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Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007
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Tamil Nadu flounders after a good start

Special Correspondent

— Photo: K. Pichumani

GOTCHA: Delhi’s Chaitanya Nanda is ecstatic after castling Tamil Nadu’s K. Vasudeva Dass on Tuesday.

Chennai: Delhi roared back from a barren first session while Tamil Nadu slipped on the solid platform the openers had built.

The host crumbled from 127 for no loss to 250 for nine on the opening day of the Group ‘A’ Ranji Trophy Super League match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

Delhi’s fielding was sharp and ’keeper Punit Bist brilliant. The manner in which young paceman Parwinder Awana bent his back with the second new ball displayed Delhi’s intent.

The visitor also switched its game-plan impressively. On a Chepauk pitch of low bounce, spinners and pacemen with precise cutters can contain and strike. And Gambhir, who passed a fitness test in the morning and took over the reins from Mithun Manhas, led smartly.

Pegging away

Leg-spinner Chaitanya Nanda pegged away from one end after lunch and seamer Rajat Bhatia bowled to a single-denying field from the other.

Nanda, quicker through the air than a conventional leggie, turned the game around with three wickets in 13 balls.

The leg-spinner went round the wicket to consume the left-handed Abhinav Mukund (51, 5x4, 1x6) with a googly.

He then snared key batsman S. Badrinath with a top-spinner and deceived southpaw K. Shree Vasudeva Dass with a delivery spinning away.

Bhatia changed his pace and mixed his fuller length deliveries with the off-cutter.

He won a crucial leg-before shout against Vijay and lured R. Srinivasan outside the off-stump.

Apart from R. Ramkumar (32, 5x4) the lower order did not display the necessary application.

Earlier, things had looked different for Tamil Nadu after Badrinath won the toss.

Vijay (77, 8x4, 2x6) enhanced his natural flair with good footwork and fine placement. Abhinav batted efficiently, driving and clipping, and being secure in defence.

For Delhi, Pradeep Sangwan holds promise. Off-spinner Narendra Singh flighted the ball more as the day progressed.

The scores: Tamil Nadu — 1st innings: A. Mukund c Chopra b Nanda 51, M. Vijay lbw b Bhatia 77, S. Badrinath lbw b Nanda 9, Vasudeva Dass b Nanda 0, R. Srinivasan c Bist b Bhatia 23, S. Suresh Kumar c Bist b Sangwan 20, K.H. Gopinath c Nanda b Narendra Singh 13, R. Ramkumar c Bist b Sangwan 32, V. Yomahesh c Bist b Awana 8, C. Suresh (batting) 3; Extras: (b-4, lb-5, nb-5) 14; Total: (for nine wkts) 250.

Fall of wickets: 1-127, 2-143, 3-143, 4-157, 5-173, 6-201, 7-219, 8-238, 9-250.

Delhi bowling: Sangwan 19.3-8-39-2, Awana 14-2-50-1, N. Singh 21-4-72-1, Bhatia 12-4-15-2, Nanda 22-5-65-3, Manhas 1-1-0-0.

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