Kanwar steals spotlight on opening day

Punjab reach 278 for four at close

Their strength vastly diluted by the unavailability of the crack new-ball pair of R Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun, Karnataka were forced to hedge their bets and opt for a batsman-friendly surface that might -- just might -- deteriorate as the game progresses.

Once Uday Kaul called correctly and triggered high-fives in the Punjab camp, it was obvious that Karnataka’s bowlers had their task cut out on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy Group A encounter. To their credit, the bowlers came through Tuesday reasonably well, keeping Punjab down to 278 for four despite a shoddy fielding display that saw one regulation catch being put down, apart from numerous misfields and overthrows galore.

Admittedly, S Arvind and the returning NC Aiyappa could have made better use of the new ball during the best fast-bowling conditions of the match when the pitch was at its freshest and there was a nip in the air. That said, whatever assistance there might have been dissipated rapidly, especially with the flamboyant Sarul Kanwar (89, 147m, 98n, 11x4, 3x6) pulling out all stops.

The attacking 24-year-old was in the forefront of a strong batting display, taking the bull by the horns on his way to his first half-century of the season. The Punjab top-order, which had battered Rajasthan in the last game, again acquitted itself with credit, Karan Goel and Mayank Sidhana too playing their parts as the visitors built on their first opening stand in excess of 50 this year.

With the track offering Arvind, Aiyappa -- who still managed two wickets in his first Ranji bowl for nearly three years -- and last-match hero Stuart Binny no joy, it was left to spin twins KP Appanna and Sunil Raju to shoulder the workload. Appanna’s left-arm was taken to the cleaners by Kanwar in his first spell, but he settled into a nice rhythm later on, while the tall Raju, easily the best bowler on view, kept probing away, procuring some bounce with his high-arm action.

No one, though, dominated the day like Kanwar. Catching the imagination with his exploits for Mumbai Indians in the Champions League, the right-handed opener batted as if in a Twenty20 game, treating the bowling with utter disdain.

Warming up with a couple of meaty pulls, he then treated his own team-mates and the opposition -- there were no more than 50 people in the stands -- to a magnificent display of driving, leaving partner Ravi Inder Singh a dormant, admiring spectator.

The pair had put on 101 (117m, 164b) when Karnataka broke through in the only manner that looked possible -- a run out. A huge mix-up left Ravi Inder stranded and when Kanwar failed to make the most of being dropped at deep mid-off by Raju off Appanna to be dismissed in the last over before lunch, the hosts sensed an opening.

Left-handers Goel and Kaul thwarted those designs for three-quarters of an hour, but the real damage came when Sidhana joined Goel, who then used his feet beautifully to unleash a series of tremendous cover- and off-drives.

Sidhana, a touch edgy early on, came into his own with time spent in the middle, helping himself to easy runs just before tea against Amit Verma and skipper Ganesh Satish even as Goel seemed to be playing with an eye on the morrow.

The fourth-wicket alliance had realised 107 (156m, 254b) when Aiyappa broke through with 10 minutes remaining, cleaning up Goel with a delivery that stayed down a touch to give Karnataka -- who can summon the new ball in the morning -- some cheer at the end of a long, tiring day.

SCORE BOARD
PUNJAB (I Innings): Sarul Kanwar b Raju 89 (147m, 98b, 11x4, 3x6), Ravi Inder Singh (run out) 24 (117m, 83b, 4x4), Karan Goel b Aiyappa 71 (232m, 194b, 10x4), Uday Kaul c Gautam b Aiyappa 19 (45m, 37b, 3x4), Mayank Sidhana (batting) 61 (166m, 134b, 6x4, 1x6), Harmeet Singh (batting) 0 (9m, 4b). Extras (B-4, LB-6, NB-4) 14. Total (for 4 wkts, 91 overs) 278.
Fall of wickets: 1-101 (Ravi Inder), 2-136 (Kanwar), 3-170 (Kaul), 4-277 (Goel).
Bowling: S Arvind 13-2-40-0 (nb-2), NC Aiyappa 14-5-30-0, Stuart Binny 7-1-28-0, KP Appanna 29.3-5-84-0, Sunil Raju 22.3-5-57-1 (nb-1), Amit Verma 4-1-19-0, Ganesh Satish 1-0-10-1 (nb-1).