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Yashpal to North’s rescue

Special Correspondent

Ahmedabad: Yashpal Singh anchored North Zone to a healthy first innings aggregate of 299 in the Duleep Trophy league match against South at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium here on Sunday.

One of the Services players to make an impression and the grade at the zonal level, the 26-year-old Yashpal brought a halt to South’s rapid progress with adequate help from his side’s lower order.

Defiant innings

The fall of five top order batsmen on Saturday forebode a strong comeback into the game by South but Yashpal’s near five-hour defiance against a combination of seam and spin put North ahead by 142 runs in the first innings, 95 of which South made in the second innings for the loss of the openers.

Yashpal, who hit a dozen hits to the fence and two over the ropes, missed his second century of the season by three runs.

He found an able foil in a competent Uday Kaul in the sixth wicket stand that fetched North a useful 71 runs.

Intent on protecting their wicket, the two worked the ball around while approaching South’s first innings target of 157 after which Kaul edged Vinay Kumar to keeper M. Vijay (replacement for Thilak Naidu who hurt his fingers).

Naidu has been advised not to keep wicket and bat.

“It’s only a swelling and I should be fine in four days,” said Naidu.

With the wicket appearing a featherbed, the lower order in Sachin Rana and Amit Mishra forged partnerships to keep South on the field until 16 minutes before the tea interval.

The persevering Vinay Kumar bagged four wickets while his Karnataka new ball partner N.C. Aiyappa got three.

The scores:

South Zone — 1st innings: 157.

North Zone — 1st innings: A. Chopra lbw b Vinay Kumar 37, S. Dhawan c Ravi Teja b Aiyappa 23, K. Goel c M. Vijay b Aiyappa 0, M. Manhas b Vinay Kumar 3, Yashpal Singh c Ravi Teja b Vinay Kumar 97,

R. Bhatia c Ashwin b Ojha 8, U. Kaul c M. Vijay b Vinay Kumar 33, S. Rana c Asnodkar b Ashwin 28, A. Mishra b Kalyan Krishna 47, V.S. Malik b Aiyappa 5, A. Thakur (not out) 6, Extras (b-9, lb-3)12, Total (in 88.5 overs) 299.

Fall of wickets: 1-58, 2-58, 3-60, 4-65, 5-94, 6-165, 7-211, 8-258, 9-263.

South bowling: Vinay Kumar 24-4-87-4, Kalyan Krishna 15.5-4-40-1, Aiyappa 20-1-54-3, Ojha 19-2-79-1, Ashwin 10-2-27-1.

South Zone — 2nd innings: D. Ravi Teja c Rana b Malik 15, S. Asnodkar c Thakur b Rana 37, M. Vijay (batting) 24, S. Badrinath (batting) 10, Extras (lb-3, nb-6) 9, Total (for two wkts. in 29 overs) 95.

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-78.

North bowling: Malik 10-0-52-1, Thakur 7-2-10-0, Bhatia 6-2-13-0, Rana 4-0-9-1, Mishra 1-0-4-0, Manhas 1-0-4-0.

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