da fazobetai： Amidst all the excitement that swamped the Madhavrao Scindia Stadium inRajkot over the selection of the Indian team the Ranji Trophy match between Karnataka and Saurashtra was reduced to a mere sideshow
The Bulletin by Anand Vasu in Rajkot12-Jan-2007Day 3
Scorecard
Cheteshwar Pujara picked the right moment to come good as his 62 earned him a place among the World Cup probables © International Cricket Council
Amidst all the excitement that swamped the Madhavrao Scindia Stadium inRajkot over the selection of the Indian team for the first two one-dayersagainst West Indies and the probables for the World Cup, the Ranji Trophymatch between Karnataka and Saurashtra was reduced to a mere sideshow. Butas shows went, it wasn’t a bad one, as Saurashtra put up a good performancebefore losing their way a bit and ending the day on 352 for 8. The battingof three youngsters showed that Saurashtra cricket was healthy, even ifthis match is fast slipping out of their grasp.Starting the day on 103 for no loss, with Sagar Jogiyani and KaniayaVaghela having batted with control, authority and optimism in the dyingmoments of the second day, something odd happened. The fluency andattractive strokeplay of the previous day was replaced by hesitancy andsome decidedly dour batting. The flow of runs dried up, and automaticallyKarnataka’s bowlers were able to exert their influence.Only 33 was added to the overnight score before Jogiyani (80) was bowledby Raju Bhatkal, the debutant mediumpacer. Bhatkal had begun rather poorlyyesterday, being hit for four through cover in his first ball infirst-class cricket, but the nerves had clearly settled and he was farbetter. Pratik Joshi replaced Jogiyani, and made a start, getting to 15before becoming Bhatkal’s second victim, caught behind by Thilak Naidu.Shitanshu Kotak has been the mainstay of Saurashtra’s batting for so longnow that there was still room for optimism when he walked out to bat withthe score on 154 for 2. But Kotak is a grafter, someone who nudges andnurdles rather than give the ball a whack, and a slightly ambitious shotwas his undoing. Having spent three quarters of an hour at the crease foronly 9 he drove the offspin of Udit Patel uppishly and was caught at coverby Yere Goud.Cheteshwar Pujara, the man of the hour, having just been picked in theWorld Cup probables, joined Vaghela, who had settled into a nice rhythmand had little trouble against the bowling even as wickets fell atthe other end. Pujara too played some pleasing strokes, especially awristy flick through midwicket and flowing drive through cover. The twoadded 108 for the fourth wicket, and it took a break of play to separatethem. In the first ball after tea, Vaghela, who had batted with great gritfor his 101, spooned a catch back to B Akhil.From there on it was all downhill for Saurashtra. Pujara made 62, but wasbowled by Vinay Kumar, and the wickets began to fall at regular intervals.When the day ended, the game as a contest wasover. But then again, this game has hardly held centrestage, rather it hasbeen the fulcrum around which many events have unfolded in Rajkot. And thelocals certainly weren’t especially worried about the result of the match,with their team already having secured a place in the Super League (Elite group) forthe next year of the Ranji Trophy. In fact, the biggest whoop of delightcame away from the field, when Niranjan Shah, who, as secretary of theBoard of Control for Cricket in India, read out the last name in the listof probables, and it was Pujara.