Hemang Badani scored a brilliant unbeaten 104 before his home crowd toturn possible defeat into glorious victory in the final of the HeroHonda NKP Salve Challenger Series at the floodlit MA Chidambaramstadium on Thursday
Santhosh S15-Feb-2001Hemang Badani scored a brilliant unbeaten 104 before his home crowd toturn possible defeat into glorious victory in the final of the HeroHonda NKP Salve Challenger Series at the floodlit MA Chidambaramstadium on Thursday.Replying to India A’s imposing total of 311 for six in 50 overs, IndiaSeniors were in a hopeless position at 96 for five in the 18th over.But then Virender Shewag joined Badani and the two changed thecomplexion of the game with some great running between wickets and alot of innovative strokeplay. They added 168 runs off 24.4 overs tohave the crowd on their feet before some fine work by RS Sodhi in thefield had Shewag just short of the crease. Shewag made 94 off 95 ballswith nine fours and two sixes.Sunil Joshi joined Badani and the two left handers hastened the pace.Badani kept his appointment with his century and he and Joshi sawIndia Seniors through to a remarkable victory with 1.5 overs to spare.Fittingly, Badani got the winning run to cap a great tournament forhim. In the two earlier games he scored 64 not out and 70. In all, the24-year-old Chennai born left hander faced only 87 balls hitting sixfours and three sixes. Joshi, for his unbeaten 22 faced only 18 ballshitting a six and a four.Earlier, Ajit Agarkar removed openers SS Das and Vikram Rathour with33 runs on the board. Skipper Sourav Ganguly scored a bright 34 off 24balls. But then in quick succession, Ganguly, VVS Laxman and YuvrajSingh left putting India Seniors in a precarious position at 96 forfive. Then came the grand recovery.Earlier, India A after a slow start, hit 153 runs in the last 20 oversto end up with a challenging score.Batting first on an extremely hot and humid afternoon, India Astruggled to score runs and after 15 overs, were 69/2. The two wicketsto fall caused some confusion and controversy, both of them caught byRathour off Srinath who bowled with a lot of fire and bounce on a deadChepauk pitch.Sriram was the first batsman to be dismissed for just four in thethird over. Sriram stood his ground as Rathour had taken the catch lowdown and close to the ground. The third umpire SC Gupta took a longlook at the TV replays before adjudging him caught behind.Ramesh played some awesome drives off Zaheer and Srinath and waslooking like getting back to his best. In the 11th over of theinnings, Srinath got one ball to move away from Ramesh and there was amuffled appeal by the bowler and close in fielders. The events thatfollowed might be crucial to Ramesh’s career.Ramesh (26 with 4 fours) was given out caught behind. A visibly upsetRamesh did himself no favour by standing his ground for a long timeand gesticulated at both the umpires that the ball had hit his pads.He kept on talking to the umpires and walked off the ground whennobody would listen to him. His miserable run with the bat continueswith the third failure of the series that could well ruin his chancesof a place in the national side. To add to his misery, all thishappened right in front of the selectors and the coach, who might notbe pleased by his indiscipline on the field.Dravid and Hrishikesh Kanitkar added 99 runs for the third wicket off18 overs to put the innings back on track. And the impetus wasmaintained with Dravid and Jacob Martin putting together 101 runs forthe fourth wicket off 15.5 overs.Dravid and Kanitkar played some sensible cricket, playing the ballinto the vacant spaces and building up the innings. Dravid who washampered by cramps moved along with the help of a runner, Sriram.Kanitkar was easily the more aggressive of the two batsmen, strikingeight boundaries in his innings. He did not hesitate in stepping outof his crease and lofting the ball on either side of the wicket,whenever the ball was given some air.Kanitkar was finally caught by Yuvraj Singh in the covers off thebowling of Shewag for 56. He faced 69 balls in his stay at the crease.Dravid who looked good for a big hundred, despite being visibly indiscomfort with cramps, was dismissed after making 88 runs off 105balls. He struck five boundaries in his stylish effort at the crease.When Javagal Srinath came in to bowl his second spell, Dravid playedone of the most stunning cover drives of the series. He stood thereand whacked it through the covers, striking it clean on the rise.Nobody moved an inch as the ball sped into the fence like a bullet.Dravid was dismissed going for the big shot, caught by Yuvraj at thesecond attempt in the 45th over off the bowling of Nehra. Jacob Martinand Dravid then came together. Martin was a revelation today, strikingthe ball as clean as a whistle to all parts of the ground. He made 61runs off 58 balls with the help of eight boundaries before being runout by a throw from SS Das to Rathour.Towards the end of the innings Agit Agarkar and RS Sodhi playedexplosively to carry the total past 300. Agarkar made 27 runs off amere 15 balls, striking a six and two boundaries, all off AshishNehra. Sodhi remained unbeaten on 22 off 13 balls with a six and afour. Saurav Ganguly who bowled the last over did a wonderful job,giving away just six singles.