Bowlers help UP take first innings lead
LUCKNOW : It’s a perfect example of coming from behind to hold control on the situation. On Wednesday, both bowlers and batters performed in unison to help two-time champions Uttar Pradesh tighten their noose around Kerala even on the second day of their four-day Group F Under-25 Col CK Nayudu Trophy match, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
First, bowlers bowled on a tight line to get Kerala out for 154 in 53.3 overs to help Uttar Pradesh take a crucial, but very important 65-run first innings lead, and then opening batting pair of Siddharth Yadav and Aanjaneya Suryavanshi stitched together an unbeaten 135-run in the second innings to help the side enjoy an overall lead of 200 runs with 10 wickets in hands.
Full marks to bowlers, especially pacers Kunal Yadav (3/52), Karan Chaudhary (2/33), Prince Yadav (3/13) and Sahab Yuvraj Singh (2/1) as Kerala while chasing Uttar Pradesh’s first innings total of 208 could make 143.
Resuming at the overnight score of 11/0, Kerala lost opener Anand Krishnan (5), who failed to read an in-swinger and was bowled by Karan Chaudhary in the day’s fifth over. Skipper Vathsal (1) too departed soon, edging a straight catch to keeper Pranjal Saini also off Chaudhary.
Other Opener Ananthkrishnan J (38, 100b, 6x4) though held the innings on the other end for quite some times, UP pacers continued to dictate terms on the other end. Kunal Yadav trapped Shoun Roger (1) leg before wicket, before removing Salman Nizar (16, 25b, 3x4) and this time keeper Saini completed the formality with yet another straight catch. Kunal completed his three-wicket haul, trapping Ashwin Anand (12, 24, 1x4) in front of the wicket.
Kerala were 99/7 in 37 overs with Prince Yadav removing keeper-batter Nikhil T (0) and Vishnu Kumar (5) in quick succession. For Kerala even touching the three digit mark looked difficult then, but an 82-ball 49, which contained eight hits to the fence by Akhil Scaria took the side close to 150 runs.
Lucknow’s pacer Yuvraj Singh took two wickets on consecutive balls to draw curtains on Kerala’s innings. First he had Vishnu Kumar (5) caught by Siddharth Yadav and then uprooted the middle stump of last man Vishwesar Suresh (0) on the next ball to finish off in style.
Kerala pacers hoped for a similar outcome on a fast and grassy surface of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium when UP began their second innings, but UP openers Siddharth Yadav and “Mr Dependable” Aanjaneya Suryavanshi didn’t give any chance to them and kept stroking the ball with sheers power till the close of second day’s play on Wednesday.
Whereas Yadav played aggressively, hitting 92-ball 58 with the help of four boundaries and three sixes, Basti’s Suryavanshi, who has been a consistent performer for the side this season with over 300 plus runs so far, kept his cool and stroked 76 in 113 balls with the help of eight hits to the fence.
“The game is yet not over for us, but we have to be careful and score as much runs as we can as we aren’t in hurry to go for an outright win. Even if the match ends in a draw, we will be through to the knockout so my plan is to allow the batters to score runs as much as they could,” coach Obaid Kamal said on Wednesday. He, however, said things didn’t look easy after scoring just 208 runs in the first innings on Wednesday morning, but the bowler lived up to the expectations.