The Hindu : Rest falls like nine pins

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 20, 2003

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Rest falls like nine pins

By S. Dinakar

Rest of India's Sourav Ganguly starts the long walk back to the pavilion after being caught by Mumbai's Nikhil Shetty (extreme right) off the bowling of Ramesh Powar on day two of their Irani Cup encounter in Chennai on Friday. — Photo: V. Ganesan

Chennai Sept. 19. Pride is often the driving force when titans face off in the domestic arena.

And it was this sense of pride that was absent as a star-studded Rest of India line-up folded up for 202 against an efficient but not menacing Mumbai attack and on a demanding but not impossible pitch.

Was it not a Rest side touted as the Best?

As the dust settled after an eventful second day under a cloud-cover at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday, Mumbai, grabbing a lead of 95, was 11 without loss in the second innings.

On a surface where the fourth innings could be arduous, Mumbai holds the aces. It had a simple plan - bowling and fielding with discipline and commitment - and it worked.

That Rahul Dravid's 41 (69b, 6x4) was the highest contribution in the Rest innings, tells its own tale. Was this also a case of early season blues?

Situations throw up heroes and Mumbai had a rather unsung one in the 25-year-old Ramesh Powar (four for 61). He is an interesting and under-rated bowler.

Powar is not averse to flighting the ball, achieves turn and bounce, and like the off-spinners of old, relishes operating to the southpaws, getting his line right, his natural turn doing the rest.

It was a day when he got Dravid to flick uppishly and consumed left-handers Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh, the former lured outside the off-stump, the latter done in by the one that was cleverly straightened into him from round the wicket.

He used the crease well and varied his pace. However, Powar should avoid the middle-and-leg line to the right-hander, unless it is a deliberate ploy as it was in the case of Dravid's dismissal. It was Powar's spell of 20-6-39-4 from the pavilion end that broke the back of Rest's innings.

Sachin Tendulkar led the side well employing a combination of pace and spin after the ball lost its shine, the right formula on this wicket. It was when Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh bowled in tandem on Thursday that Rest of India conceded a big chunk of runs.

The field placings were spot on; for instance a short gully for Ganguly and a short mid-wicket for Dravid were just the right men at the right places.

Tendulkar flung himself to his right to pluck the ball out of thin air as Dravid failed to keep a flick down off Powar. This was the point where the innings changed course after a 71-run second wicket stand between Dravid and Bangar (29) in 26.3 overs.

There was a distinct lack of application in the Rest innings, beginning with Virender Sehwag dragging Avishkar Salvi on to his stumps. Rest's plight would have been worse but for a breezy 34 from Zaheer Khan down the order.

Stand-in Kiwi coach Ashley Ross, watching the match with a videographer for early inputs ahead of New Zealand's tour, would have been delighted with the form of some of India's finest batting names.

In the Mumbai attack, apart from Powar, Ajit Agarkar was lively but luckless from the Wallahjah Road end; he had V.V.S. Laxman behind caught off a no ball, saw slip fielder Wasim Jaffer and 'keeper Vinayak Samant put down Zaheer in quick succession and surely deserved more than two wickets. Support seamer Robin Morris was zestful too.

Earlier, the Mumbai first innings lasted 35 minutes on Friday, with Morris (31) striking the ball true and hard, adding useful runs with last man Salvi.

The scores: Mumbai — 1st innings: V. Mane c Kumble b Bangar 26, W. Jaffer b Balaji 43, N. Shetty c Sehwag b Zaheer 5, S. Tendulkar c Dravid b Zaheer 94, V. Kambli lbw b Zaheer 2, A. Agarkar c Patel b Zaheer 0, S. Bahutule c Laxman b Kumble 58, R. Morris c Harbhajan b Balaji 31, R. Powar b Kumble 0, V. Samant lbw b Zaheer 4, A. Salvi (not out) 2; Extras (b-16, lb-3, nb-13) 32. Total 297.

Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-59, 3-91, 4-98, 5-98, 6-247, 7-260, 8-260, 9-265.

Rest of India bowling: Zaheer 24-6-77-5, Balaji 20.2-6-47-2, Bangar 10-2-35-1, Ganguly 9-5-11-0, Kumble 22-6-64-2, Harbhajan 12-2-44-0.

Rest of India — 1st innings: S. Bangar c Mane b Morris 29, V. Sehwag b Salvi 16, R. Dravid c Tendulkar b Powar 41, V.V.S. Laxman c Powar b Agarkar 5, S. Ganguly c Shetty b Powar 0, Y. Singh c Jaffer b Powar 27, P. Patel c Samant b Salvi 26, A. Kumble lbw b Agarkar 1, H. Singh lbw b Powar 4, Z. Khan c Shetty b Bahutule 34, L. Balaji (not out) 12; Extras: (b-2, w-3, nb-2) 7. Total 202.

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-87, 3-89, 4-90, 5-123, 6-125, 7-134, 8-141, 9-159.

Mumbai bowling: Agarkar 18-7-29-2, Salvi 13-3-52-2, Bahutule 9.2-1-35-1, Morris 10-2-23-1, Powar 23-6-61-4.

Mumbai — 2nd innings: V. Mane (batting) 6, W. Jaffer (batting) 1; Extras (b-4) 4. Total (for no loss) 11.

Rest of India bowling: Zaheer 2-0-5-0, Bahutule 1-1-0-0, Harbhajan 1-0-2-0.

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