The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Naresh, pick of SPIC-TNCA attack

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Wednesday, Aug 31, 2005

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Naresh, pick of SPIC-TNCA attack

Special Correspondent

IN GOOD TOUCH: Marathe's knock helped Maharashtra cross the 200-run mark. — Photo: V. Ganesan

Chennai: SPIC-TNCA XI dismissed Maharashtra for 217 on the first day of the Mindteck-Buchi Babu all-India invitation tournament final at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Tuesday. If the home team's catching had been sharper, the Maharashtra total would have been lesser.

As many as four regulation chances were spilled by SPIC-TNCA. Kunal Marathe was 14 when he was put down at second slip by S. Badrinath off left-arm paceman R. Naresh. He went on to make 78 (179b, 4x4, 1x6).

SPIC-TNCA was 63 for one at stumps in reply.

Achieving two-way swing, Naresh was the pick of the host attack. His spell of 6-1-19-3 after lunch saw the visitor collapse from 105 for two to 135 for six. Left-arm spinner R. Ramkumar took the other wicket, getting a delivery to hold its line and having the left-handed Nikhil Paradkar (13) snaffled at slip.

Ramkumar shifted his line adeptly to the southpaws, and was rightly slower through the air than he normally is. Pace bowler Yo. Mahesh, who has a lovely high-arm action and releases the ball from close to the stumps, and D. Tamilkumaran, who got his deliveries to skid through, also proved handy to skipper Hemang Badani. Naresh finished with four scalps and Tamilkumaran three.

Low bounce

The pitch sported a layer of green, but it was a surface where the bounce was low. Stroke-making is never easy on such a wicket and calls for application. Apart from Marathe, the Maharashtra batsmen failed to build on starts.

Asked to bat, Maharashtra suffered an early setback. Opener Mansingh Nigde was caught by wicketkeeper Dinesh Kaarthick off Naresh for nought. A 70-run second-wicket partnership in 14.5 overs between Marathe and Rohit Kakade (36) steadied the innings.

Marathe collected runs efficiently before he played on to Tamilkumaran. Wicketkeeper batsman Yogesh Takwale made a spunky 44 (61b, 7x4) as Maharashtra crossed the 200-run mark. He, too, was castled by Tamilkumaran.

The scores (final): Maharashtra XI 217 in 63 overs (Kunal Marathe 78, Yogesh Takwale 44, R. Naresh four for 37) vs SPIC-TNCA XI 63 for one in 25 overs, at MAC `A.'

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