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Chopra, Manhas torment East

Special Correspondent

— File photo

RECORD STAND: Mithun Manhas (left) and Aakash Chopra forged a mammoth unbeaten 368-run partnership for the third wicket.

Rajkot: Aakash Chopra and Mithun Manhas used one of India’s major competitions in first class cricket — the Duleep Trophy — to achieve personal high points at the Race Course ground here on Wednesday.

Presented an opportunity to pile up runs on a docile track, the seasoned campaigners helped themselves to an identical unbeaten 205 on the third day of the league match against East Zone.

East suffered mainly due to the absence of a genuine fast bowler or an experienced spinner in its ranks.

Chances go abegging

A couple of chances went abegging, but overall Chopra and Manhas showed the temperament to stay put in the middle for several hours and forged a partnership of 368 in 70.5 overs — the second highest for the third wicket and the third highest for any wicket in the tournament.

Manhas, without doubt, was more pleasing to watch. He reached his 100 with a six off off-spinner Anustup Majumdar. He then reached 205 from 199 when he hit left-arm spinner Tushar Saha over the ropes. Manhas struck 26 boundaries in the 255 balls he faced. Chopra found the fence 21 times in the course of his 301-ball workmanlike innings. It was the first double century for both players in the championship.

Negative tactics

Manhas declared at 459 after he had lifted Saha for a second six. East tried to contain the two by setting a scattered field and with Saha bowling over the wicket and wide of the crease. Manhas and Chopra responded to Saha’s tactics by marking their block between leg-stump and the return crease.

Only one wicket fell on the third day after East was set a fourth innings target of 677, that of opener Wriddhiman Saha. Rajat Bhatia, opening the attack in the absence of V.R.V. Singh (indisposed), beat Saha in the air and off the pitch and hit the middle stump.

Capable of producing special wicket-taking deliveries, Bhatia made up for V.S. Malik’s 10-ball first over (he over-stepped four times), by dismissing Saha, who made 56 not out in the first innings playing in the middle order.

The scores:

North — 1st innings: 360.

East — 2nd innings: 143.

North — 2nd innings: A. Chopra (not out) 205, S. Dhawan lbw b Mohanty 4, K. Goel c H. Das b Bose 34, M. Manhas (not out) 205; Extras (b-5, lb-1,nb-4,w-1): 11; Total (for two wkts. decl. in 103.5 overs) 459.

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-91.

East bowling: Mohanty 12-1-41-1, Bose 15-3-57-1, T. Saha 43.5-2-192-0, Paul 17-5-71-0, Majumdar 14-0-74-0, Vardhan 2-0-18-0

East — 2nd innings: S.S. Das (batting) 18, W. Saha b Bhatia 2, A. Das (batting) 2; Extras (nb-6): 6; Total (for one wicket in 12 overs): 28.

Fall of wicket: 1-15.

North bowling: Malik 4-0-20-0, Bhatia 5-4-2-1, Nanda 1-0-3-0, Mishra 2-0-3-0.

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