×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Uthappa shines even as weather plays spoilsport

Karnataka finish opening day on 107/1
Last Updated 29 November 2011, 16:54 IST
ADVERTISEMENT

A damp surface, wet conditions and frequent stoppages ensured that only 135 minutes of play was possible on the opening day of Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy Group ‘A’ match against Saurashtra at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Tuesday. When play was called off due to bad light, Karnataka had reached 107 for the loss of Uthappa (70, 109m, 64b, 12x4) in 24 overs after being put in. KB Pawan was batting on 28 with skipper Ganesh Satish giving him company.

As expected, play didn’t begin on time due to soggy conditions. With hardly any sunlight in the past few days, the ground conditions remained non-conducive for play to start on time. Though the KSCA ground staff did its best to get the ground in shape, umpires GA Pratap Kumar and K Barathan weren’t happy with the state of the pitch and its surroundings.

They got the area adjacent to the pitch scruffed up and  filled it with saw dust, asking for ‘light-heaters’ to get rid of a damp patch on the track. The duo held three inspections in the morning (9.45 am, 10.30 am, 11.30 am) before deciding to begin the action. By that time, the entire two-and-a-half-hour first session had been lost.

It wasn’t smooth progress once play began. There were at least half a dozen breaks ranging from poor light to a rat intervention! After the problems with the bowlers’ run-up had held up play for some time, a big rat strayed on to the field, causing another stoppage.

With the moisture expected to assist the pacemen, it wasn’t surprising to see the visitors insert the hosts. Saurashtra don’t possess a fearsome pace unit but they could be tricky in helpful conditions. The Karnataka openers, however, batted without much trouble against what  appeared a friendly attack. The odd delivery either kept low or jumped up from a length but nothing that the two batsmen couldn’t handle.

Karnataka, who made three changes to their previous side, too would have opted to bowl first had they won the toss. The six-time champions included debutant paceman SL Akshay and opted for off-spinning all-rounder Sunil Raju instead of another quick. Bharath Chipli, expectedly, took the place left vacant by Manish Pandey.

Uthappa was particularly impressive with his drives and punches down the ground as the Saurashtra bowlers wheeled away unsuccessfully. Left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat had some issues with the run-up area and even walked off the field for a brief while after bowling five overs with what appeared to be an ankle problem.

While Pawan was in his usual cautious mode, Uthappa made a mockery of the supposed bowler-friendly conditions with a stroke-filled innings. He was particularly severe against Sandip Maniar, punishing the right-arm paceman for his wayward line. In fact, all the three pacemen – Siddarth Trivedi being the other – strived hard for that elusive edge behind the wicket but only disappeared to the fence.

The Kodava looked all set for his second ton of the season but fell to his old failing. After barely managing to keep Unadkat’s well-directed yorker at bay, Uthappa went across the line to be caught in front of the wickets a few minutes before the tea interval. Just two overs after resumption, the players had to walk off the field due to bad light for the second time, only this time not to return again.

Score Board
KARNATAKA (I Innings): Robin Uthappa lbw Unadkat 70 (109m, 64b, 12x4), KB Pawan (batting) 28 (135m, 68b, 3x4), Ganesh Satish (batting) 3 (25m, 17b). Extras (NB-5, W-1) 6. Total (for 1 wkt, 24 overs) 107.
Fall of wicket: 1-95 (Uthappa).
Bowling: Jaydev Unadkat 8-0-37-1 (w-1), Sandip Maniar 9-0-51-0 (nb-4), Siddarth Trivedi 7-2-19-0.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 29 November 2011, 12:34 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT