Punjab spinner Kaila falls one short of perfect 10
When I took the seventh Andhra wicket, I told myself, maybe, I could grab all 10. But then Anmol dropped Siva’s catch
CHANDIGARH: But for a dropped catch by wicket-keeper Anmol Malhotra of Andhra Pradesh captain Siva Charan Singh, Punjab left-arm spinner Karan Kaila would have recorded a 10-wicket haul in an innings in the final of CK Nayudu Trophy for U-23 at the Dhruv Pandove Stadium in Patiala.
Karan, the Punjab captain, still stood proud for both his nine-wicket haul in the second innings and taking his team to title win. Backed by a five-wicket haul in the first innings, Karan’s 14 in the match also made him the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 49 wickets in seven games.
Was Karan thinking of a perfect 10? “Not when the third day started as I had three wickets to my name. But when I took the seventh Andhra wicket, I told myself, maybe, I could grab all 10. But then Anmol dropped Siva’s catch,” laughed the 22-year-old Punjab spinner, who was called to join the Punjab senior team in Delhi for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Punjab beat Andhra Pradesh by 101 runs. The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) rolled out a turning track in Patiala, giving home advantage to their team The wicket offered so much help to the spinners that all 29 wickets were taken by tweakers, while one was taken by an Andhra Pra desh quick bowler. And 18 wick ets fell on day one, 15 on day two and seven on day three.
Karan, who was in the India U-19 team for the Youth World Cup in Dubai in 2014, is yet to make his Ranji debut. He sees this performance as a gateway to establish his position in the state team in the longer format. “I hope my performances in the CK Nayudu tournament are taken into account and I am able to break into the Ranji team.”