Date:08/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/08/stories/2009010854842200.htm

Sport - Cricket

Mumbai goes through

S. Dinakar

— Photo: K. Pichumani

THRILLED: Mumbai’s Ramesh Powar is delighted after dismissing Saurashtra’s Balakrishna Jadeja on Wednesday.

Chennai: Mumbai is through to the Ranji Trophy final. Defending 637 for the lead, Wasim Jaffer’s men dismissed Saurashtra for 379 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

Despite the margin, Mumbai barely managed to avoid elimination on the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal. Ahead on net run-rate (calculated till the quarterfinals), Saurashtra would have progressed to the final had the first innings remained incomplete.

And a fighting eighth-wicket pair of Kamlesh Makwana (56 not out, 138b, 6x4) and Rakesh Dhruv (44, 91b, 9x4) threatened Mumbai on a day of cloud cover and fading light.

It was an error in judgment on the part of umpire Ameesh Sahiba — he adjudged the left-handed Dhruv leg before when the delivery from off-spinner Ramesh Powar pitched out-side the leg-stump — that ended the battling 103-run partnership. Then last man Balakrishna Jadeja was adjudged caught behind off Powar when the delivery appeared to be missing the outside edge.

The Saurashtra innings concluded at 1.p.m. At 1.50 p.m., after Mumbai began its second innings, the umpires offered the batsmen light. Mumbai chose to bat on for practice.

Not much later, it started to rain at Chepauk; the match did not resume. For Mumbai, it was a near thing.

In the morning, paceman Dhaval Kulkarni rightly bowled from round-the-wicket to the left-handed Jaydev Shah. The Saurashtra skipper was lured into a fatal cover drive. Jaydev’s 49 (184b, 8x4) had been an effort of struggle for most part.

Kulkarni, in the same over, snared S. Jogiani with one that straightened around the off-stump. Then Makwana and Dhruv offered stiff resistance. Makwana showed character while handling a barrage of short-pitched deliveries from the nippy Ajit Agarkar.

As the two batsmen grew in confidence, they also essayed a few spanking shots. Dhruv was, eventually, unlucky to be dismissed.

Powar bags five wkts.

Powar scalped four; there was dip in his flight. He mixed his off-spinners with the one that went through straight. There was greater purchase for the spinners on the last day.

When Mumbai batted again, Saurashtra left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja bowled a much better middle-and-off line.

He released from closer to the stumps and spun the ball away sharply. Jadeja also has a handy arm-ball.

The scores: Mumbai — Ist innings: 637 for six decl.

Saurashtra — Ist innings: C. Pathak c Kulkarni b Zaheer 30, B. Chauhan b Agarkar 14, S. Kotak c Sharma b Kulkarni 89, C. Pujara c Jaffer b Powar 39, R. Jadeja c Samant b Zaheer 10, J. Shah c (sub A. Chavan) b Kulkarni 49, K. Makwana (not out) 56, S. Jogiani c Sharma b Kulkarni 0, R. Dhruv lbw b Powar 44, S. Jobanputra c Jaffer b Powar 16, B. Jadeja c Samant b Powar 2, Extras (b-5, lb-5, w-3, nb-17) 30; Total (in 130 overs) 379.

Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-52, 3-123, 4-151, 5-245, 6-255, 7-256, 8-359, 9-377.

Mumbai bowling: Zaheer 31-10-72-2, Agarkar 23-9-62-1, Kulkarni 25-6-82-3, Powar 35-5-108-4, Nayar 14-1-41-0, Sharma 1-0-2-0, Muzumdar 1-0-2-0.

Mumbai — 2nd innings: R. Sharma (not out) 30, A. Muzumdar c Jogiani b R. Jadeja 9, A.M. Nayar (batting) 0, Extras (lb-1, nb-2) 3; Total (for one wkt. in 12 overs) 42.

Fall of wicket: 1-42.

Saurashtra bowling: Jobanputra 2-0-6-0; B. Jadeja 2-0-13-0; R. Jadeja 5-0-11-1; Dhruv 3-0-11-0.