The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Baroda takes first innings lead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 13, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Baroda takes first innings lead

Special Correspondent

Ganguly crosses 15,000 Ranji runs

— Photo: PTI

Bengal captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla congratulates Sourav Ganguly after he completed his half century against Baroda.

KOLKATA: Bengal could not stop Baroda from gaining a vital 14-run first innings lead on the third day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Super League Group ‘B’ game at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.

The men on whom Bengal relied to serve its interest got out to uncharacteristic shots and the host could not recover from there, having reached tantalisingly close to the target on a mild afternoon.

Resuming on the overnight score of 102 for three, Arindam Das and Sourav Ganguly, especially the latter, began with a flourish and collared the Baroda bowling with some spectacular shot-making.

Bengal needed the duo to carry the momentum forward but Das departed early falling to Murtuja Vahora for a well compiled 61 (201m, 135b, 11x4). The fourth-wicket pair had added 69 runs in 106 balls.

Ganguly revels

In what turned out to be Bengal’s brightest phase of the day, Ganguly and skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla took the fight to the rival camp with a series of punishing shots. When poised to get his 32nd first class century, the former India captain perished by playing an intended drive off Yusuf Pathan onto his stumps.

Ganguly’s masterly 76 (166m, 97b, 14x4) enabled him to reach 15,009 first-class runs as he and Shukla put on 76 runs for the fifth wicket.

Shukla, reprieved thrice (twice by Yusuf Pathan), went on to hit up a 69 (9x4, 2x6) before left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh induced him to loft an intended drive to Firdaush Bhaja. The late order batsmen too were not up to the task and Bengal caved in to end at 293. Right-arm medium pacer Vahora was the pick of the Baroda bowlers with four for 35.

Baroda ended the day at 58 for the loss of captain Connor Williams’s wicket.

The scores:

Baroda — 1st innings: 307

Bengal — 1st innings: D. Dasgupta lbw b I. Pathan 2, A. Das lbw b Vahora 61, A. Jhunjhunwala b I. Pathan 16, A. Ghosh c I. Pathan b Singh 10, S. Ganguly b Y. Pathan 76, L.R. Shukla c Bhaja b Singh 69, D. Chakraborty c Shah b I. Pathan 19, S.S. Mondal c Shah b Vahora 10, S. Lahiri (not out) 13, S. Sarkar c Williams b Vahora 1, R. Bose c Shah b Vahora 1, Extras (b-8, nb-1, w-6): 15, Total (all out in 93.5 overs): 293.

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-47, 3-73, 4-142, 5-218, 6-257, 7-277, 8-279, 9-289.

Baroda bowling: I. Pathan 26-3-90-3, F. Bhaja 24-5-74-0, M. Vahora 17.5-5-35-4, S. Singh 16-5-37-2, Y. Pathan 10-1-49-1.

Baroda — 2nd innings: C. Williams lbw b Lahiri 5, S. Parab (batting) 41, A. Bilakia (batting) 12, Total (for one wkt. in 22.1 overs): 58.

Fall of wickets: 1-33.

Bengal bowling: Bose 7.5-3-22-0, Sarkar 5-0-16-0, Shukla 0.2-0-0-0, Lahiri 6-2-5-1, Mondal 3-0-15-0.

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

Sport