NCA, IA, ONGC in last four

By Our Sports Reporter

CHENNAI, AUG. 26. Shiv Sundar Das, a compact opening batsman, has made significant headway in the last few months, his crucial 184 against Karnataka in the MRF-Buchi Babu all-India invitation cricket tournament, the decisive knock of the contest, being yet another proof of his rising stature.

Karnataka CA skipper Vijay Bharadwaj grabbed six for 81 bowling off-breaks, and then made a half century, at CPT-IP here on Saturday but these were efforts in vain.

In the other last-eight duels, Jolly Rovers seemed in the hunt at IIT-Chemplast, with Dinesh Mongia and S. Badrinath going about their jobs in contrasting fashions, but Indian Airlines' left-arm spinner Murali Karthik struck vital blows to peg the host back. Rovers' skipper Ajay Kudua brightened the proceeding towards the end with a dashing unbeaten hundred, but by then, the host had lost too much ground for any `great-escape- act' to unfold.

It was another left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi, who performed the star turn for ONGC at MAC, scalping five batsmen, to snuff out Associate Banks hopes. Mohammed Saif, opening the innings, had enough time to slam to hundred when ONGC batted a second time.

In the semifinals on Monday, NCA meets Indian Airlines at IIT- Chemplast, while New Zealand Cricket Academy takes on ONGC at MAC.

Coming to the little Das' big hundred, it was indeed the life- line for NCA, with Gautam Gambhir's 39 being the next highest score in a total of 326.

Das' gameplan was to see dangerman Venkatesh Prasad off and then build an innings and it worked splendidly, with the Orissa batsmen seldom getting bogged down, producing some sparkling strokes in the process, whether going down on his knees to caress the ball through the covers, or forcing the bowlers off his legs.

Vijay Bharadwaj posed some unexpected questions with his own brand of fastish off-spin, but Das had the right answers.

On Saturday, Das (184, 296b, 17x4), who raised 57 with Rakesh Patel for the ninth wicket, to further frustrate Karnataka, might have missed a rare double hundred, but then he had done enough. Karnataka lost early wickets when it batted second, but Bharadwaj (51, 93b, 5x4) saved his side from embarrassment.

It was the turn of another skipper, Jolly Rovers' Ajay Kudua, to hog the limelight, albeit belatedly, against Indian Airlines.

Kudua's unbeaten 115 (212b, 14x4, 1x6) meant Rovers finished at a creditable 458 for eight, in pursuit of Airlines' mammoth 502.

A busy uncomplicated player, Kudua took the fight to the bowlers, with a huge six over mid-wicket off offie Ishan Ganda - the ball clearing the ground, and landing on the bushes outside - standing out.

Rovers was off to a bad start, opener Sujith Somasunder (68, 133b, 8x4), who looked so promising on Friday, picking the wrong ball to sweep, and being castled by Murali Kartick.

Dinesh Mongia joined S. Badrinath at this stage and the two provided hope in the Rovers' camp, raising 93 in 134 balls for the third wicket, Mongia going for his shots and Badrinath, adopting the sheet anchor's role.

Mongia had taken his score, rather rapidly, to 75 (78b, 7x4, 3x6), when Kartick, bowling the right line, had him taken at leg- slip. A body blow.

Kudua walked in and tallied 65 with Badrinath before Kartick struck again. Badrinath's (85, 265b, 4x4) attempt to sweep the spinner only resulted in a top-edge with was lapped by V.V.S. Laxman diving to his left at slip.

The new ball was immediately claimed and Vineet Jain, getting the ball to briskly move away from the right-hander, had both S.R. Ganesh Kumar and T.R. Arasu caught by wicket-keeper Vijay Dahiya, the second effort being a diving one. Kudua, however, was determined not to give in and came up with some rousing strokes in a 93-run unbroken ninth- wicket partnership with Balaji, until the host ran out of time.

And at MAC, left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi, in a destructive spell of 11.2-5-14-5, imposed himself on the contest, even as the Associate Banks challenge wilted.

Thilak Naidu (29) was pouched in the slips by Virender Sehwag off Sanghvi, and that really was the beginning of the end as wickets fell in rapid succession. Last man T.R. Sudheesh, unwell, did not bat, which meant Sanghvi consumed five out of five today.

With a massive first innings lead already achieved, ONGC enjoyed useful batting practice, with openers Ravi Sehgal (53 not out, 126b, 4x4) and Mohammed Saif (101 not out, 115b, 12x4, 1x6) making the most of it.

The scores: Indian Airlines 502 for five decl. in 142.5 overs drew with Jolly Rovers 458 for eight in 131 overs (Sujith Somasunder 68, S. Badrinath 85, Dinesh Mongia 75, Ajay Kudua 115 not out, Balaji 32 not out, Vineet Jain three for 63, Karthik Murali three for 101), at IIT-Chemplast. Indian Airlines entered the semifinals on better quotient.

Karnataka CA 243 & 112 for three in 35 overs (Vijay Bharadwaj 51 not out, A.R. Mahesh 43) drew with National Cricket Academy 326 in 98.3 overs (S.S. Das 184, Gautam Gambhir 39, Rakesh Patel 27 not out, Vijay Bharadwaj six for 81), at CPT-IP. NCA reached the semifinals on first innings lead.

ONGC 484 for five decl. & 167 for no loss in 38.3 overs (Ravi Sehgal 53 not out, Mohammed Saif 101 not out) drew with Associate Banks 260 for nine in 90.2 overs (Devendra Bundela 103, Pankaj Dharmani 64, Thilak Naidu 29, Rahul Sanghvi five for 69), at MAC. ONGC made it to the semifinals on first innings lead.

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