The Hindu : Sport : Exciting final day on the cards

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Monday, Jan 03, 2005

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Exciting final day on the cards

By Our Special Correspondent

SURRENDER: Tamil Nadu's S. Sharath is disappointed on being bowled by Maharashtra's Ranjit Khirid.

CHENNAI, JAN. 2. On a pitch where the odd delivery is keeping low, Maharashtra, set a target of 362 in a minimum of 103 overs, was 24 without loss at stumps on the third day of the Ranji Trophy Elite `B' contest at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

As the results from the other venues trickled in during the day, it became clear that Tamil Nadu had failed to make it to the last four stage. However, the home team would be seeking to end the season with a victory.

Opener Dhiraj Jadhav holds the key in what should be a stiff run-chase for

Maharashtra. The southpaw is in fine form and played two pleasing cover drives in the closing stages.

The home team's declaration came 49 minutes after tea following an unbeaten 80-run partnership between left-hander C. Hemant Kumar (58 not out, 114b, 5x4) and a determined C. Ganapathy (35 not out) — the side had been in a spot of bother at 179 for eight. Hemant may not be flamboyant, but has this habit of collecting runs smartly with nudges, pushes and the occasional drive.

Entertaining phase

Earlier, Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan and Dinesh Kaarthick were involved in an entertaining opening partnership of 105 in 27.5 overs. The Maharashtra pace attack came under the hammer during this phase. Kaarthick (58, 82b, 6x4, 2x6) darted down the track and blasted a stunned Iqbal Siddiqui to the long-on fence. He then dumped Ranjit Khirid to the top of the sightscreen.

Vidyut (48, 93b, 4x4, 1x6) effortlessly flicked Anupam Sanklecha over the square-leg boundary and launched into firm drives. There is a certain ease and fluency about the left-hander's ways at the crease.

Maharashtra captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar, with his faster variety of off-spin, snared both the openers on the cut stroke and the innings soon lost momentum through a sequence of events — an attempted sharp single that left S. Badrinath taking a longer walk back, a contentious caught-behind decision that left S. Sriram dissatisfied and a grubber that left S. Sharath disappointed.

The Maharashtra bowling was only average, but Kanitkar's field placements were precise. He had at least two men in catching positions and till the partnership between Hemant and Ganapathy, the Maharashtra fielders did not allow their shoulders to droop.

The scores:

Tamil Nadu — 1st innings: 277.

Maharashtra — 1st innings: 175.

Tamil Nadu — 2nd innings: S. Vidyut c Khirid b Kanitkar 48; D. Kaarthick c Mohan b Kanitkar 58; S. Sriram c Satbhai b Khirid 23; S. Badrinath (run out) 12; S. Sharath b Khirid 5; K. Shree Vasudeva Das c & b Chavan 1; C. Hemant Kumar (not out) 58; M.R. Shrinivas c Mohan b Sanklecha 9; R. Ramkumar c Khirid b Khadkikar 3; C. Ganapathy (not out) 35; Extras (b-2, lb-2, nb-3) 7; Total (for eight wkts. decl. in 82 overs) 259.

Fall of wickets: 1-105, 2-110, 3-138, 4-148, 5-149, 6-153, 7-170, 8-179.

Maharashtra bowling: Siddiqui 8-0-49-0, Sanklecha 15-5-47-1, Chavan 12-1-37-1, Khirid 15-5-33-2, Khadkikar 22-7-55-1, Kanitkar 9-0-32-2, More 1-0-2-0.

Maharashtra — 2nd innings: D. Jadhav (batting) 14, S. Shinde (batting) 9; Extras (nb-1) 1; Total (for no loss) 24.

Tamil Nadu bowling: Shrinivas 5-1-15-0, Jesuraj 4-2-2-0, Ganapathy 2-1-1-0, Ramkumar 2-0-6-0.

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