A sensational show from Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (seven for 103) left Karnataka in a spin, on the second day of the Ranji Trophy match here on Friday. On a Saurashtra CA Stadium pitch which offered plenty of assistance for slow bowlers, left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh recorded his best ever First Class haul to put Saurashtra in the driver’s seat.
The host dismissed Karnataka for 217, which gave the side a handy 99-run first-innings lead. Only Karun Nair (63, 83b, 11x4) and D. Nischal (58, 179b, 3x4, 1x6) offered resistance, while the other batsmen were flattened by the Dharmendrasinh juggernaut.
Dharmendrasinh utilised the favourable conditions to the fullest, keeping the ball on good lengths and varying his pace.
In many ways, Dharmendrasinh resembled another Jadeja from the same State, a certain Ravindra. But that’s where the similarities end.
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“People keep asking me if I am Ravindra’s younger brother, because we share the same last name and we both bowl left-arm spin. I tell everyone that Ravindra and I are not related in any way. It’s quite funny, and I’ve become used to this question,” Dharmendrasinh chuckled and said, “But whenever Ravindra is with us to play for Saurashtra, he helps me a lot. His inputs on bowling in the right areas and other aspects are invaluable.”
The 28-year-old, his team’s most successful bowler this season with 20 wickets, added that if Saurashtra manages to set a target of 250, an outright win will be on the cards.
For Karnataka, it was a tough day at the office. Saurashtra used just the one over of pace, and the rest of the action was dominated by the trio of Dharmendrasinh, off-spinner Kamlesh Makvana and leg-spinner C. Yuvraj. After opener R. Samarth and one-drop Devdutt Padikkal were taken cheaply, Nischal and Karun went about repairing the damage.
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While Nischal was all grit and defence, Karun was fluent and attacking. The duo showed that technique and sound temperament can help overcome the most difficult of conditions. They also had a bit of luck on their side, as the ball regularly missed the outside edge on its way to the wicketkeeper. Karun — at times overly keen to try the reverse-sweep — survived a couple of close leg-before shouts.
After seeing through the morning session, Karun and Nischal looked for runs in the post-Lunch phase. They were happy to dance down the track, using their feet well to combat the turn. Just as the two batters were gradually guiding Karnataka to safety, Makvana struck gold. Bowling from around the wicket, Makvana got one to defeat Karun and take out the stumps. With this key wicket in the bag, Saurashtra went for the kill.
Nischal’s long essay then ended when he nicked Dharmendrasinh to the ‘keeper Snell Patel. Before long, Karnataka slipped and fell hard, losing its last eight wickets for only 96 runs.
The score
Saurashtra 1st innings: Harvik Desai c Sharath b Suchith 26, Snell Patel c Sharath b Suchith 22, Avi Barot st Sharath b Suchith 0, Aarpit Vasavada c Vinay b Deshpande 38, Sheldon Jackson c Nischal b Suchith 4, Jaydev Shah c Samarth b Deshpande 97, Prerak Mankad c Vinay b Suchith 37, Chirag Jani c Vinay b Shreyas 13, Kamlesh Makvana b Suchith 46, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja c Samarth b Deshpande 6, C. Yuvraj (not out) 20, Extras (nb-2, b-5): 7; Total (in 97.1 overs): 316.
Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-34, 3-73, 4-79, 5-119, 6-192, 7-226, 8-250, 9-274.
Karnataka bowling: Vinay 6-0-27-0, Mithun 8-3-15-0, Suchith 30.1-7-111-6, Deshpande 32-7-88-3, Shreyas 20-0-66-1, Samarth 1-0-4-0.
Karnataka 1st innings: R. Samarth lbw b Dharmendrasinh 15, D. Nischal c Snell b Dharmendrasinh 58, Devdutt Padikkal lbw b Dharmendrasinh 3, Karun Nair b Makwana 63, K.V. Siddharth c Desai b Dharmendrasinh 6, Pavan Deshpande b Dharmendrasinh 27, Shreyas Gopal lbw b Makwana 15, B.R. Sharath b Dharmendrasinh 4, Vinay Kumar lbw b Dharmendrasinh 10, Mithun c Desai b Yuvraj 1, J. Suchith (not out) 6, Extras (b-4, lb-5): 9; Total (in 78.1 overs): 217.
Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-25, 3-121, 4-143, 5-172, 6-181, 7-185, 8-197, 9-200.
Saurashtra bowling: Chirag Jani 1-1-0-0, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 34-5-103-7, Kamlesh Makwana 29.1-7-58-2, C. Yuvraj 14-1-47-1.
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