WRECKER: SPIC-TNCA's M.R. Shrinivas was in superb form. — Photo: V. Ganesan

CHENNAI: Three wickets stand between SPIC-TNCA and the Buchi Babu Trophy. When stumps were drawn on day two, Combined Districts, following on here at the ICL-Gurunanak, still needed 61 runs to make the opposition bat.

Paceman M.R. Shrinivas took four for 47 to help dismiss Districts for 225 in its first innings. Left-arm spinner C. Suresh bagged five as the Districts second innings tail-spun to doom.

Opener V. Devendran — who top-scored in the first essay with a 65-ball 57 (8x4, 1x6), and has a reputation for being a dasher — smote three sixes in the second innings. But, it was too little, too late. The damage had been done earlier.

Captain R. Sathish was crucial to Districts's chances of making a match of it. He had scored 37, taking the total to 155 for two in 47 overs, when disaster struck.

Top-draw catch

D. Tamil Kumaran forced him to edge one, and C. Hemant Kumar, at a lone wide slip, flung himself athletically to his left. The catch was top-draw — Districts didn't recover, capitulating in the next 20 overs.

On Thursday morning, Devendran added 90 for the first wicket with Varun Kumar (37). The tall 28-year-old attacked both L. Balaji and M.R. Shrinivas in an entertaining knock. Balaji's improvement from the semifinals (his return to cricket after an injury break) was apparent. He ran in faster, and was stronger through delivery. The only other partnership of any note was the 60 between R. Srinivasan (33), who played some fine dabs, and Sathish.

The broad-shouldered M.R. Shrinivas had Devendran caught behind, and uprooted E. Suresh's off-stump. G. Vignesh executed two fine strokes. But, he played back to be done in both by Shrinivas's pace and a length fuller than he had judged. Off-spinner R. Ashwin took three wickets.

Suresh — given just one over in the first stint — will bowl a lot better than he did in Districts's second innings and take fewer wickets. He started with three wides, struggling for rhythm, but there were signs of promise. Though he couldn't quite string it together, isolated deliveries dipped to suggest he was coming to terms with his action.

The scores: SPIC-TNCA 415 for six vs. Combined Districts 225 in 67 overs (V. Devendran 57, M.R. Shrinivas four for 47) and 129 for seven in 23 overs (V. Devendran 41, C. Suresh five for 49).

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