India A beat India Seniors

India discard Nayan Mongia, looking to get back in the team, turned in a fine allround display as India A beat India Seniors by four wickets in the opening match of the Challenger Series at the M A Chidambaran stadium, in Madras, on Monday night.

Chasing 240 runs, India A, helped by an unbroken 46-run partnership between Mongia and Ajit Agarkar, scored 243 for the loss of six wickets from 47.5 overs.

On Tuesday, India Seniors play India B.

Mongia, who picked two catches in the afternoon when the Seniors batted, was unbeaten on 28, while Agarkar, who bagged three wickets, was not out on 19.

India A were also indebted to fine knocks from Hrishikesh Kanitkar (55), Jacob Martin (32) and Retinder Singh Sodhi (29).

Zahir Khan was the most successful bowler for the Seniors, claiming three wickets from 9.5 overs for 28 runs.

Earlier, gritty knocks by Hemang K Badani (64 not out) and V V S Laxman (78) enabled India Seniors to score 240 for nine in their alloted 50 overs.

Put into bat, the seniors, who are defending champions, lost their captain Sourav Ganguly for a duck, with just six runs on the board. Ganguly tried to glance paceman Ajit Agarkar and only succeeded in nicking the ball to wicket-keeper Mongia.

However, Laxman and the other opener Shiv Sundar Das went for the bowling. Agarkar, who bowled five overs for 31 runs, was hammered for four fours by the two batsmen in two overs.

After the two put on 90 runs, Das was run-out while trying for a leg-bye after Reetinder Singh Sodhi appealed unsuccessfully for lbw against Laxman. Sriram, from point, quickly threw down the stumps, with Das slow to regain the crease.

Laxman posted his team's 100 off 17.3 overs in the company of Yuvraj Singh. However, Singh was out for only 10 (1x4), caught by Mongia off the bowling of spinner Rahul Sanghvi. The seniors were 121 for 3 at that time.

In a surprise move, Ganguly sent in wicket-keeper-batsman Vikram Rathour ahead of the dependable Hemang Badani. Rathor, incidentally, was shifted from the India 'B' team to the senior team and Vijay Dahiya to India 'B', as the latter was still nursing a minor injury to the little finger of the left hand.

Rathour was run-out at the same score of 121 in tragic circumstances. Leg spinner Balaji Rao stopped Laxman's straight drive and the ball deflected from Rao's hands on to the stumps, with Rathour out of his ground.

Virendar Sehwag (9) also did not last long and was out with the score 150 for five.

Laxman fell 15 runs later just when Badani was getting into his groove. Agarkar tricked Laxman with a slower one, and the batsman, trying to go for a big hit, holed out to Hrishkesh Kanitakar in the covers. Laxman's 78 came off 73 balls and had eight fours.

Badani then farmed the bowling in the company of the lower order batsmen.

Scoreboard

India Seniors:
S S Das run out 46
S Ganguly c N Mongia b A Agarkar 0
V V S Laxman c H Kanitkar b A Agarkar 78
Yuvaraj Sing c N Mongia b R Sanghvi 10
Vikram Rathour run-out 0
V Sehwag c V Prasad b Balaji Rao 9
Hemang K Badani not out 64
Sunil Joshi c R S Sodhi b V Prasad 0
Zaheer Khan b Agarkar 12
D Mohanty b R S Sodhi 2
Ashis Nehra not out 1
Extras: (LB-4, W-4, NB-10) 18
Total: (for nine wickets in 50 overs) 240
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-96, 3-121, 4-121, 5-150, 6-165, 7-177, 8-232, 9-235)
Bowling:
Ajit Agarkar 10-1-47-3
Venkatesh Prasad 10-1-44-1
Reetinder Singh Sodhi 06-0-38-1
Balaji Rao 10-0-55-1
Rahul Sanghvi 10-0-36-1
Sri Ram 04-1-16-0.

India A
S Sriram c & b Khan 20
Sadgoppan Ramesh c Rathour b Khan 11
Rahul Dravid c Rathour b Nehra 14
Hrishikesh Kanitkar b Khan 55
Jacob Martin c Laxman b Mohanty 32
Reetinder Sodhi c Mohanty b Joshi 29
Nayan Mongia not out 28
Ajit Agarkar not out 19
Extras (B4, LB6, W13, NB12) 35
Total (for 6 wickets, 47.5 overs) 243
Did not bat: V Prasad, Balaji Rao, Rahul Sanghvi.
Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-41, 3-57, 4-134, 5-180, 6-197
Bowling
Khan 9.5- 2- 28- 3
Mohanty 9- 2- 50- 1
Nehra 10- 2- 61- 1
Ganguly 8- 0- 47- 0
Joshi 10- 0- 39- 1
Shewag 1- 0- 8- 0

Mail Cricket Editor