Dinesh Mongia (125) gives Rest a slender lead

By Vijay Lokapally

NAGPUR, OCT. 15. Baroda may have conceded the first innings lead but it had the motivation to hit back and keep the Irani Cup contest alive at the end of the third day at the VCA Stadium here. Left- arm spinner Valmik Buch came up with an inspiring performance, claiming five wickets, even as Dinesh Mongia cracked a century to keep Rest of India in the fray.

In the last two sessions, it was Connor Williams again who guided the Baroda innings with a flawless knock which met its end through a crafty delivery from Sarandeep Singh. Baroda finished at 124 for two, 111 runs ahead of Rest of India.

The spell by the portly Buch did portray the incisive skills of this unsung bowler who has been around for quite some time. It was a quality display, keeping in mind the nature of the pitch - two-paced, no doubt, but a slow turner. It needed a thinking bowler to make inroads into the opposition camp and Buch raised his level, much to the delight of the Baroda side.

Rest resumed at 179 for four with Dinesh Mongia being the key figure in the combat this morning and Baroda looking for a quick breakthrough. To Dinesh's credit, he showed the way with some lusty blows which brought out the attacking instincts in the Punjab left-hander while Ajay Ratra learnt fast and grew in confidence at the other end.

Dinesh and Ratra produced the best batting efforts of the match thus far and their 172-run partnership left Baroda frustrated. There was a thorough planning in the way Mongia and Ratra handled the situation. The scoring was left to Dinesh while Ratra played the supporting role adequately.

Classy knock

The runs came in a flurry as Dinesh was quick to feast on the loose deliveries. On a few occasions, Dinesh left the opposition in a trance with his footwork, leaving the crease to hoist the spinners for huge sixes. With Baroda preferring to attack, it was convenient for Dinesh to play the lofted strokes in front of the wicket. This aggression helped Rest stay on course and the first innings lead was gained in style with Dinesh ensuring that the task was achieved without any alarms.

When Ratra was adjudged leg-before, Rest was still 55 runs short of taking the lead. Dinesh had just reached his century with an on-driven boundary but Baroda had every reason to smile when Ratra departed. The wicketkeeper-batsman had faced 149 balls and hit nine fours in his disciplined innings.

Baroda kept the fight alive through Buch who foxed Sarandeep Singh into playing early and then Irfan Pathan (Jr) who castled Rahul Sanghvi. Twenty runs separated the teams and Dinesh realised the need to play a few robust strokes and scatter the field. With Debasis Mohanty batting sensibly, Dinesh whipped the bowlers around and helped his side take the lead.

It was a brilliant effort from Dinesh but he may not yet gain the nod from the selectors who are keen to retain Virender Sehwag or Yuveraj Singh for the Test series in South Africa. But it was an innings which must have done a world of good to Dinesh in the season opener.

Rest finished with a lead of 13 runs as Buch polished off the tail to return with a five-wicket haul. It was a fine show from this hard-working spinner and earned praise from the selectors and the opposition too.

Baroda's second venture began on a poor note when Satyajit Parab top-edged the ball for Tinu Yohannan to claim a simple return catch. The young Yohannan did let the ball fly on a few occasions but was guilty of overdoing the short-pitched stuff. He looked effective whenever he pitched up but he met his match in Williams, who looked compact in this innings. Williams had the gutsy Nayan Mongia for company and the recovery was built on a confident note as Rest failed to capitalise on the situation. The knock by Williams highlighted the strokes the left-handed opener had at his disposal as he played a couple of stunning pulls and once swung the ball for a six. He dominated the 118-run partnership but succumbed at the fag end when Sarandeep lured him with a beauty - the ball curling and kissing the edge. The 123- ball essay by Williams contained one six and 13 fours.

Play ended with Williams' dismissal, leaving the contest evenly balanced with two more days to go.

The scores:

Baroda - 1st innings: 318.

Rest of India - 1st innings: Akash Chopra c Buch b Pathan (Jr) 22, Vinayak Mane lbw b Pathan (Jr) 48, V. V. S. Laxman c Mongia b Buch 13, Hrishikesh Kanitkar c Williams b Buch 2, Dinesh Mongia c Pathan (Jr) b Buch 125, Ajay Ratra lbw b Pathan (Sr) 61, Sarandeep Singh c & b Buch 10, Rahul Sanghvi b Pathan (Jr) 6, Debasis Mohanty (not out) 18, Tinu Yohannan c R. Parab b Buch 0, Salabh Srivastava c & b Buch 4, Extras (b-4, lb-1, nb-17) 22, Total 331.

Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-72, 3-91, 4-92, 5-264, 6-285, 7-299, 8- 323, 9-323.

Baroda bowling: Rakesh Patel 23-6-54-1, Irfan Pathan (Sr) 14-2-45-1, Valmik Buch 34.3-11-94-5, Irfan Pathan (Jr) 29-5-95-3, Umang Patel 13-4-26-0, Tushar Arothe 4-0- 12-0.

Baroda - 2nd innings: Satyajit Parab c & b Yohannan 3, Connor Williams c Ratra b Sarandeep 83, Nayan Mongia 31, Extras (lb-1, nb-6) 7, Total (for two wkts) 124.

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-124.

Rest of India bowling: Debasis Mohanty 8-1-32-0, Tinu Yohannan 10-0-40-1, Rahul Sanghvi 10-2-23-0, Sarandeep Singh 10.1-2-23-1, Hrishikesh Kanitkar 1-0-5-0.

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