While having tea and biscuits prior to the last session of the day,Services batsman Soumyaranjan Swain was receiving advice and was being congratulated simultaneously. "You are very close to a hundred,just don't do anything silly and you will get there," they had said. Indeed needing just 33 runs to complete a maiden century in his debut match against Kerala,Swain was looking good for his ton as he opened his post-tea account with a four. Never the most convincing of innings,Swain,23,had already benefited from a slice of fortune when on 11 he had been dropped by Abhishek Hegde off the bowling of Sony Cheruvathur. "I had just played one match for my state in the U-19 level. Then I had scored a duck off the only ball I faced. So when I saw that I was so close to a century,I tried to get it as quickly as I could. That was when I started making mistakes, he said. Batting on 81,Swain would have had his heart in his mouth as he chipped a drive off Vasudevan Jagadeesh towards cover where,the fielder made what appeared to have been a splendid catch on a ball that was dying on him. As the Kerala team began to celebrate,the Services bench gave a collective groan that turned into a cheer when the umpires ruled that the ball had just bounced before it reached the fielder. Thereafter,the Services bench were on their feet exhorting Swain to keep his cool and go for his ton the next day. Services coach Raghuvir Jhala stayed rooted on his seat away from the rest of his team. The Services' squad exhortations from the sidelines were heard in the middle. "Yes I was hearing what all they were saying,so I decided I will wait another day to go for the hundred," said. Swain. Swain began defending,but under the circumstances,it seemed he was going to lose his wicket at any point of time. Particularly giving him trouble was the gentle medium pace of Vasudevan Jagadeesh. Thinking that every delivery was potentially deadly,he defended with a dead bat ,surrounded by close-in fielders. At one point he remained on 88 having played 21 balls,either with still defence or expansive leaves. At the other end captain Yashpal Singh,usually the measure of calm watched nervously . The nervousness was rubbing off on Yashpal as in the penultimate over as he flicked halfheartedly off his pads to the simplest of chances to Abhishek Hegde at mid wicket off the bowling of Sony Cheruvathur,only for Hegde to put down his second catch of the innings. There were no more scares to follow and Yashpal,who finished unbeaten on 57 and Swain on 89 ended proceedings with an unbroken stand of 124. "I think I will get it tommorow," he said. That though will be easier said than done considering this match already has a precedent of sorts in a batsman failing to reach a century over two days. Brief scores: Kerala 454 vs Services 237 for 3 (Soumyaranjan Swain 89 batting,Yashpal Singh 57 batting; Sony Cheruvathur 2/30)
