da dobrowin： Indian captain Sourav Ganguly set Chepauk afire on Tuesday
Santhosh S13-Feb-2001Indian captain Sourav Ganguly set Chepauk afire on Tuesday. He didpretty much what he wanted with the India B attack to score anelectrifying 142 off 106 balls as India Seniors finished with therecord total of 392 for six in 50 overs in the Challenger Series matchat the floodlit MA Chidambaram stadium.The total compiled by India Seniors was the highest in domestic oneday cricket. The previous highest was 379 for eight by Wills XIagainst Hyderabad at Rajkot in the Wills Trophy tournament in 1995-96.In reply, India B with Sachin Tendulkar getting a sparkling 77 andDinesh Mongia a superb 102 stayed in the fight for some time but inthe face of an unlikely target, they faltered and were all out for 362in 46.4 overs go give India Seniors a 30 run victory, their first inthe competition. Yesterday, India Seniors had lost to India A by fourwickets. Tomorrow, India A take on India B in the final round robinmatch before the two top teams meet in the final on February 15.Electing to bat on winning the toss, India Seniors were of to flyingstart straightaway with Ganguly and Shiv Sundar Das getting to anearly rhythm against Dodda Ganesh and Surendra Singh. The left armpacer Surendra Singh from Jammu & Kashmir, failed to make animpression. In the fifth over of the day, Ganguly was caught whilehooking at a short pitched bouncer. The ball was judged to be a noball by the square leg umpire and Ganguly got a reprieve.Das (25, 35 balls, 3 fours) was the first batsman to be dismissed,bowled by JP Yadav in the 11th over. That was the only success India Ahad in the first 15 overs.Ganguly was in his stride early, sweetly timing his strokes on theoff-side to the ropes. In the 14th over of the innings bowled byNikhil Chopra, Ganguly struck two mighty blows into the fence, thesecond one sailing over the long-on for a six.VVS Laxman batted confidently until Tendulkar made one ball to spinsharply in to him and he was comprehensively bowled. Laxman made 36runs off just 40 balls with the help of five boundaries.Thereafter it was all Ganguly. Md Kaif was struck high and handsomeover long-off by Ganguly who thus got his hundred in just 95 balls. Inthe following over from the pavilion end, Sachin Tendulkar got some ofthe Ganguly medicine, a six over long-off that hit the top of theroof.Left-arm orthodox spinner Sukhbinder Singh came onto bowl replacing anexpensive Mohd Kaif at the far end to bowl the 31st over of theinnings. It turned out to a most eventful over.The first ball of the Sukhbinder over was fended of defensively. Thenext six balls read like this: 6, 6, 4, 6, 6, 4. There were two noballs in that making it an eight ball over. The last ball too was hithigh into the sky and JP Yadav stood under it and took a well judgedcatch. There were 34 runs off the over along with the wicket ofGanguly. Talk about an eventful over.Ganguly scored 142 runs off just 106 balls including ten boundariesand nine sixes. The six he hit off Mohd Kaif high and out of thestadium over the square-leg was easily vintage Ganguly. India Seniorswere 246/3 off 31 overs at the fall of Ganguly.Virender Shewag was bowled for a duck by Surendra Singh who alsoaccounted for the dangerous looking Yuvraj Singh, who started off abit tentatively but blossomed into some good form, striking the ballcleanly to the fence. Before being well caught by Tendulkar at longon, he had made 51 runs off 53 balls with five boundaries in it.Hemang Badani, Yuvraj Singh and Vikram Rathour then played explosivecricket but the afternoon belonged to Ganguly for his thunderousinnings.Badani made 70 in 65 balls including a six and five boundaries. He waswell caught by Chopra off the bowling of Ganesh in the 47th over,India Seniors were 342/4 at that stage. Earlier on Badani had twoescapes in one over. First a diving Kaif dropped him at long-on andthen Dahiya missed an easy stumping off Nikhil Chopra. Badani’sinnings was a masterly one, with a handsome six over long-on offChopra.In the last ten overs, India seniors made merry, scoring 104 runs totake their total to 392/6 at the end of 50 overs. Vikram Rathourplayed a cameo of an unbeaten 30 off just 11 balls, including foursixes.When India B batted, Sachin Tendulkar led India B’s chase as they wentafter an improbable target. He cut loose in the fifth over, bowled bySrinath, flicking and pulling the India fast bowler for consecutivefours. Mohanty was also not spared, a pull off the front foot and acracking square cut was just a warning of things to follow.JP Yadav played some crisp strokes to make 24 runs off just 26 balls,before being run out by a direct hit from Yuvraj Singh. Amay Khurasiawas distinctly unlucky to be given out lbw, the ball being a bit toohigh to hit the stumps. Sukhbinder Singh was sent in next.Ganguly came in to bowl and Tendulkar dismissed him twice to the fencewith disdain. Sukhbinder played a rousing square drive for four, butwas caught by Das off the last ball of the over. Sukhbinder made justfive runs. India B were now 90/3 in 12 overs.Tendulkar was in tremendous form, as he made the India Senior bowlerslook ordinary on a batting paradise of a pitch. The stadium filled upconsiderably and the crowd cheered every stroke from Tendulkar’s bat.There was a chilling silence for a moment when Tendulkar pulledSrinath in the air to the square leg fence; they erupted into aexplosive cheer when Shewag spilled the catch.India B lost Tendulkar in the 19th over, when he was caught by Gangulyat mid-wicket off Nehra. Tendulkar played a pull shot in the air andstraight at Ganguly’s throat. He made 77 runs of just 59 balls with 13fours. India B were reduced to 132/4 at that stage.Even after Tendulkar’s departure, India B did not give up. CaptainRobin Singh and Dinesh Mongia, both left handers, ran like haresbetween wickets and picked up the odd boundary in the over.Robin Singh walked out to a round of thunderous applause. More thangoing in for big shots he and Mongia relied on quick running. The 37-year-old Robin made his much younger partner run like crazy betweenthe wickets. In the process, they survived a close run out appeal.Robin got his half century and then Mongia reached his hundred. Butafter the fifth wicket stand had realised 152 runs off 20.4 overs,Mongia lofted Nehra to Shewag in the country. The dashing 23-year-oldleft hander from Punjab faced just 87 balls for his 102, hitting tenfours and two sixes.Shortly afterwards Robin Singh for a second run was run out for agallant 64. The veteran from Tamil Nadu faced only 66 balls and hitfour boundaries. In the next over, Dahiya was bowled by Ganguly andIndia B’s slim hopes receded.Md Kaif revived these hopes by some clean hitting. He hit three foursand two sixes in rushing to 40 off just 21 balls. He and Nikhil Chopra(15) added 41 runs for the eighth wicket off only 2.5 overs. But thenChopra and Kaif were both run out in quick succession and Badanibrought the match to a conclusion by taking a fine low catch todismiss Ganesh.