The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Vinay bowls Karnataka to victory

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Vinay bowls Karnataka to victory

Special Correspondent

RATNAGIRI: Vinay Kumar concentrated on just containing the batsmen, yet ended up the highest wicket-taker. He took six wickets in the second innings as Maharashtra was bowled out for 140 to hand Karnataka victory by an innings and 129 runs on the concluding day of seventh round ties in Ranji Trophy Elite League 2007-08.

The winner ended with 16 points, the home team remains on 10.

The Karnataka new ball bowler, finishing with match figures of ten for104, kept a stump-to-stump line on a sporting wicket at the Shivaji stadium. Harshad Khadiwale, Maharashtra’s young batting talent, fell to a delivery moving late after pitching. The confident batsman tried to get the bat out of the way at the last moment, but found the ball taking a nibble and Sunil Joshi in the slips completed the catch.

Venugopal’s knock

Now only Venugopala Rao stood between Karnataka and victory. The Maharashtra skipper showed the way with bold strokeplay, straight drives past the bowler and cover drives keeping the scoreboard ticking. Rao departed after a defiant 56 off 89 balls (seven fours, two sixes), left-arm spinner Joshi then mopped up the lower order.

Karnataka’s campaign ended on a winning note, leaving Vinay Kumar confident of building on this season’s success at higher levels. “I stuck to the basics of fast bowling and got the most wickets. N.C. Aiyappa was moving the ball, so I bowled stump-to-stump,” said the match-winner. “I know that you have to keep performing and chances will come.”

Centuries by opener K. Pawan, captain Yere Goud and Bharat Chipli in the Karnataka first innings gave strike bowlers like Vinay the cushion of runs. Asked whether his team would have finished higher up in the Elite league if the specialist batsmen had clicked in earlier games, the Karnataka paceman said: “In cricket, you have ups and downs. I am happy they performed in this match. The narrow loss to Saurashtra at Mysore proved costly, otherwise with this win Karnataka would have been in the race for semifinals.”

The scores:

Maharashtra — 1st innings: 276.

Karnataka — 1st innings: 545 for nine decl.

Maharashtra — 2nd innings: H. Khadiwale c A. Joshi b Vinay 12, A. Bawne b Vinay 0, A. Joshi b Vinay 0, A. Shrikhande lbw b Vinay 0, V. Rao c Raghu b Vinay 56, Y. Takawale c Pawan b S. Joshi 39, D. Mohan c Vinay b S. Joshi 0, S. Jadhav lbw b S. Joshi 4, A. Dole c Amit b Vinay 12, W. Sayyed c Raghu b S. Joshi 3, S. Fallah (not out) 0; Extras: (b-5, lb-6, nb-3) 14; Total: (in 40.1 overs) 140.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-9, 3-13, 4-39, 5-107, 6-107, 7-125, 8-125, 9-140.

Karnataka bowling: Vinay 13-3-38-6, Aiyappa 10-2-40-0, S. Joshi 10.1-5-18-4, Raghu 4-0-20-0, Chipli 3-0-13-0.

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