The Hindu : Dasgupta's indiscretion costs Bengal dear

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Thursday, Mar 06, 2003

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Dasgupta's indiscretion costs Bengal dear

By Our Sports Reporter

THAT'S MIDDLE: Iqbal Siddiqui sends Devang Gandhi's middle stump for a walk during the Maharashtra-Bengal tie in the Ranji Trophy inter-zonal limited-overs tournament in Chennai on Wednesday.

Chennai March 5. One false stroke and the match changed course. Takes us back to an old cricketing truth — set batsmen have to finish the job.

Bengal, in pursuit of Maharashtra's 236, was cruising at 174 for three when Deep Dasgupta hooked the last ball of the 38th over from paceman Sachin Aradhe straight into Kashinath Khadkikar's hands at deep square-leg.

What followed was dramatic as Bengal, in a collapse that was quite shocking, lost its next six wickets for 47 in 10.4 overs to eventually go down by 15 runs in the BCCI's tournament for the winners of the zonal limited-overs competition here on Wednesday.

Let's not take any credit away from the experienced paceman Iqbal Siddiqui, who put behind him a disappointing final over in Tuesday's duel against Punjab, to finish with five for 43. He operated at just short of a good length, never allowing the batsmen to get on to the front foot for the big drives.

Siddiqui caused the early dents and scalped three more in his final burst after Aradhe had made the breach, thanks to Dasgupta's indiscretion on a hot day at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. Bengal suffered its third successive reverse while Maharashtra completed its engagements with 12 points (three wins in four games).

A very different result seemed on the cards though when Dasgupta (65, 99b, 5x4, 1x6) and captain Rohan Gavaskar (48, 67b, 2x4, 2x6), joining forces during troubled times at 53 for three, appeared to be taking the game away from Maharashtra. The duo added 121 in 23.5 overs.

Dasgupta, lucky to be put down when on three as seamer Ranjit Khirid could not latch on to a return catch, showed a preference for the on-side, while left-hander Rohan pleasingly drove the pacemen through mid-off and cover. Rohan used his feet against the spinners before being taken at short mid-wicket off Khadkikar, bowling off-spin.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra, inserted, made 236 for nine in 50 overs. Opener Anand Dalvi notched up a sparkling 54 (72b, 8x4), and after the middle-order fell way, Khirid (42, 70b, 2x4) and Khadkikar (46, 56b, 2x4), provided the total a measure of respectability on a pitch that held no devils.

Yet, that score might not have been enough — had it not been for one false stroke that changed the match's course.

The scores:

Maharashtra: A. Dalvi c P. Ganguly b U. Chatterjee 54; N. Godbole lbw b S. Ali 19; H. Kanitkar b S. Lahiri 17; K. Aphale lbw b L.R. Shukla 0; S. Shah c P. Ganguly b U. Chatterjee 16; R. Khirid st Dasgupta b R. Gavaskar 42; K. Khadkikar b R. Bose 46; I. Siddiqui c Dasgupta b R. Bose 13; S. Aradhe (not out) 19; M. Dalvi c D. Gandhi b R. Bose 0; Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-6, nb-1) 10; Total (for nine wkts. in 50 overs) 236.

Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-87, 3-88, 4-106, 5-125, 6-186, 7-210, 8-230, 9-236.

Bengal bowling: R. Bose 8-1-32-3; S. Ali 5-0-37-1; S. Lahiri 10-1-42-1; L.R. Shukla 7-0-33-1; U. Chatterjee 10-0-35-2; R. Gavaskar 9-0-47-1; D. Gandhi 1-0-7-0.

Bengal: P. Ganguly c Bhonsle b S. Aradhe 15; N. Haldipur c Bhonsle b Siddiqui 23; D. Gandhi b Siddiqui 8; Deep Dasgupta c Khadkikar b Aradhe 65; R. Gavaskar c & b Khadkikar 48; Shubhomoy c Bhonsle b M. Dalvi 13; L.R. Shukla c Bhonsle b Siddiqui 3; U. Chatterjee b Siddiqui 13; S. Lahiri c M. Dalvi b Siddiqui 8; S. Ali (run out) 1; R. Bose (not out) 2; Extras (b-2, lb-6, w-10, nb-4) 22; Total (all out in 48.4 overs) 221.

Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-42, 3-53, 4-174, 5-176, 6-180, 7-195, 8-212, 9-216.

Maharashtra bowling: R. Khirid 9-1-31-0; S. Aradhe 10-3-31-2; I. Siddiqui 9.4-0-43-5; K. Khadkikar 6-0-37-1; M. Dalvi 10-0-48-1; H. Kanitkar 4-0-23-0.

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