Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Got the match till the very end but could not finish it off, says Andhra’s Lalith after one-wicket loss to Gujarat
Left-arm orthodox bowler Lalith claimed seven wickets (7/76) in the second innings, completing a 10-fer in the contest, and single-handedly kept Andhra in contention to defend a 144-run target on the fourth day.
Published : Oct 21, 2024 22:27 IST , AHMEDABAD - 3 MINS READ
FILE PHOTO: Andhra’s left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan took 7 for 76 in a close defeat against Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy match in Ahmedabad on Monday. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR / The Hindu
Lalith Mohan’s career-best innings haul set up a cliff-hanging finish but ultimately went in vain as Gujarat beat Andhra by one wicket in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match in Ahmedabad on Monday.
The left-arm orthodox bowler claimed seven wickets (7/76) in the second innings, completing a 10-fer in the contest, and single-handedly kept Andhra in contention to defend a 144-run target on the fourth day.
“I thought when they asked us to bat again, we had a chance. That was because they would have had to bat in the fourth innings, and if we put up a good score on the board, anything could happen. We sensed the chance, got the match till the very end but could not finish it off,” Lalith said after the match.
His first spell, lasting a jaw-dropping 19 overs, reduced Gujarat to 69 for six where he accounted for Rishi Patel, Priyank Panchal, Umang Kumar, Manan Hingarajia, and Urvil Patel. Mixing up his pace and going for flight helped him trouble the batters.
READ | Gujarat edges out Andhra by one wicket, Lalith’s seven-for goes in vain
“There was a lot of rough for the right handers. I tried to use that to my advantage. It came out well but we could not finish as a team. Change of pace always works. On any kind of wicket, change of pace is effective in deceiving the batter. You cannot bowl at the same pace or the same trajectory to any batter. So, I was trying to do that,” Lalith said.
When Chintan Gaja and Jaymeet Patel threatened to wrest the momentum from Andhra with their 58-run partnership, Lalith scalped the latter to throw the contest open after Tea.
“We were all believing that we could do it because the wicket was spinning a lot. Even at 120 for six, when the partnership between [Chintan] Gaja and Jaymeet [Patel] was going on, we believed,” Lalith said after the game.
Lalith’s valiant effort was pipped by Arzan Nagwaswalla, who held his poise and took Gujrat across the finish line. He trusted the defence of Priyajitsinh Jadeja and wiped off the remaining 13 runs.
“We just wanted to go for singles to complete the run chase and get the remaining runs. We did not look for big shots. Even if it took 10 or 12 overs, we were fine with that. I told him [Jadeja] to defend the two or three deliveries that he might get to face in an over and leave the rest to me,” Nagwaswalla said.
The nail-biting finish was nowhere on the cards when Gujarat had secured a 154-run advantage in the first innings. But a push to secure a bonus point saw Gujarat impose a follow-on and lose its hold on the match.
“No, to be very honest [I did not regret it]. I bowled a 10-over spell on that [third] day. But all the other bowlers were fresh. The others had not bowled too much. I was confident that we can take up small spells and bowl them out. They struck a good partnership for the opening wicket, but I told the team that they’ve lost wickets in a flurry. And that is what eventually happened,” captain Chintan Gaja said about his decision to impose the follow-on.