1-1, 2-15, 3-38, 4-149, 5-175, 6-217, 7-303, 8-304. North bowling: Sharma 16-4-42-2, Shakti 10-3-39-0, Sangram 2-0-9-0, Sarandip 31-3-142-4, Sanghvi 25-6-78-1, Manhas 7-2-21-1.
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