Saurabh puts Punjab on the mat
NAYUDU TROPHY UP bowlers force rivals to follow-on; hosts need seven more wickets to script an innings win
LUCKNOW: In modern days’ cricket, spinners don’t dare to bowl flighted ones even in the longer version. They keep it straight and bowls more and more fasters ones just to avoid being hit for the boundaries or sixes.
But switching of speed is necessary to grab wickets and this was what hosts spinner Saurabh Kumar taught others on the penultimate day of the four-day Under-23 Col CK Nayudu Trophy match, bagging five wickets to put Punjab on the floor.
Pint-sized left-arm orthodox spinner Saurabh’s magical figure of 28-9-46-5 helped UP shot Punjab out for paltry 168, managing a solid 308-run first innings lead. Later, following in Punjab had lost three wickets for just 65 in their second innings. They still need 244 runs to avoid an innings defeat on the wickets of the Dr Akhilesh Das Stadium, which seems quite helpful for spinners.
Saurabh appeared confident even from the very first ball of the day. With a mix of armours one, he kept mesmerising the rivals with big turns, uppish deliveries and the flighted ones too. He didn’t allow any Punjab batsman to settle and go for big shots. It was really a shaky batting display by Punjab, which even after losing 13 wickets so far couldn’t even cross UP skipper Akshdeep Nath’s individual score of 238 in the match. The beginning wasn’t well for the visitors on Monday as soon as they resumed at the overnight score of 25/0. Sunny Pandey could add just one run to his overnight score of nine before being run out.
This, however, opened the flood gate for UP bowlers, especially seamer Raj Bahadur and spinner Saurabh. Bahadur grabbed top three wickets and shifted the responsibility on Saurabh’s shoulders. As expected he didn’t disappoint and kept removing Punjab batsmen oneby-one on regular intervals, including skipper Karan Kalia (8) and Vinay Choudhray (0) on consecutive deliveries. Punjab were reduced to 125 for eight, but a 38-run ninth-wicket stand between A Malhotra (33*, 68b, x34) and Sukhwinder Singh (16, 2x4) helped the side cross the 150run mark. Things didn’t change much even when Punjab came out to bat in their second innings as they lost all three wickets of the innings for just eight. It was lanky seamer Mohd Javed, who played the role of destroyer this time. In the sixth over, he found Jaskaran Sohi (0) in front of the wicket, before forcing Arjun Kumar (0) to edge a regulation catch to Ayush Atri on the last ball of the same over. Earlier, Raj Bahadur removed Prabhjot Singh (2), whose straight catch went into the safe hands of Rakshan Faraz.
Though fellow opener Sunny Pandey (34) and Navneet Virk (29) negotiated the remaining 15 overs cautiously, they need to show character on the final day of the game on Tuesday to avoid humiliation in the opening match of the season.