Dani-inflicted damage pushes Saurashtra to record low

Dani-inflicted damage pushes Saurashtra to record low
JAIDEEP MARAR

MUMBAI, JAN 2: Since making his first-class debut in 1995-96, Amit Dani had been confined more to the reserve bench than to the playing field. But on Sunday, at the Wankhede Stadium, the 26-year-old emerged from the shadows of established names in the team with a fine exhibition of medium-pace bowling.

On a seaming track, Dani dished out an immaculate line, as advised by senior mate Abey Kuruvilla and returned with a career-best haul of five wickets for seven runs. In the event, Mumbai recorded one of its most emphatic victories in the West Zone one-day league over Saurashtra, who were shot out for the second lowest total in the history of limited-overs cricket.

Saurashtra's score of 34 is the second worst after Middlesex's 23 in 19.4 overs against Yorkshire in the 1974 English Sunday League at Leeds. The total, however, is the lowest in Indian one-day cricket, upstaging Goa's 58 against Kerala at Thalassery (Kerala) during the South Zone one-day league last season.

Besides, it also became the shortestmatch (151 minutes) in Indian limited-overs history, informed Board of Control of Cricket in India's statistician Mohandas Menon.

Mumbai, thus signed off the league in style having logged six points from four matches.

While Dani claimed the bowling honours, it was Test discard Paras Mhambrey who opened the floodgates. After skipper Amol Muzumdar had won the toss and put the opposition in to bat, Mhambrey responded superbly, claiming opener Sudhir Tanna with the first delivery of the match. He followed it up by dismissing Saurashtra skipper Sitanshu Kotak (3) in the his third over.

Santosh Saxena, at the other end, too plucked two wickets and by the 10th over, Saurashtra were looking down the barrel with the total reading 17-4.Worse was in store when Dani replaced Mhambrey in the 13th over. Two wickets off the last two deliveries of his first over marked his arrival.

Thereafter, barring his second, he plucked wickets in every over to end up with fantastic figures of 5-1-7-5.

Mhambrey returned todismiss last man Niraj Odedara to finish with 3-9.In reply, Mumbai attained the target in 7.5 overs losing opener Wasim Jaffer (0), playing his first one-dayer this season. Jaffer's dismissal was the only eyesore for Mumbai, who otherwise rung in the new millennium by doing justice to their exalted status in domestic cricket.

The fact that the match didn't even last three hours was an apt tribute to the abilities of the Mumbai medium-pacers, which is well encapsulated in the mode of dismissals of the rival batsmen who were either leg before or caught in the slips.

While it was a new high for Mumbai bowlers, Saurashtra crashed with a pile of dubious records to its name. The blame lay largely on a department which had served them so well in the past few years. A downcast Kotak admitted ``bad batting'' was one of the factors that led to the debacle.

Saurashtra will now have to dig deep to emerge from this stunning reversal and put up some resistance in the four-day Ranji Trophy commencing on Monday.Mumbai,on the other hand, are spoilt for choice. Dani has been sidelined from the Ranji squad decided two days ago. Interestingly, he has been replaced by Kuruvilla, who alongwith Mhambrey, Saxena and the promising Sriram Kannan, head the pace department. Southpaw Jatin Paranjpe has also been benched owing to an injury to his hand. In all probability, he might be replaced by another promising youngster Pushkraj Jadhav, who has made it to the team with enthralling displays in the West Zone under-22 and the under-19 matches respectively.

Having gained the psychological advantage, Mumbai would be hoping to hammer it in further and lay their hands on the Talim Shield, the symbol of zonal supremacy.

Scoreboard
SaurashtraSudhir Tanna c Rane b Mhambrey 0 (1b, 1m)
Vasant Kumar lbw b Saxena 7 (24b, 51m)
Sitanshu Kotak c Pagnis b Mhambrey 3 (19b, 233m)
Prakash Bhatt lbw b Saxena 3 (8b, 6m)
Bimal Jadeja c Muzumdar b Dani 1 (20b, 33m)
Firoz Bhambania c Muzumdar b Dani 7 (23b, 40m, 1x4)
ManojParmar lbw b Dani 0 (1b, 2m)
Yusuf Bhambania c Rane b Dani (11b, 15m)
Niraj Odedara lbw b Mhambrey 0 (11b, 22m)
Rajesh Garsondia c Pagnis b Dani 1 (10b, 11m)
Narendra Rana not out 0 (3b, 3m)
Extras: (lb1, nb4, w3) 8
Total: (all out in 21.1 overs; 108 minutes) 34
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Tanna), 2-7 (Kotak), 3-10 (Bhatt), 4-17 (V Kumar), 5-22 (Jadeja), 6-22 (Parmar), 7-28 (Y Bhambania), 8-29 (F Bhambania), 9-34 (Garsondia), 10-34 (Odedara)
Bowling: Paras Mhambrey 8.1-3-9-3 (1nb, 2w), Santosh Saxena 8-2-17-2, Amit Dani 5-1-7-5 (3nb, 1w)
Mumbai
Wasim Jaffer b Rana 0 (11b, 20m)
Amit Pagnis not out 8 (20b, 43m, 1x4)
Amol Rane not out 17 (16b, 22m, 2x4)
Extras: (1nb, 9w) 10
Total: (for one wicket off 7.4 overs; 43 mins) 35
Fall of wicket: 1-9 (Jaffer).
Bowling: Rana 4-1-26-1 (1nb, 6w), Garsondia 3-0-8-0 (3w), Odedara 0.4-0-1-0.Result: Mumbai won by nine wickets