The Hindu : India B records victory

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 15, 2003

Sport

Sport - Cricket

India B records victory

By Our Sports Reporter

BANGALORE Sept. 14. Dinesh Mongia emerged unscathed from the shadows, while Yuvraj Singh's talent shone bright.

And the southpaws' weekend fare of fiery centuries helped India B defeat India A by 82 runs in the TVS Salve Challenger Series day/night one-day match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.

India B posted 340 for two in 50 overs and India A chasing a rain induced Duckworth Lewis target of 308 in 40 overs, mustered 225 in 35.2 overs.

On a day when Dinesh Mongia felt all was well with the world, he turned his arm over and his nagging left-arm spin yielded four wickets that ambushed the India A chase.

A target of 308 in 40 overs, with an asking rate over seven, can stretch minds and sinews but with Sachin Tendulkar in its ranks, India A perhaps could dream about a probable victory.

Tendulkar (22), however, after serving an appetiser hooking Amit Bhandari for 6 over fine-leg, succumbed to the Delhi seamer with Dravid pouching at mid-off and punching the air in delight.

Diminutive Gautam Gambhir (58) stayed unruffled. A stadium's silence after Tendulkar departs can often snuff out remnant hopes, but Gambhir soldiered on and found his desserts in a J.P. Yadav over, with hits that pockmarked the mid-wicket zone at varying angles.

The Delhi opener's innings ended when he moved far too across and saw Sarandeep peg back his leg-stump.

The dregs of a fightback drained quickly as Mohammed Kaif played back and found Dinesh Mongia curling one into his pads.

The Mongia touch had a fatal sheen as Sriram was stranded while Thilak whipped off the bails and Mithun Minhas' (38) belated effort was the last flicker before leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule rendered the final rites.

The scores:

India B: 340 for two (in 50 overs).

India A: Gautam Gambhir b Sarandeep Singh 58, Sachin Tendulkar c Rahul Dravid b Amit Bhandari 22, Ajay Ratra b J.P. Yadav 1, Mohammed Kaif lbw b Dinesh Mongia 28, S. Sriram st Thilak Naidu b Mongia 29, Rohan Gavaskar c J.P. Yadav b Mongia 16, Mithun Minhas b Sairaj Bahutule 38, Ramesh Powar b Mongia 10, Anil Kumble c Thilak Naidu b Siddarth Trivedi 8, Irfan Pathan (not out) 0, Avishkar Salvi b Bahutule 0. Extras (b-1, lb-2, nb-9, w-3) 15. Total: 225 (in 35.2 overs).

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-87, 3-87, 4-146, 5-149, 6-189, 7-202, 8-225, 9-225.

India B bowling: Amit Bhandari 6-0-41-1, Siddarth Trivedi 4-0-34-1 (nb-4, w-1), J.P. Yadav 3-1-27-1, Sarandeep Singh 8-0-41-1 (nb-2, w-2), Sairaj Bahutule 3.2-0-28-2 (nb-3), Dinesh Mongia 8-0-31-4, Vijay Bharadwaj 3-0-20-0.

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