Date:22/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/22/stories/2008122260732200.htm

Sport - Cricket

Match drawn, Tamil Nadu gains three points

Sports Reporter

— Photo: K. Pichumani

TRADEMARK SHOT: K.B. Arun Karthik, who scored a century, plays one of his trade-mark pulls.

Chennai: K.B. Arun Karthik sped to a hundred and S. Suresh Kumar fell ten runs short — a repeat of their performances against Karnataka earlier this season — as Tamil Nadu batsmen made merry on the fourth and final day of the final Ranji Trophy Super League match against Railways on Sunday.

At half-past three, as stand-in keeper V. Cheluvaraj stumped V. Yomahesh off part-time leggie Prasanjit Das, the match was called off much to the relief of the demoralised Railways side.

Before that dismissal, Yomahesh and C. Ganapathy had put on 101 in 100 balls for the seventh wicket. Murali Kartik didn’t bowl a ball in the innings.

Racing away

Arun Karthik had raced to 27 off 29 balls on Saturday, with four fours including a trademark pull on one leg. He began Sunday in similar vein, denting the boundary boards with his audacity and got to fifty off his 63rd ball picking up a Dipak Yadav off-break from outside off with a turn of wrist and bouncing it inches short of the midwicket rope.

At the other end, R. Prasanna slashed fours in consecutive Anureet Singh overs, before finding Sabir Ali at deep point with one that he didn’t keep down.

Suresh Kumar, who made an attractive 31 in the first innings, announced his arrival with a whistling straight six off Kulamani Parida, which sailed into the Tamil Nadu dressing room. Suresh Kumar and Arun, who play for the same club side and share a room on tour, two milked the Railways bowling in different, but equally effective styles. At lunch, Arun Karthik was on 97.

He got to his hundred in the second over after resumption, hooking Bangar to long-leg for four. He waited on the next ball to guide it late to third man where Murali Kartik’s footballing ability proved inadequate. The very next ball, however, he was struck on the front pad, missing an attempted flick and was adjudged out.

Dinesh Karthik made a typically busy 17 before stepping out to Sanjib Sanyal and was bowled. Abhinav Mukund, pushed down the order, was also bowled, trying to cut a Parida delivery that was too close to him.

In between, Suresh Kumar had walked back to a standing ovation from his team and the handful of die-hards on the terrace, disappointment apparent on his face after he edged Sabir Ali behind to fall 10 short of his hundred.

The scores: Tamil Nadu — 1st innings: 475 for six decl.

Railways — 1st innings: 314.

Tamil Nadu — 2nd innings: K.B. Arun Karthik lbw b Bangar 107, R. Prasanna c Sabir Ali b Anureet Singh 25, S. Vidyut c Cheluvaraj b Sabir Ali 8, S. Suresh Kumar c Cheluvaraj b Sabir Ali 90, Dinesh Karthik b Sanyal 17, Abhinav Mukund b Parida 27, C. Ganapathy (not out) 53, V. Yomahesh st. Cheluvaraj b P. Das 47; Extras (b-2, lb-10, nb-0, w-3): 15; Total (for seven wickets decl. in 81 overs): 389.

Fall of wickets: 1-87, 2-116, 3-179, 4-222, 5-286, 6-288, 7-389.

Railways bowling: Anureet Singh 19-0-72-1, Sabir Ali 17-2-83-2, M. Rawat 1-0-2-0, Dipak Yadav 6-0-30-0, Parida 15-2-83-1, Bangar 14-4-50-1, Sanyal 7-0-39-1, P. Das 2-0-18-1. (Tamil Nadu 3 points, Railways 1).