The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Rahul Dravid stamps his class

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Friday, Nov 16, 2007
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Rahul Dravid stamps his class

Special Correspondent

CRICKET / Pawan, Raghu lend support with half-centuries

— Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

IN FINE NICK: Rahul Dravid’s century helped Karnataka.

BANGALORE: Rahul Dravid stamped his class with a well-made century before he was done in by a shooter from medium-pacer Vikramjit Malik. Karnataka, which until then had dominated the Himachal Pradesh bowling, found itself in a bit of a bind as it finished the day at 271 for four in the Elite Group ‘A’ Ranji Trophy encounter at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday.

At stumps, Yere Goud (batting 8) and Thilak Naidu, who survived a sharp chance at slip, on seven, were at the crease.

Karnataka skipper Anil Kumble did his side a big favour by winning the toss. The new strip had nothing for the bowlers though batting was not easy.

While former India player Sarandeep Singh hardly got any turn, young left-arm spinner Vishal Bhatia, the highest wicket-taker for HP in the Plate championship last season, got the ball to spin and at times jump. But going by the dual nature of the pitch batting last could be dreadful.

Left-arm medium-pacer Ashok Thakur, who scalped 11 victims in the match against Saurashtra did not get the ball to swing from the far end while Malik who bowled with a lot of heart did move the ball around. One such delivery consumed Barrington Rowland early, caught behind by Manvinder Bisla.

From then on, Dravid and K.B. Pawan (56) blunted the HP attack with a 131-run stand for the second wicket, with Dravid being the aggressor.

Pawan did produce a few gems of his own in his knock, which had seven hits to the fence and one over, before under-edging a Bhatia delivery on to his stumps.

What followed was the brightest period of the Karnataka innings. C. Raghu was busy from the first ball he faced and had reached his 30’s when Dravid decided to take the attack by the collar.

Four huge sixes — two each off Sarandeep and Bhatia — and nonchalant drives through the off-side, marked the former Indian captain’s innings before a Malik delivery skidded under his defensive bat to knock back the stumps. Dravid’s 121 came off 180 balls, with 12 fours and four sixes.

Dravid and Raghu added 92 runs in 72 minutes off 127 balls. The runs dried up thereafter as Raghu, who swatted Bhatia to the midwicket fence fell soon after, caught at silly point by Mukesh off the same bowler. The scores:

Karnataka — first innings: Barrington Rowland c Bisla b Malik 7, K.B. Pawan b Bhatia 56, R. Dravid b Malik 121, C. Raghu c Mukesh b Bhatia 58, Y. Goud (batting) 8, Thilak Naidu (batting) 7; Extras (nb-6, b-6, lb-2): 14; Total (for four wkts. in 91 overs): 271.

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-150, 3-242, 4-257.

Himachal Pradesh bowling: Thakur 21-4-40-0, Malik 20-5-53-2, Sangram 4-1-12-0, Sarandeep 17-3-69-0, Bhatia 27-10-73-2, Mukesh 1-0-10-0, Sandeep 1-0-6-0.

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