Bhubaneswar: Orissa’s batting woes continued Saturday as Gujarat took firm control in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. At stumps on day two, Orissa were 184 for eight, still 79 runs adrift Gujarat’s first innings score of 263 all out.
Their position would have been worse had it not been a breezy knock from Suryakant Pradhan (47, 27b, 2×4, 5×6) and his 72-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Deepak Behera (34 batting, 87b, 4×4). It came after Orissa had collapsed from 83 for one to 101 for seven with India pacer Jasprit Bumrah (4/33) ripping apart the middle order.
Earlier Basant Mohanty (5/68) achieved his 16th five-wicket haul in first class cricket after Gujarat resuming at 197 for six, folded for 263. Basant’s wicket tally now stands at 297 in first class cricket.
Overnight batsmen Chiragh Gandhi 81(190b, 9×4) and Rush Kalaria (73, 155b, 9×4, 1×6) extended their seventh wicket stand to 154 runs. Both fell to Basant, who bowled an immaculate and probing length on the day. MB Patel (28, 38b, 3×4, 2×6) took Gujarat past the 250-run mark and provided their bowlers with a total to bowl to.
At one stage it appeared as though Gujarat had scored plenty as Bumrah, in the space of 30 deliveries, sent back Subhransu Senapti (30), Govind Poddar (0), Abhishek Yadav (8) and Biplab Samantray (0). Bowling toe-crushing yorkers interspersed with short deliveries, Bumrah had all the Orissa batsmen jumping and hopping. Subhransu, Govind and Biplab, all were caught behind by Parthiv Patel while Abhishek had his timber rattled with a fast swinging in yorker.
Suryakant, however, gave the total a semblance of respectability as he attacked hammer and tongs… his first six a slash to third-man off Bumrah. He was severe against all the bowlers, repeatedly hitting them over mid-wicket. An exasperated Gujarat skipper Parthiv then turned to part-time off-spinner Rahul Bhatt, who provided the breakthrough having Suryakant caught and bowled. The batsman stepped out to drive, misread the flight of the ball and could only hit it weakly back to the bowler.
In between Deepak showed a lot of application – something which his more illustrious predecessors failed to do. He ran his singles judiciously and whenever the loose ball came through, he was quick to put it away for a boundary.
Orissa should try and bat as long as possible on the third day and restrict Gujarat to a minimal first innings lead. It should be their main aim when the game resumes, Sunday. But they will have a refreshed Bumrah to contain with.
Brief scores: Gujarat 263 (Chiragh Gandhi 81, Basant Mohanty 5/68); Orissa 184 for eight (Suryakant Pradhan 47, Jasprit Bumrah 4/33). Match to continue.
PNN
