A Chase Two Short
| Date :29-Sep-2020 |
By Anupam Soni :
On last day track, chasing 353 for a win against Services, Vidarbha batsmen scored 350 going down by just two runs in a thrilling match
THERE were just two successful run chases in excess of 350 runs in the history of Ranji Trophy till then. A charged up Vidarbha could well have become the third team but their spirited challenge ended when they lost the match by just two runs. The hosts, chasing 353 for a win, were all out for 350 going down on penultimate ball of the match.
The thrilling Ranji Trophy Plate League match was played between Vidarbha and Services at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur in December 2010. Services held the upper hand in all but one session on first three days of the match. Only opening session of the second day belonged to the hosts wherein they clean bowled all the last five Services batsmen (in the first innings) as the team lost half its side for 28 runs in 11.5 overs. On fourth and final day of the match, with the turf assisting the spinners, Vidarbha needed 349 runs from 90 overs with nine wickets in hand. They had a poor start on fag end of the third day having scored four runs for one wicket from three overs. Opener Amit Deshpande was out lbw to Services skipper and seamer Yashpal Singh for two. Considering previous three days’ action and changing nature of track, the equation seemed loaded in favour of the visitors. But it is said that the very nature of adversity is to bring out the best in individuals.
Vidarbha coach Sulakshan Kulkarni
The then Vidarbha coach, Sulakshan Kulkarni, also a former Mumbai player and coach, gave the players a pep talk on the last morning. “I just said go for it. It does not matter that you get zero or one point (since Vidarbha had conceded first innings lead). But when we say go for it then there is a change in the attitude. In normal circumstances the attitude is different. When you decide to save a match on the morning then mindset of the players is different. Chances of losing is more when we go for a draw. I told them it will be no problem if we lose. But we must try. I told them if you win, it will become one of the best matches in your life...you can make history. Zindagi main kuch yaad karne layak performance karne ka ye mauka mila hai.
Go for it,” recalled Kulkarni going down memory lane. It was his first year as Vidarbha coach. The talk pumped up Vidarbha batsmen and they responded to the call. Left-handed Ravi Jangid (82; 112b, 13x4) and Akshay Kolhar (23) negotiated the first hour and added 77 for the second wicket. Another southpaw Himanshu Joshi (51; 121b, 4x4) and Jangid took the score to 133 before the latter departed. Skipper Ranjit Paradkar (47; 89b, 6x4) took the team past 200. Then within ten runs both the set batsmen got out. With top five back in hut, things started looking bleak for the hosts. But Shalabh Shrivastava (52; 66b, 2x4) played some sensible cricket and ran hard between the wicket with the tail. When he got out the hosts were 311-8. Vidarbha hopes were fading as was the natural light. Stumper Amol Ubarhande (39; 45b, 2x4) did not give up and kept fighting. But when the team was just one stroke away from shocking the opponents, he got out stumped on second last ball of the day.
Earlier at the toss, Services skipper Yashpal Singh called it right and elected to bat. Vidarbha new ball pair of India pacer Umesh Yadav and left-armer Shrikant Wagh could not give the team any opening early in the match. Pratik Desai (51) and Tahir Khan (17) gave the team a solid start adding 54 runs in 32 overs. Vidarbha’s left-arm orthodox Jangid gave team the much-needed breakthrough by having Khan adjudged lbw. Yadav struck soon trapping Jasvir Singh for four, five runs later. Leg-spinner Azhar Sheikh removed Desai and then offie Akshay Wakhare cleaned up Yashpal as the visitors looked on mat at 109-4. Then left-handed Soumya Ranjan Swain (66; 157b, 229m, 6x4) dropped anchor at one end and had two fifty-plus partnerships with Soumik Chatterjee (29) and wicketkeeper Sarabjit Singh (24). Services ended Day 1 at 206-5 with Swain and Sarabjit at the crease after 91 overs. Yadav-Wagh ruled the roost on the second morning. Wagh castled Sarabjit and at the same score of 220, Yadav disturbed the timber of Swain. One run later, Yadav hit Amrinder Singh’s furniture. Arnav Kush saw his stumps shattered by Wagh and Suraj Yadav missed Jangid’s line to get bowled. All the five batsmen were clean bowled as the team lost five wickets for 28 runs in 11.5 overs on the second day morning.
Vidarbha had an ominous start. They lost opener Kolhar without scoring while his partner Deshpande made eight hitting two fours and the team was reeling at 12-2 in seven overs. Joshi (30) and Jangid (16) added thirty runs for the third wicket. Paradkar (16), Ubarhande (18), Sheikh (27) and Wagh (12) scored in double digits but with no big partnership happening, Vidarbha were shot out for a mere 147 in 66.2 overs. The hosts conceded 87 runs lead. For Services, off-spinner Arnav Kush, who wiped off the tail, took four wickets for 30 runs. Desai (59) and Khan (20) gave the team another good start. Jasvir Singh made 31 coming at number three. Vidarbha got back into the game with three quick wickets. From a dangerous looking 117-1, the visitors were 125-4. But a 105-run fifth wicket partnership between attacking Yashpal (50; 8x4) and Soumik Chatterjee (62; 5x4, 2x6) hit the hosts hard. At 265-6 from 93 overs, Services declared their innings setting a target in excess of 350, which had been breached only twice before in Ranji Trophy. “It was a memorable match as the boys responded very well. It was a great match. The way the match ended it will be remembered by many.
The players earned respect of each other and also the opponents. And mind you, we were playing without any professional players. It was the last season Vidarbha played without professionals. “Another good part of the match was the umpiring. It were they who also went for a result. In the winter days the sun sets early and it was getting darker but the umpires let the play continue. It was a much appreciable effort from them. Otherwise bad light would have stopped the match much earlier,” Kulkarni concluded.
Match: Vidarbha vs Services Ranji Trophy Plate League match played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur December (1-4) 2010 . Result: Vidarbha lost by two runs. Highlights n Vidarbha would have become the third team (then) after Rajasthan who scored 360-4 chasing 359 against Vidarbha during the 1989-90 season and Assam who made 371-4 requiring 370 against Services in 2008-09 season, to successfully chase a target in excesof 350 runs.
The Hitavada Scoreboard SERVICES 1ST INNINGS: P Desai c Ubarhande b Sheikh 51, T Khan lbw b Jangid 17, J Singh lbw b Yadav 4, S Swain b Yadav 66, Y Singh b Wakhare 10, S Chatterjee c Jangid b Wakhare 29, S Singh b Wagh 24, A Singh b Yadav, S Yadav b Jangid 11, A Kush b Wagh 1, Nishan Singh Not Out 1. Extras: (b 12, lb 7, nb 1) 20. TOTAL: (All out, 102.5 overs) 234. Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-59, 3-84, 4-109, 5-165, 6-220, 7-220, 8-221, 9-224. Bowling: Yadav 22-5-55-3, Wagh 18-6-28-2, Wakhare 27-10-42-2, Sheikh 22-1-60-1, Jangid 11.5-5-20-2, Joshi 2-0-10-0. VIDARBHA 1ST INNINGS: A Deshpande lbw b Yadav 8, A Kolhar lbw b N Singh 0, R Jangid c S Singh b A Singh 16, H Joshi lbw b Y Singh 30, R Paradkar c S Singh b Kush 16, S Shrivastava lbw b Yadav 3, A Ubarhande c Khan b A Singh 18, A Sheikh c Swain b Kush 27, S Wagh c Chatterjee b Kush 12, A Wakhare st S Singh b Kush 0, U Yadav Not Out 0. Extras: (b 10, lb 5, nb 2) 17. TOTAL: (All out, 66.2 overs) 147. Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-12, 3-42, 4-63, 5-77, 6-85, 7-108, 8-133, 9-147. Bowling: Yadav 14-3-25-2, N Singh 10-3-16-1, Y Singh 11-3-20-1, A Singh 19-4-41-2, Kush 12.2-3-30-4. SERVICES 2ND INNINGS: P Desai c Shrivastava b Sheikh 59, T Khan lbw b Jangid 20, J Singh lbw b Wakhare 31, S Swain c&b Wakhare 2, Y Singh c Wakhare b Sheikh 50, S Chatterjee c Sheikh b Wagh 62, S Singh Not Out 14, S Yadav Not Out 3. Extras: (b 5, lb 18, nb 1) 24. TOTAL: (6 wkts decl, 93 overs) 265. Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-117, 3-125, 4-125, 5-230, 6-259. Bowling: Yadav 7-1-20-0, Wagh 13-4-27-1, Jangid 18-2-58-1, Paradkar 4-1-10-0, Wakhare 26-5-44-2, Sheikh 24-3-78-2, Joshi 1-0-5-0. VIDARBHA 2ND INNINGS (Target 353 runs): A Deshpande lbw b Y Singh 2, A Kolhar c&b Kush 23, R Jangid c J svir Singh b Y Singh 82, H Joshi run out (Pratik Desai) 51, R Paradkar lbw b Y Singh 47, S Shrivastava c N Singh b A Singh 52, U Yadav run out (Khan) 3, S Wagh b A Singh 10, A Ubarhande st S Singh b A Singh 39, A Sheikh run out (A Singh) 7, AA Wakhare Not Out 5. Extras: (b 5, lb 10, nb 4, w 10) 29. TOTAL: (All out, 92.5 overs) 350. Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-79, 3-133, 4-221, 5-231, 6-238, 7-285, 8-311, 9-330. Bowling: A Singh 25.3-2-96-3, Yadav 11-1-43-0, Y Singh 36.2-3-117-3, N Singh 13-1-50-0, Kush 6-2-21-1, Chatterjee 1-0-8-0.