The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Sambasiva saves Kerala’s blushes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 17, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Sambasiva saves Kerala’s blushes

Principal Correspondent

PALAKKAD: Sambasiva Sarma stole the thunder from right under the nose

of Amit Mishra.

The Kerala opener not just played the Indian leg-spinner, who made a sensational Test debut last month, with an admirable air of assurance, but scored a gritty maiden first class hundred too, on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group ‘A’ match against Haryana at the Fort Maidan here on Sunday.

Sambasiva, who remained unbeaten on 103 (378m, 277b, 15 x 4), actually saved host’s blushes, as the rest of the batsmen put up an indifferent show against a disciplined Haryana attack.

Suicidal run out

Kerala closed the day at 214 for six. It really should have been 214 for five, but a suicidal run out in the final over by K.J. Rakesh, who had been batting pretty sensibly till then, ensured that the visiting side had the upper hand at the end of the day.

Rakesh’s dismissal while going for a needless single, as if Kerala’s qualification from the group depended on it, also reflected the attitude of the home batsmen with the glorious exception of Sambasiva. More often, it was a case of inept batting rather than brilliant bowling, though it has to be said that the opening bowler Jitender Billa bowled his heart out on a flat track to take four wickets.

He worked up good pace and extracted some bounce, especially early on. He clean bowled the Kerala skipper Sony K. Cheruvathur, who decided to open the innings himself after winning the toss, in the very first over of the match and castled V.A. Jagadeesh in his second over to reduce Kerala to three for two.

Memorable knock

But a third-wicket stand of 45 between Sambasiva and Sreekumar Nair steadied the ship somewhat before Billa came back to have Sreekumar caught behind. Sambasiva then added 78 for the fourth wicket with Rohan Prem (35) and 65 for the sixth with Rakesh (24) as he made his first Ranji match of the season truly memorable; he seems to have given the Kerala coach V. Hariharan one part of the solution for the opening puzzle.

The 24-year-old software engineer displayed fine temperament and played some attractive strokes on the off side. His cover drive off Billa as he neared his hundred was the shot of the day.

“It is a good wicket to bat on, though it wasn’t easy early in the morning,” he said. “Yes, I was looking forward to playing Mishra, but had done some homework. He bowled well and even got some turn towards the end of the day.” Mishra, however, couldn’t take a wicket. It wasn’t his day; it was Sambasiva’s.

The scores:

Kerala — 1st innings: Sambasiva Sarma (batting) 103, Sony K. Cheruvathur b Billa 0, V.A. Jagadeesh b Billa 0, Sreekumar Nair c Saini b Billa 28, Rohan Prem b Billa 35, Raiphy Vincent Gomez c Rana b Lavasa 15, K.J. Rakesh runout 24; Extras (b-1, lb-1, nb-7) 9; Total (for six wickets in 89.1 overs) 214.

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-3, 3-48, 4-126, 5-149, 6-214.

Haryana bowling: Billa 15-2-39-4, Rana 15-4-31-0, Budwar 14.1-4-33-0, Vashisht 13-6-19-0, Mishra 19-7-51-0, Dhruv 8-2-24-0, Lavasa 2-0-8-1, Sunny Singh 3-0-7-0.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport