Sharma-Powar contest adds spice to a one-sided duel

They might not quite be contemporaries

They might not quite be contemporaries. A little needle between the two in the middle,however,is understandable. And definitely excusable. Members of the same ilk,Rahul Sharma and Ramesh Powar,share more in common than just being lead spinners in their respective teams.

Just four years ago,the rotund off-spinner from Mumbai occupied the same spot in the national team,which his opposite number in the Punjab outfit does now. He too was once among the bunch of spinners touted as a long-term member of Indias spin-attack post the Anil Kumble-Harbhajan Singh era.

Sharmas international career may be just two ODIs old. But the leg-spinner has established himself over the last couple of months as a fairly regular part of the latest triumvirate alongside R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha. Sharma only has to look as far as Powar to realise how quickly potential and promise can turn into lost hope. And the sparks certainly did fly when the two locked horns on Friday morning at the Wankhede Stadium.

The contest between the two was entertaining and filled with one-upmanship. It was also indicative of the added edge that comes along with a clash between two India capped players in a domestic match. The rest of the day,however,saw little spice between the two teams with Punjab finishing at 203/4 in their second innings after Mumbai were bowled out for 430.

Probably a couple of premature results elsewhere in the country had a role to play in the depleted intensity in the contest. Punjab will start the final day trailing by a single run,with skipper Uday Kaul unbeaten on 63 and with their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages all but over.

However,neither Sharma nor Powar looked like giving even an edge to the other earlier in the day. Though an aggressive batsman,slogger Powar looked intent on putting Sharma in his place,and was particularly severe against him.

Sharma was his abrasive self and never short of a word or two. Powar stepped down the wicket to every second delivery from Sharma,succeeding on a few occasions to clear the in-field and once even hitting him way over the long-on fence. Powar raced away to 81 off just 98 balls,while Ankeet Chavan stroked a fluent 73.

Story continues below this ad

Sharma,who finished with figures of 3/129 in 30.3 overs,only rarely went off his line,and his accuracy finally paid dividends and ensured that he ended with the final laugh against Powar,getting him caught by Harmeet Singh at long-on.The celebrations,though,werent as dramatic. Powar had indeed taught the youngster a lesson or two on how taking wickets in domestic cricket can become a trying job once you are a bowler wearing an India tag.

Brief scores: Punjab 226 amp; 203/4 M Sidhana 57,U Kaul batting 63; K Waingankar 2/55 vs Mumbai from overnight 308/5 430 all out in 124.3 overs W Jaffer 82,B Sandhu 81; R Sharma 3/129