The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Karnataka contains Maharashtra

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Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007
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Karnataka contains Maharashtra

Special Correspondent

RATNAGIRI: Karnataka’s gambit of preying on Maharashtra’s young batting minds almost backfired on the opening day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite League Group ‘A’ game, with under-19 World Cup probable Harshad Khadiwale milking the attack and moving within sights of a century.

The home team, put in to bat on a lively Shivaji stadium wicket, cruised to 181 for three off 60 overs at tea, scoring at over three per over before fast bowler Vinay Kumar demolished the middle-order with a two-wicket burst and, in tandem with N.C. Aiyappa, swung the visitor back into the match. Maharashtra, 200 for three in the 65th over, was shot out for 276.

Khadiwale fell on 96, dismissed by Vinay (four for 66).

Aiyappa’s three for 70 included Venugopal Rao’s scalp; the latter was beaten by a delivery which jagged back and beat the Maharashtra captain’s defensive blade. Left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi’s patient probing gained him two wickets.

The morning dew factor

Karnataka was two for no loss at close, looking to openers Robin Uttappa and K. Pawan for a solid start when play resumes on day two.

The dew factor in the morning, responsible for a 60-minute delay to the first day’s play, may influence their approach at the crease.

Khadiwale, Rao and Dhruv Mohan were three home team batsmen capable of testing the rival bowling, yet the collective effort fell short of the first innings total coach Chandrakant Pandit may have hoped for, to give his comparatively inexperienced attack the buffer to bowl an attacking line.

Khadiwale, taking first strike against Vinay and hitting the Karnataka new ball bowler to the mid-wicket fence for the first of his 15 boundaries on a sunny, humid day, had a lot of time to play his strokes and pierced the offside field easily.

The opener’s 50 came in 116 balls. At 96 (182 balls, 15 fours), he edged a delivery from Vinay into the gloves of wicket-keeper Thilak Naidu.

Rao, leading a young team with four Ranji debutants inducted for the seventh round tie, opened out against the spinners after getting his eye in (eight fours, one six) before being deceived by Aiyappa’s pace and movement off the pitch.

Dhruv’s late charge (51 runs, 60 balls, eight fours, one six) lifted the team total beyond the 250-mark.

The scores:

Maharashtra — Ist innings: H. Khadiwale c Naidu b Vinay 96, A. Bawne c Naidu b Vinay 27, A. Shrikhande c Naidu b Aiyappa 16, V. Rao b Aiyappa 47, Y. Takawale c Chipli b Joshi 15, D. Mohan c Verma b Aiyappa 51, A. Joshi b Vinay 0, S. Jadhav c Raghu b Vinay 4, A. Dole c Raghu b Joshi 0, S. Fallah run out 2, W. Sayyed (not out) 4, Extras (b-4, lb-1, nb-6, w-3) 14. Total (86.1 overs) 276.

Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-74, 3-165, 4-210, 5-214, 6-214, 7-226, 8-241, 9-258.

Karnataka bowling: Vinay 23-6-66-4, Aiyappa 21-4-70-3, Chipli 5-0-14-0, Joshi 27-4-88-2, Raghu 5-0-22-0, Verma 5-1-11-0.

Karnataka — Ist innings: R. Uttappa (batting) 1, K. Pawan (batting) 0, Extras (nb-1) 1; Total (for no loss in one over) 2.

Maharashtra bowling: Fallah 1-0-2-0

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