Maharashtra ride on Motwani’s ton

Maharashtra — who are leading Group B quite comfortably — entered the match with several batsmen in the list of top run-getters in the Plate division,but gifted away their wickets on Wednesday. Nikhil Paradkar slashed at a Suraj Yadav ball,that was directed very wide of off-stump,and only managed to steer it down gully’s throat.

Meanwhile,Harshad Khadiwale tried to flick a delivery from Nishan Singh,only to spoon a leading edge to Pratik Desai at point. When Motwani walked in at the fall of the fifth wicket,only to be joined by Shrikanth Mundhe four overs later at the fall of the sixth,it seemed that Services had a pretty good chance of restricting Maharashtra to a chaseable first-innings score.

Motwani though paid no heed to the situation his team was in,as he launched an audacious counter-attack. He first saw out the medium-pacers,Nishan and Suraj,and then along with Mundhe made merry against the spinners in a seventh wicket partnership of 125 runs in 34 overs.

Services skipper Yashpal Singh knew that his best efforts lay in his pacers,but was unwilling to bowl them with an old ball that was not reversing. In an effort to get the second new ball,Yashpal had tried to rush through the overs by utilising his spinners Amrinder Singh and Arnav Kush,but the two did no favours by repeatedly bowling short,on a slow pitch that offered no turn.

Motwani who is yet to turn 20,repeatedly made them pay by cutting with ferocity and repeatedly dancing down the track to loft them over their heads,even as he stroked 15 fours in his 149 ball knock.

“There really is nothing in the wicket. But a defensive game caused our downfall. I didn’t want to be play with a negative mindset,” said Motwani,who fell soon after the new ball was taken.

Despite Motwani’s effort,Services will still be positive considering they have already scored above four hundred in both their innings this season on the same Harbaksh pitch. Yashpal summed up the situation by saying,“I was hoping we could get them out for below 200,but this wicket has nothing for the bowlers. Considering the situation they were in,we could have done much better. But considering the wicket,we still have a good chance to come away with a first innings lead.”