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Orissa concedes first innings lead

Special Correspondent

CUTTACK: Orissa failed to understand the importance of discretion and lost two crucial wickets in the process and conceded a vital 27-run first innings lead to Hyderabad on the third day of the four-day Elite Group ‘A’ Ranji Trophy league match at the Barabati Stadium here on Wednesday.

In reply to Hyderabad’s first innings total of 296, Orissa folded up for 269 in its first essay. At stumps, Hyderabad was 56 for the loss of opener T. Suman, who incidentally bagged a pair.

Crucial dismissals

Two dismissals influenced the outcome of the game decisively. First it was the run out of captain Shib Sundar Das and much later the dismissal of P. Jayachandra when Orissa had come pretty close to Hyderabad’s total.

The Orissa skipper saw Preetamjit Das back in the pavilion early in the day but he and wicketkeeper Haladhar Das were just settling down when disaster struck. Haladhar played a ball from M.P. Arjun towards a vacant square-leg and saw his senior partner charging down for a single. As the Hyderabad wicketkeeper rushed to retrieve the ball, Haladhar sent his captain back and S.S. Das failed to beat the throw to the bowler’s end.

When asked whether his junior partner should have sacrificed his wicket in favour of a well-settled batsman the captain said: “These things happen in cricket.” At that point S.S. Das was batting beautifully on 80.

Despite this and the fall of four more wickets for the addition of 88 runs, an injured Jayachandra, playing with a runner, was in total control of the situation in the company of last man Basant Mohanty.

The pair needed 49 runs to take the lead. It added 21 runs in 39 balls when Jayachandra 43 (235m, 139b, 3x4) went for an impulsive hook off S.M. Shoaib and was out at the stroke of tea. Even though Arjun had earlier dropped Jayachandra (when on 14) at fine-leg off Shoaib, the Orissa all-rounder repeatedly kept attempting that shot.

The scores:

Hyderabad — 1st innings: 296.

Orissa — 1st innings: B.S. Pati lbw b Shinde 37, S.S. Das (run out) 80, N. Behera c Pai b Ojha 8, P.R. Sinha lbw b Shinde 14, P. Das c Shinde b Shoaib 7, H. Das c Pai b Ojha 8, P. Jayachandra c Shinde b Shoaib 43, R. Mohanty c Kumar b Arjun 28, D. Mohanty lbw b Shoaib 0, Saurabh Sehgal st. Kumar b Shinde 25, B. Mohanty (not out) 8; Extras (b-2, lb-7, w-1, nb-1): 11; Total (in 114.2 overs): 269.

Fall of wickets: 1-86, 2-99, 3-130, 4-155, 5-160, 6-168, 7-209, 8-210, 9-248.

Hyderabad bowling: Arjun 26-8-70-1, Shoaib 29.2-10-50-3, Yadav 15-1-52-0, Ojha 29-9-49-2, Shinde 12-2-24-3, Teja 3-1-15-0.

Hyderabad — 2nd innings: T. Suman lbw b D. Mohanty 0, D. Ravi Teja (batting) 22, D. Rushi Raj (batting) 33; Extras (lb-1): 1; Total (for one wkt. in 29 overs): 56.

Fall of wicket: 1-4.

Orissa bowling: D. Mohanty 5-3-10-1, B. Mohanty 5-2-13-0, P. Das 6-2-7-0, Sourabh Sehgal 8-0-17-0, R. Mohanty 2-0-4-0, N. Behera 3-0-4-0.

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