India on fringe of easy win over Otago team

Press, 2 March 1981, Page 30

India on fringe of easy win over Otago team

PA Dunedin India was’ in a commanding position at stumps yesterday on the. second day of the international cricket match against Otago at Garisbrook. Otago, . battling to wipe out a 131' first-innings defi-cit,-had six top - order batsmen back under the stand with only 60 runs on the board at stumps. India dominated the first two days. They scored 318 to Otago’s 187 in the first innings. .'•< ■ Ravi Shastri, the young left-arm spinner, and. offspinner Kirti' Azad had run through: the Otago batting Urie-up. . ' Azad returned a career? best figure of six wickets for 50, : ' . Azad made the most of the considerable turn the wicket provided, while Shastri ’kept " the ball up to the batsmen and played his part well. , ; Bruce Blair was the. only Otago batsmen to fire in the innings and he'was at times hard on Shastri. He took 23 runs from three of his overs, including two sixes back over the bowler’s head. The Iridian batsmen, who hit- forin for ; the first time on tour, ’Showed their skill. T. E.j Srinivasan, and Chetan Ch'auhan rattled up the Indian 50 in only 33 minutes and went on to add 71 for the first; wicket. . - -, . However, it was Ch'auhan and, Yashpal, Sharma, ,who

made the major contributions to the innings, with both players reaching the 80s before losing their wickets with ill-disciplined shots. There' was , a contrast in the approach of the two batsmen, with Chauhan staying at the crease for 208 minutes for his 83 and Sharma batting for' 136 minutes for his 89. Sharma, was, superb, hoisting Bracewell on to the roof of the main stand on one occasion ahdioriUnother taking 20 runs from a loose Bracewell over. It was not until Bracewelli began to •bowl around- the wicket that Sharma’s .scoring began -to slow down./Hef inally fell victim t O' Bracewell 11-runs short of- a ; century when he was caught' ?inside the square-leg boundary; by Richard Hoskin.- ■ ; Bracewell 1 tightened , his bowling considerably-, by coming round the’ wicket and ended the innings with seven for 155. Left-armer Stephen Boock maintained a difficult line arid length to concede only 88 runs, from his 45 overs and pick up three wickets. With a 131-run deficit Otago needed steady batting but were unable to cope with the spin.) of-Shastri who took three wickets for only 11 in his 15 overs before stumps. . ‘ Any hopes of victory Otago may have entertained quickly disappeared in' its second innings. Yograk again trapped

Rutherford leg before in hi s ■ third over- and Hoskin, Wayne Blair, Garth Dawson, Bruce. Blair and Warren Lees all failed to make double figures,. OTAGO ■ ...... First, innings I, (Rutherford lbw Yograj Singtv ■ .. 31 G. Blakely c Reddy b Yograj’ Sing’ll .i ; 4 R. Hoskin -c-and. b Kirti Azad •• 16 W. Blair bowled. Kirti Azad 10 B. Blair c Binny b Kirti Azad 65 G. Dawson c Yashpal b : Kirti Azad 6 W. Lees c Chauhan b Ravi i Shastri . 0 J. Bracewell not out. 35 B. McKechnie bowled Ravi Shastri I*-. / , 0 ; D. Walker ..stumpedi Reddy •»" b Kirti Azad . ..4. 1 : S. Boock lbw Kirti Azad .. 4 Extras (b 3 lb 6, nb 6) . 15 : Total i A’.,.187. Fall: 16, 41, 63, 75,.’124,'125, 149, 151,161. -.' : Bowling.—Kapildev, 5,2, 8 .fl;. Y. Singh, 9,2, 24, 2; R. Binny; 6, 1/13, 0; Y. Sharma/5, 1. 7,0; R. Shastri, 27, 6/70, 2;;.K. Azad;<26/ . 8; 50, 6. ’ 7,, ‘"X I ■- Second innings ;• Rutherford lbw J Yograj ’ ’ , Singh t .5 Hoskin c Vengsarkar b Shastri I'.

•Blair c and b Kirti Azad 6 Dawson c Vishwanath b • Kirti Azad ............ 2. Blair c Binny bShastri ... .8 Le.es.c and b Chauhan. „•;;..-> 0 Blakely not out .... ...., ;/.•;/■ ~31 Brace,well not out ....1 Extras (nb 2) .........» 2 Total for six wickets 60 Fall:. 16, 23, 33, 41, 57, 58. Bowling: Kapildev; 6,2. 5,0; Singh. 5,1, 16, l- Binny,' 2,0, 3,0; Shastri, 15. •10, .11, 3; Azad, 11, 6, 15, 1: Chauhan, 3,0, 8, 1. INDIA . . ; First innings T. Srinivasan b Bracewell 38 C. Chauham c Hoskin b Boock 83 S. Gavaskar c Blakely b Boock 24 G. Vishwanath st Lees b Bracewell- ..;..:..... T Y.' Sharma c Hoskin, . b. ■. Bracewell 89 K. Azad b Bracewell 20 Kapildev b Bracewell ...... ’2. R. Binny c Blakely b Boock •• ;i-. '.30 R. Shastri e W( Blair b Bracewell 3 B. Reddy C. and. .b Bracewell . ;A.l Y.-Singhnotoiit 6 '< ■ Extras (b,:14„1b 6, nb 1>- ’ 21 . ' Total " ‘ '■ ' . 318 .;;FaU:- 66, .116, ;119, 224, 255, 261, 293. 311; 317, 318. ’ ■L v 'Bowling.—B'.:,Blair .4, 0, 29,. 0; D. Walker, 4,1,. 13, 0; B. McKechnie; 6; 0, 12, fl; S. Boock, 45. 20, 88, 3; J. BraceweU, 40.2, 9, 155,-7. . ,