Gujarat off to smooth start

Though the openers did not score big — Desai made 26 while Panchal scored 16 — the duo frustrated the hosts for 27 overs after they were put in to bat by Railways skipper Murali Kartik. Surviving the initial burst by Railways seamers Krishnakant Upadhyay and JP Yadav,the Gujarat openers had done enough to bat out the first session. But a couple of strikes in quick succession meant the Railways appeared to have salvaged something from a somewhat disappointing start.

Sanjay Bangar had Desai rooted in front of the wicket and,four balls later,Shailender Gehlot had Panchal removed in similar fashion as the hosts clawed their way back into the game.

But the experienced duo of Niraj Patel and Parthiv Patel then stitched up a partnership of 74 for the third wicket to stave off the danger. The partnership again thrived on loose deliveries and Gujarat batsmen had enough of them to keep pushing up the scoreboard. Parthiv was the only wicket to fall in the second session when Yadav,easily the best bowler on show,had him brilliantly caught in the second slips by a diving V Cheluvuraj.

Two balls after tea,it was Niraj’s turn to walk back after a mix-up between him and Thaker saw him stranded mid pitch. Having made 46,Niraj was looking set for a big score at that point.

Thaker,meanwhile,thrived on the waiting game after a nervous start. Two caught-behind appeals were turned down against him. But once settled he took full toll on the scoring chances. Railways coach Abhay Sharma thought his bowlers could have bowled better than what they did. “We gave few easy runs. We could have done much better. We have an experienced line up and I’m sure we will rectify our mistakes,” he said.

While Parthiv credited his openers for seeing off the new ball. “They played for nearly 30 overs and paved the way for us. Ok we didn’t score big but we struck partnerships today. 234/4 is a pretty good score on this difficult wicket,” he said.

Brief scores: Gujarat 1st innings 234/4 in 90 overs (Bhavik Thaker batting 52,Neeraj Patel 48,Parthiv Patel 36,Prathmesh Parmar batting 24,Shailender Gehlot 1/46,Sanjay Bangar 1/32) vs Railways