Punjab batsmen give their side an outside chance

By Our Special Correspondent

MOHALI, APRIL 8. With a calculated and sustained assault from its batsmen, Punjab has provided an exciting twist to the tale. After blasting runs almost at will on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal, the host has thrown a challenge at Railways.

Making light of a first innings deficit of 158, Punjab traded all its second innings wickets for 358 runs and set Railways a target of 199 in a minimum of 92 overs. Railways was three without loss in two overs at stumps on Sunday.

Beginning the day at six without loss, Punjab's game- plan was to raise a total of around 360 by the end of the day so that it could give its bowlers at least 200 runs to bowl at. The plan worked almost to perfection due to the magnificent 164-run stand for the fourth wicket between Reetinder Singh Sodhi (89) and Pankaj Dharmani (77). Earlier, the firm platform for the total was built by opener Munish Sharma (61) and Ravneet Ricky (54), who put on 97 by the 20th over.

Once the Punjab openers, particularly Munish, cut loose, Railways found it difficult to contain the flow of runs. Munish, who hit two successive sixes off left-arm spinner Tejinder Pal Singh, and also seven boundaries in his knock, decimated the Railway attack during his 56-ball essay.

After Munish was stumped, Ricky and skipper Vikram Rathour continued the good work by putting on 51 runs in 54 minutes. However, the two fell on either side of the lunch interval to debatable decisions by Subarata Banerjee.

But what followed was the most productive phase of the Punjab innings. Sodhi and Dharmani made the most of the poor line bowled by Tejinder and off-spinner Kulamani Parida. Sodhi hit a straight six off Parida and eight boundaries during his 104-ball innings. Knowing the importance of scoring quickly, Sodhi did not slow down even while approaching the three-figure mark and was eventually bowled while trying to force the pace.

It was Sodhi's departure at 323 which triggered a collapse. Dharmani, after taking time to settle down, hit seven boundaries in his priceless knock but was run out eight runs after Sodhi's departure.

The remaining Punjab batsmen then panicked and failed to make the most of the day's overs. Ankur Kakkar, the top-scorer in the first innings, and Sandeep Sanwal, too, were run out. Sanjay Mahajan and Gagandeep Singh offered catches at short fine- leg before last-man Babloo Kumar was bowled.

The fact that Punjab lost its last seven wickets in the space of 33 runs provided a respite for Railways. With the wickets falling in a heap, the target for Railways was at least 20-30 runs less then what it once seemed like getting to chase.

On the face of it, the target (196 in 90 overs) appears far from intimidating. With the pitch holding no devil, the task of getting runs also does not seem very difficult. But a couple of early wickets on Monday morning can make things difficult for Railways and everything depends on how the team approaches the target.

In the first innings, Railways scored at an average of around 200 runs a day. Should it again tread cautiously, then Punjab can sustain its hopes longer. But considering the tempting nature of the target, Railways may not exactly play the `waiting game' this time around. So it remains to be seen whether Railways succeeds in keeping its nerves. It needs no reminding that attaining a a small target is not always as easy as it appears.

The scores:

Punjab - 1st innings: 249.

Railways - 1st innings: 407.

Punjab - 2nd innings: Ravneet Ricky c Abhay Sharma b Parida 54, Munish Sharma st. Abhay Sharma b Tejinder 61, Vikram Rathour c Bangar b Parida 31, Pankaj Dharmani (run out) 77, Reetinder Singh Sodhi b Harvinder 89, Ankur Kakkar (run out) 3, Sanjay Mahajan c Bangar b Tejinder 1, Sandeep Sanwal (run out) 5, Gagandeep Singh c Bangar b Tejinder 3, Vineet Kumar (not out) 1, Babloo Kumar b Parida 1; Extras (b-17, lb-5, nb-2, w-6) 30, Total 356.

Fall of wickets: 1-97, 2-148, 3-159, 4- 323, 5-331, 6-336, 7-337, 8-350, 9-353.

Railways bowling: Harvinder 10-1-47-1, Tejinder 41-2-132-3, Zakir 3-0-21-0, Bangar 7-1-27-0, Parida 21.2-3-72-3, Yere Goud 6-0-35- 0.

Railways - 2nd innings: Amit Pagnis (batting) 2, Sanjay Bangar (batting) 1, Total (for no loss) 3.

Punjab bowling: Gagandeep 1-0-2-0, Sodhi 1-0-1-0.

Reetinder Singh Sodhi sweeps Yere Goud during his knock of 89 in the Ranji Trophy semifinal at Mohali on Sunday.

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