Baroda posts big total

By Our Special Correspondent

VADODARA, APRIL 6. Baroda went about its task of intimidating Orissa for the second consecutive day of the Ranji Trophy semifinals, batting 89 out of stipulated 90 overs bowled on day two to amass 568 runs in the first innings. Nayan Mongia of course played a central role to notch 181 (25 fours, one six, 317 balls, 452 minutes), his highest score in Ranji Trophy, but it was the manner in which others played their bit parts.

Skipper Jacob Martin, on 70 overnight, dominated the morning session at the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation ground, putting on an exhibition of controlled aggression to reach 86 (13x4, 172b, 234m) then Tushar Arothe took over the responsibility of snuffing out the Orissa attack, using strong- arm methods to rattle up 86 (15x4, 1x6, 156b, 214m). As if all this was not enough, number 10 Irfan Pathan (jr) managed six fours when remained unbeaten on 40.

At stumps, Orissa openers Shiv Sundar Das (four not out) and Suresh Kumar (0) were at the crease.

Baroda's intention was transparent, knowing Orissa's ability to amass 400-plus total as in the quarterfinals against Madhya Pradesh. The home side banked on its well-settled overnight pair of Martin and Mongia (overnight on 137) for a huge first innings score to seize the initiative. Orissa skipper Shiv Sundar Das opted for the new ball in the fourth ball of Debasis Mohanty's first over, only to see Martin respond to the challenge by driving the next ball past the bowler. Mongia followed suit with an uppish pull to mid-wicket.

The Baroda skipper seemed to have used the time spent after the first day labours to sort out the hesitancy in his batting, judging the pace and bounce of Orissa medium-pacer Ajay Barik's deliveries early to herald his approach the 90s with two sweetly- timed hits to the fence, the first a steer through the vacant slip cordon to third-man followed by an imperious pull to mid- wicket.

However, his hopes of reaching a century suffered a setback, adjudged leg before when playing defensively forward to P.Jayachandra.

Arothe stepped in to maintain the momentum, punching the bowlers confidently off the front foot through cover, playing the square cut with abandon as the Baroda score crossed the 400 mark, the fourth wicket partnership fetching 75 runs off just 71 balls before Mongia's marathon ordeal came to an end, driving against Mohanty only to see the ball fly over Rashmi Ranjan Parida at gully. The Orissa player leapt up to complete an excellent catch.

Mongia got two lives-- when on 143 and 154-- after making clear his intentions of taking risks against the bowling. First Jagannath Das at mid-off was not alert enough to catch an uppish shot off Mohanty, then wicket-keeper Goutam Gopal failed to hold on to a snick off Barik, but these blemishes cannot dilute the quality of his knock.

The creases on Orissa skipper Das' forehead may have increased as the Baroda score had crossed 450 by then, every batsman at the crease feasting on the attack, where Mohanty looked the only wicket-taker, bowling off a long run-up despite the extreme heat, ending the day with figures of 41-12-110-3. The admirable part about Orissa's approach is that its efforts did not flag, Mohanty's enthusiasm and energy even after bowling 23 overs on the second day in the extreme heat an indicator of the bonding within this team. Parida and S.S.Das pulled off astonishing reflex catches even after toiling on the field for almost two days.

The onus is now on skipper Das, unbeaten on four after one over from Rakesh Patel, to inspire another fightback this unsung team from the East Zone is known for, when the semifinal resumes on the third day on a track where the dust is already flying about. Rakesh Patel, having failed with the bat in the Baroda first innings, is already making balls fly.

The scores:

Baroda-1st innings: Satyajit Parab st. C.Gopal b S.Satpathy 60, Conner Williams c Gopal b D.Mohanty 35, Nayan Mongia c R.Parida b Mohanty 181, Jacob Martin lbw P.Jayachandra 86, Tushar Arothe c Parida b S.Raul 86, Himanshu Jadhav c Parida b Barik 21, Ajit Bhoite c S.S.Das b Raul 2, Rakesh Patel c Gopal b Raul 0, Valmik Buch lbw Mohanty 29, Irfan Pathan (jr) n.o. 40, Irfan Pathan (sr) c Raul b Satpathy 1. Extras (b-6, lb-3, w-11, nb-7) 27. Total 568.

Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-165, 3-342, 4- 417, 5-464, 6-474, 7-474, 8-499, 9-555.

Orissa bowling: D.Mohanty 41-12-110-3; A.Barik 26-4-126-1; P.Mullick 15-5-48-0; S.Satpathy 38-7-120-2; J.Das 6-2-23-0; S.Raul 32-6-76-3; P.Jayachandra 17-5-52-1; S.S.Das 2-0- 4-0.

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