Railways set 243 runs to win
A superb six-wicket haul by all-rounder J P Yadav put Railways in the driver's seat on the
fourth day of their Irani Cup cricket match against Rest of India in Delhi on Friday.
Yadav, who scored an impressive 104 in Railways' first essay, made a strong claim for a berth in the national squad by claiming all his wickets in an energy-sapping second spell
which saw him bowl 17 overs on the trot.
Off-spinner Kulamani Parida then polished off the tail as
Rest, who made 266 in their first innings, were sent packing
for 292 with two overs still to be bowled.
Already enjoying the cushion of a 50-run first innings lead
after making 316, Railways now require 243 runs for an
outright victory with one full day in hand.
Even if Railways choose to play defensive, as batting
would not be quite easy on the deteriorating pitch, and go for
a draw, the prestigious Cup would be theirs by virtue of their
first innings lead.
The credit for Railways wresting the initiative goes to
Yadav, who got the important wicket of Rest skipper Yuvraj
Singh in the second over after lunch. The second session saw
five more wickets tumble as Rest were reduced to 210 for six.
Though overnight batsman Wasim Jaffer scored a defiant
century before being caught by Amit Pagnis for 116, off paceman
Harvinder Singh, the middle order just capitulated in the face
of a disciplined Railways attack.
After Rest resumed at 84 for no loss, overnight batsmen Jaffer and Akash Chopra (59) flourished in the opening session which yielded 86 runs.
But Rest lost its first wicket on 123 when Chopra, trying
to sweep a Parida delivery, top edged to be caught by Pagnis.
He hit nine fours in his 116-ball knock.
Yadav then claimed the prized scalp of one-day sensation
Yuvraj Singh soon after lunch with the Rest total on 170.
What unfolded some 20-odd runs later had everyone
praising the medium pace of Yadav who was yesterday named in
the national one-day sqaud for the first three matches against
the West Indies. Yadav was also included in India's Champions
Trophy squad but did not get a look-in.
Though Jaffer continued to keep the scoreboard ticking,
he failed to get support from the other end as wickets kept
tumbling at regular intervals.
Abhijit Kale (6) and Rohan Gavaskar (0) were out on the
same total of 194 while wicketkeeper Vihay Dahiya was clean
bowled in a spectacular fashion ten runs later, all off Yadav.
In fact, the four lower-order batsmen showed some
resistance and added valuable 72 runs with Irfan Pathan
scoring 29 with the help of four boundaries and Tinu Yohannan
remaining not out on 16 with two fours.
Kartik toiled hard the whole day, sending down a maximum
of 39 overs despite a niggle in the bowling wrist but was a
trifle unlucky in not being able to claim wickets. His spell
read 39-12-77-0.
Mail Cricket Editor
