The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Ganguly leads East Zone's fightback

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 07, 2006
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Ganguly leads East Zone's fightback

East still trains North by 289 runs in the first innings

MAKING HIS PRESENCE FELT: Sourav Ganguly, who scored an unbeaten hundred, is escorted out of the ground by security guards. — PHOTO: AP

Guwahati: Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly signalled his return to form by cracking a fine unbeaten century on the third day of the Group B Duleep Trophy match here on Monday.

Ganguly, seeking to make a comeback to the Indian team after being left in the wilderness since the tour to Pakistan earlier this year, remained not out on 118 at stumps to lead the East Zone fightback against North Zone at the Nehru Stadium.

Replying to North Zone's mammoth total of 504, East was 215 for four at stumps with former Test wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta giving company to Ganguly on 22.

High drama

The match started 45 minutes late amidst high drama, with East Zone skipper Ganguly raising security concerns after Sunday's twin blasts in the city.

Ganguly sought additional security forces in the stadium, and agreed to play after the organisers assured him of foolproof security.

Resuming at 22 for two, the two not out batsmen Ganguly and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala played aggressively and took East Zone to 100 for two at lunch. Jhunjhunwala (32) departed soon after lunch after the duo had put on 102 for the third wicket, but Ganguly went from strength to strength and reached his three-figure mark off 191 balls.

Dasgupta, who came in after Laxmi Ratan Shukla (15) got out, was involved in a 68-run unbroken fifth-wicket partnership with Ganguly as East now are 289 runs adrift of North's first innings total.

Ganguly played several elegant strokes, including his trademark off drives, and has so far hit a dozen fours and three sixes facing 239 balls.

For North, Ashish Nehra took two wickets, while Gagandeep Singh and Rajesh Sharma chipped in with one apiece.

The scores: North Zone — 1st innings: 504.

East Zone — 1st innings: S.G. Das c Gambhir b Gagandeep 1, S.S. Das b Nehra 4, A. Jhunjhunwala c Joginder b Nehra 32, S. Ganguly (batting) 118; L.R. Shukla st Rawat b Sharma 15, D. Dasgupta (batting) 22; Extras (b-1 nb-22) 23; Total (for four wkts. in 77.5 overs) 215.

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-5, 3-107, 4-147.

North Zone bowling: Nehra 24.5-6-59-2, Gagandeep 12-4-32-1, Joginder 12-3-34-0, R. Sharma 23-2-66-1, Bhatia 6-1-23-0. — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport