da bet7k： Hyderabad had things their own way on the opening day of their RanjiTrophy semifinal against Karnataka at the Chinnaswamy stadium inBangalore on Tuesday
Sankhya Krishnan11-Apr-2000Hyderabad had things their own way on the opening day of their RanjiTrophy semifinal against Karnataka at the Chinnaswamy stadium inBangalore on Tuesday. At close of play, the visitors were sittingpretty at 344/2 after VVS Laxman (163) and Mohd. Azharuddin (103)mercilessly punished Karnataka, with an unbroken 253 run partnership,for an apalling display in the field that saw three catches go downbesides several shocking misfields. Laxman’s seventh hundred in eightmatches this season and the 17th of his Ranji Trophy career also sawhim cross the thousand mark for the season.Combining power with finesse, Laxman played some exquisite squarecuts, leaning back and slicing the ball past point. He was also strongoff his legs and when the ball was pitched short, he pulled with regalauthority. Both batsmen made merry on a wicket which did not give thebowlers as much assistance as was expected.Both sides went in with three pronged seam attacks, with Hyderabadleaving out middle order bat D Vinay Kumar to accommodate Fiaz Ahmed,the third seamer. The left-right combination of Daniel Manohar andNandakishore opened the batting but the latter did not last long as hefell to Prasad for 11. There was a hint of outswing as the batsmanplayed defensively and the ball just about carried to Vijay Bharadwajat second slip who took a low catch to his left.Laxman started cautiosly, taking 23 balls to get off the mark with adisdainful pull to the square leg boundary off Mansur Ali Khan. Mansurwas unlucky when Laxman checked an intended drive and deposited theball in the no man’s land behind the bowler’s head. Hyderabad’s fiftycame up in the 18th over as both batsmen played the bowling withincreasing confidence.Laxman gave Ganesh a pasting with two charming pulls in one over tothe square leg and mid wicket boundaries. Sunil Joshi was brought onbut although keeping the batsmen on a leash, he did not pose anythreat to their well being. Suddenly however for no rhyme or reason,Laxman stepped down the track and tried to hoist Joshi over mid on. Hedidn’t get the intended elevation and the ball went at shoulder heightto Rowland Barrington, who dropped it to the universal disbelief ofthe fielders and the crowd. Laxman was then on 30 and the score at89/1.One run later, Prasad struck again as Daniel Manohar presented theblade in a defensive posture and got a tickle through to Thilak Naidufor 39 (95 balls). Prasad didn’t have a mid wicket to Azharuddin andhe was tempted soon enough to flick one into the gap only to get aleading edge that landed short of gully.The cup of the woe continued to fill for Karnataka as Akhil at secondslip grassed Azhar, then on 16, low down to his right. Akhil’s luckdid not change when he came on to bowl with Laxman taking threesucessive boundaries in his first over. Azhar had a lapse ofconcentration just before tea when he flailed at two balls outside offstump from Mansur Ali Khan. Vijay Bharadwaj got a hand to the firstbut could not hold on as it raced to the fence while the secondbisected Bharadwaj and Prasad at first slip just over their heads.Laxman got a couple of gift boundaries as Mansur Ali Khan let one slipthrough his legs at mid off and later Mithun Beerala fired in a throwat the bowler’s end which Joshi, daydreaming at mid on, failed tocollect. Laxman’s hundred came when he drove a ball into the groundwhich bounced over the bowler’s head and went down to the long offboundary. The umpires had to caution the Karnataka players shortlyafter when Mansur Ali Khan had expressed his displeasure over a legbefore appeal against Azhar that had been turned down.Dodda Ganesh was also upto his antics with some uproarious appealsfollowed by a trot down the wicket to stare at the batsman. But he wasput in his place as Azhar ferociously hooked him to the square legfence to go into his nineties. He finally got to his century off 167balls with a push past cover and Laxman’s 150 followed with a slicebetween gully and point that raced to the pickets. His career bestscore of 301 against Bihar should come under threat on themorrow. With the wicket expected to deteriorate later in the game,Karnataka have to pull out all the stops to prevent Hyderabad frombatting them out of the match tomorrow.