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Ramesh gives selectors something to think about

By G. Viswanath

S. Ramesh gives Daniel Vettori the treatment during his century knock on the second day of the three-day match between India `A' and New Zealand at Rajkot on Friday. Wicketkeeper Robbie Hart and skipper Stephen Fleming watch the course of the ball. — Photo: Vivek Bendre

Rajkot Oct. 3. Sadagopan Ramesh scored a thumping century (110, 19x4) on Friday. Shots in front of the wicket — some firmly pushed, some elegantly driven, all with sweet timing — flowed from his blade. In short, Ramesh was on top of the Black Caps at the Race Course ground stadium that has traditionally been a haven for batsmen.

His partner, Akash Chopra, was not as good in the initial phase of the three hours and more he spent in the middle, but batted with single-mindedness that has become his hallmark.

The righthander, who scored his first run only off the 30th ball he faced, survived a close leg-before appeal and was also lucky to get away with a few streaky shots through the slip cordon. But on the second day of the three-day match that saw New Zealand's Jacob Oram notching up his second first class century (101 not out, 214m, 131b, 10x4, 3x6), the India `A' openers gave a fitting reply by keeping the New Zealand attack at bay for nearly 47 overs before Oram's round the wicket tactic produced a wicket with Chopra miscuing a hook to long-leg.

Ramesh was the fulcrum of the India `A' batting. He should now be back in the reckoning to regain his position in the National team. Quirk of fate and lack of consistency in the period between a Test he played against Sri Lanka two years ago and the current match had forced him into the wilderness.

He has always been an opener and developed his game facing the shining ball. There's been a sea change in the way Ramesh approaches his batting these days; the whipping shots around his pads seem to be a thing of the past.

The main feature of his knock was the sequence of strokes he played in front of the wicket off Oram after forcing the same bowler front of square to the boundary. There was sheer timing when he pushed Daryl Tuffey straight down the ground and he was in his element while cutting, driving and punching Scott Styris off the backfoot. Ramesh looked a natural strokeplayer unlike Mark Richardson, who retired at 128 in order to give an opportunity for the lower order Kiwi batsmen. It was the first comeback match for Ramesh in international cricket in two years. Initially, he was surprised by a couple of rising deliveries that left him, but was always in control of himself and the bowling except for a brief phase in the mid-80s — and after the fall of Chopra and Connor Williams — when he did not look to be on top of the left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori.

There was a lucky escape for him on 96, Styris putting down a catch at slip off Vettori. Styris then bowled three bouncers and umpire Vijay Chopra promptly penalised him, but there was always the inevitability of the stylish lefthander taking a hundred off the Kiwi bowling. A backfoot push through mid-off off Styris fetched him two runs and a century, his 14th in 89 first class matches.

The 164-run opening stand between Chopra and Ramesh was a big riposte to New Zealand's 375 for seven declared, twenty minutes before lunch. This was after Oram reverse hit Murali Kartik for two boundaries and completed his century in a little over two and half hours with 11 fours and three sixes.

On a day when the breeze was quite stiff, Ramesh's superb strokeplay came as a whiff of fresh air. And Indian cricket's immediate quest to find a Test opener seemed to have found a man in Ramesh.

The scores:

New Zealand — 1st innings: M. Richardson retd. 128, L. Vincent b Kartik 11, S. Fleming b Patel 27, S. Styris c Dasgupta b Patel 8, N. Astle lbw b Patel 0, C. McMillan c Chopra b Sreesanth 30, J. Oram (not out) 101, R. Hart c Dasgupta b Ramesh 20, D. Vettori c (sub) Kale b Kartik 7, P. Wiseman (not out) 4; Extras (b-5, lb-12, nb-21, w-1) 39; Total (for seven wkts.) 375.

Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-79, 3-91, 4-91, 5-180, 6-353, 7-362.

India `A' bowling: Patel 25.4-5-83-3, R.P. Singh 23.2-5-77-0, Sreesanth 12.5-5-22-1, Kartik 33.5-4-118-2, Ramesh 11.1-3-45-1, Gavaskar 4-0-13-0.

India `A' — 1st innings: A. Chopra c Wiseman b Oram 66, S. Ramesh c Fleming b Tuffey 110, C. Williams c Styris b Vettori 4, M. Kaif c Hart b Styris 4, H. Badani (batting) 7, M. Kartik (batting) 4; Extras (b-1, lb-8, nb-11, w-1) 21; Total (for four wkts.) 216.

Fall of wickets: 1-164, 2-170, 3-195, 4-209.

New Zealand bowling: Tuffey 17-7-43-1, Oram 15-2-48-1, Styris 9-2-45-1, Vettori 14-3-35-1, McMillan 3-2-9-0, Wiseman 9-2-27-0.

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