da betway： A target of 273, constructed largely and painstakingly by Nayan Mongiaand Himanshu Jadhav, stared Rest of India in the face as they startedtheir run-chase
da dobrowin： Staff Reporter16-Oct-2001A target of 273, constructed largely and painstakingly by Nayan Mongiaand Himanshu Jadhav, stared Rest of India in the face as they startedtheir run-chase. With one day to go and 213 runs still to get, DayFive of the Irani Trophy promises to be a humdinger.Mongia, unbeaten overnight, retained his mode of sedate play. Hittingseven fours in a restrained knock, his 52 off 165 balls ended whenBaroda still had considerable distance to traverse to a challengingtotal.Wickets fell at regular intervals; after Mongia was snapped up bySarandeep Singh, Rishikesh Parab was caught behind off HrishikeshKanitkar. Tushar Arothe and Umang Patel fell in quick succession,leaving Baroda reeling at 199 for six.It was then that Himanshu Jadhav started farming the strike, ensuringthat the lower middle order faced as few balls as possible. Thedeparture of Rakesh Patel and Valmik Buch immersed Baroda further inthe mire, but Irfan K Pathan provided Jadhav stout support.Jadhav left finally with the score on 269, making 42 off 109 balls.The Pathans added a few more to the tally before Irfan K Pathan wasbowled by Tinu Yohannan for 32 off 45 balls, ending Baroda’s inningsat 285.Rest of India started disastrously, losing both openers with the scoreon six. Kanitkar and VVS Laxman then built the score up steadily,rotating the strike frequently; Kanitkar, however, was caught behindoff Irfan K Pathan for 21 off 45 balls.At the close of play, skipper Laxman, hoping to revive his battingfortunes ahead of his departure for South Africa, and Dinesh Mongia,the first innings hero, were unbeaten on 26 and 6 respectively.Knowing Laxman’s penchant for long innings and Mongia’s form, it isentirely possible that Rest of India reach 273 with little fuss. ButBaroda’s bowlers, inspired by a pitch that is falling apart, will belooking to skittle Rest of India out for far less.
