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Mongia pilots India B to big total
By K.C. Vijaya Kumar
Dinesh Mongia, who made 131 to take India B to a mammoth total against India Seniors in the Challenger Series in Bangalore on Friday. - Photo: K. Gopinathan
BANGALORE, JAN. 11. Dinesh Mongia's run-feast put India B in a commanding position against India Seniors in the second match of the Hero Honda N.K.P. Salve Trophy Challenger Series at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Friday. The Punjab southpaw's 131 vindicated skipper Anil Kumble's decision to take first strike as India B posted 288 for seven in 50 overs.
The Seniors' only cheer came early on as Sriram fell to Tinu Yohannan's brisk opening spell. The lanky seamer extracted bounce and swing while Debasis Mohanty, earning a recall, looked rusty initially.
Dinesh Mongia and Mohammed Kaif (61) freed their arms and used their feet during their bright second wicket partnership. Their cause was helped by an error-prone attack which obviously forgot coach John Wright's regular prescription - `get your basics correct.' And Ganguly introducing Sunil Joshi as late as in the 47th over needed some explanation.
It was Kaif who first showed his intentions by hooking Yohannan for six. He also ran hard and the right-left combination of Kaif-Mongia left the field in disarray.
Mongia (131, 190m, 140b, 12x4, 2x6) is not the archetypal southpaw who plays with languid charm on the off-side. He prefers his runs on the on-side, using the trickle down fine- leg and the loft past mid-wicket to good effect. And the leg- stump oriented attack which the Seniors employed suited him.
The Kaif-Mongia combine added 136 from 158 balls before Kaif succumbed to the pull-shot as Ganguly cramped him for space. But the runs continued to flow as Mongia held firm while Kanitkar holed out in the deep.
Mongia hampered Harbhajan Singh's rhythm and carted his Statemate over mid-wicket. And luck favoured him as an edge raced past Dasgupta's outstretched gloves while Ganguly flung his hands skywards.
A century soon came Mongia's way and he celebrated it with a huge six off Sehwag. He was consumed by Harbhajan, who enticed a mishit from him. But the man who ambushed Steve Waugh's Aussies with 32 wickets, still struggled as Vijay Bharadwaj (24) played some delicate late cuts. Bharadwaj eventually succumbed to Harbhajan.
The last five overs did not witness a spurt in the scoring rate as two run-outs checked India B. However, skipper Anil Kumble's six off Sanjay Bangar in the last over ensured that India B set an asking rate of 6.14 after a slow over-rate inflicted a three-over penalty on the Seniors.
The scores:
India B: S. Sriram c Dasgupta b Yohannan 5, Dinesh Mongia c Das b Harbhajan 131, Mohd. Kaif c Bangar b Ganguly 61, Hrishikesh Kanitkar c Das b Sehwag 9, Vijay Bharadwaj c Joshi b Harbhajan 24, Pankaj Dharmani (run out) 27, Arjun Yadav (run out) 1, Anil Kumble (not out) 13, Ashish Nehra (not out) 0; Extras (b-1, lb-4, nb-5, w-7) 17; Total (for seven wkts. in 50 overs) 288.
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-148, 3-186, 4- 229, 5-261, 6-271, 7-287.
India Seniors bowling: Yohannan 10-1-49- 1, Mohanty 10-1-47-0, Bangar 9-0-47-0, Ganguly 6-0-49-1, Harbhajan 10-0-53-2, Sehwag 4-0-29-1, Joshi 1-0-9-0.
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