Mornings bring new promises; they give us fresh energy, scope for a different start. If you wanted that change, the MA Chidambaram Stadium was not to be. Bar the takeaway moment when Vineet Saxena notched up a double hundred, the pattern of the first day repeated itself. Tamil Nadu pacers bowling three-quarter lengths. And Rajasthan batsmen drudging all day long, shouldering arms even to half-trackers.
In the first session, Rajasthan toiled for 51 runs in 36 overs. The innings got a leg-up in the second: 90 in 29. In the third, when the Tamil Nadu bowlers were probably thinking about ice-bath rather than wickets, Rajasthan could gather just 42 in 25 overs.
Rajasthan finished Day Two at 404 for two, still 246 behind the 650-mark that they should be comfortable with.
The title holders were playing to a definite plan - sink Tamil Nadu with the weight of runs, however long it takes. This was a Ranji Trophy final; winning ugly is winning nonetheless.
Aakash Chopra defended the tactics, saying it “wasn’t ideal an ideal wicket for a Ranji final.” He added, “We couldn’t hit on the up or through the line. We couldn’t cut or pull. Hitting over the top wasn’t worth the risk. Bouncers were dropping twice before reaching the wicketkeeper, though he was standing only 10 yards behind. The bounce was such that only two cover drives were seen in two days. It was difficult to find the placement.”
By the way, after a wait of 440 minutes and 627 balls, Tamil Nadu finally had a wicket. Chopra failed to connect R Aushik Srinivasan’s straight ball and missed his hundred by six runs.
Tamil Nadu didn’t have to wait that long for their second breakthrough. Hrishikesh Kanitkar edged Sunny Gupta after his 126-run stand with Saxena. But the runs still came in a trickle. When Saxena reverse-swept Kaushik soon after tea, it felt so surreal.
It raised a question, if only theoretically, whether the first-innings would be completed at all. What if Tamil Nadu do not get dismissed? Should such a scenario present itself, the winner will be decided on the basis of run-rate. Even then, the hosts will have to bat a minimum 30 overs. If they don’t, the teams will be declared joint winners.
Chopra admitted that such an outcome “would be unfortunate.” He said, “There’s still a lot cricket to be played, about 270 overs. However the wicket may be, chasing is going to be tough. Tamil Nadu still have to go out and win. If they overhaul the total, they are great and worthy winners.”
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