Exciting win for Board President's XI

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JAN. 14. It was a providential break for J. Gokulakrishnan. Inducted in the squad as a last minute replacement for the injured Aashish Nehra, the lanky medium- pacer, grabbed the opportunity with both hands, and turned a hero with a five-wicket haul to help Board President's XI to an exciting six-run win over runner-up Bengal in the semifinal match of the Wills Trophy tournament at the MAC Stadium on Friday.

A close finish was a bonus and it was only fitting that a medium- pacer held the centre-stage in a benefit match for a man who had relished pace bowling - K. Bharath Kumar. The morning, however, began on an ominous note with a thick `Bhogi' smog, forcing a one hour delayed start and the contest was reduced to 46 overs a side. Set a target of 264, Bengal seemed on course before Gokulakrishnan ended the dream run at 257 to provide a dramatic finish.

Board President's XI lost its last match century-maker S.S. Das cheaply but Azharuddin's arrival brought the touch of class, a bit of cheer all around and also an inspired Jyoti Yadav. The two delighted the crowd with a pleasing 101-run stand for the second wicket. Azhar showed his penchant for wristy shots while Yadav for the lofted ones.

The introduction of spinners ended Yadav's tenure first and then Azhar's, who did look good for more. Both made 50 odd runs, Azhar striking eight boundaries and Yadav six. Just when Bengal seemed to check the batting came Sanjay Bangar with the fireworks. Four 6s and two 4s embellished his unbeaten 51 which on hindsight proved crucial

Bengal began spiritedly, and gained in confidence through an enterprising 120-run stand between Rohan Gavaskar (71, 102 balls, 6x4s) and Sumit Panda (49, 70 balls, 6x4s) for the third wicket. A minor collapse notwithstanding Saba Karim (50, 40 balls, 6x4s) raised hopes. Charanjit Singh took over bravely, slogged two boundaries and reduced the chase to seven runs in two balls before Gokulakrishnan spread-eagled his stumps.

The scores:

Board President's XI: S.S. Das c M. Sengupta b Panda 5; Jyoti Yadav lbw b Utpal Chatterjee 52; Mohd. Azharuddin b S. Lahiri 56; S. Sriram c Panda b Mazumdar 14; S. Sharath (run out) 15; Sanjay Bangar (not out) 51; Aashish Kapoor lbw b Rohan Gavaskar 19; Vijay Dahiya c Utpal Chatterjee b Shukla 30; D.J. Gokulakrishnan (not out) 4; Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-13, nb- 1) 17; Total (for seven wkts. in 46 overs): 263.

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-117, 3-129, 4- 155, 5-158, 6-180, 7-237.

Bengal bowling: L.R. Shukla 8-0-48-1; Sumit Panda 8-1-59-1; S. Lahiri 10-0-50-1; Utpal Chatterjee 9-0- 48-1; W. Mazumdar 6-0-26- 1; Rohan Gavaskar 5-1-29-1.

Bengal: Nikhil Haldipur c Sriram b Gokulakrishnan 26; L.R. Shukla c Dahiya b Gokulakrishnan 0; Sumit Panda c Gokulakrishnan b Bangar 49; Rohan Gavaskar c M. Kartik b Gokulakrishnan 71; Srikant Kalyani b M. Kartik 14; Saba Karim c Aashish Kapoor b M. Kartik 50; Utpal Chatterjee b Aashish Kapoor 4; M. Sengupta b M. Kartik 10; W. Mazumdar c Bangar b Gokulakrishnan 5; Charanjit Singh b Gokulakrishnan 12; S. Lahiri (not out) 1; Extras (lb-8, w-4, nb-3) 15; Total (all out in 45.5 overs) 257.

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-29, 3-149, 4-162, 5-190, 6-194, 7-237, 8-237, 9-252.

Board Presidents's XI bowling: Kumaran 9-0-58-0; Gokulakrishnan 8.5-0-55-5; M. Kartik 10-0-45-3; Sanjay Bangar 4-0-27-1; Aashish Kapoor 9-0-34-1; Sriram 4-0-25-0; Azharuddin 1-0-5-0.

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