Das, Dravid spur Seniors

AHMEDABAD, FEB 10: The last-minute inclusion turned out to be the man of the hour. The stand-in opener for Sachin Tendulkar in the India S...

AHMEDABAD, FEB 10: The last-minute inclusion turned out to be the man of the hour. The stand-in opener for Sachin Tendulkar in the India Senior squad proved outstanding. Orissa batsman Shiv Shankar Das8217; 73 helped the Seniors set a challenging target against India A in the Hero Honda NKP Salve Challenger Trophy day/night tournament at the Motera Stadium here on Thursday.

Das8217; 94-run association with stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid, plus a late order flourish helped the Seniors8217; cause.

Skipper Dravid8217;s another important contribution was winning the all-important toss on this brown track. India A captain Mohd Azharuddin calling the coin wrong, meant his men face the difficult task of chasing a tall score under lights.

India Seniors started the day with a down-to-earth batting display by the opening pair of VVS Laxman and Das. Keeping the coaching manual as their gospel, they not even once ventured on the aerial route in the first 15 overs.

Every shot executed while the fielding restrictions were imposedmaintained a firm proximity to the carpet. But the irony of the situation was that the same proximity was maintained with the fielders too. This meant a moderate rate of 4.6 in the first 15 overs.

The opening act, which had no major melodramatics, came to an end with the departure of the lead artist Laxman. First change bowler Sanjay Bangar showed the senior of the openers the exit in his fourth over.

After playing 57 balls with an impeccable technical pefection, Laxman played his first false shot. Missing the line to a straight ball ended his stay.

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Das, the replacement for the always-in-control Sachin Tendulkar, continued to play second fiddle. Now playing deputy to his skipper Dravid, Das played the role of a silent worker to perfection.

Among the few players to avail the nets facility at Motera on Wednesday, Dravid had said on the eve of the match that he was stroking the ball well.

By dispatching the first ball the faced to the fence 8212; a fine extra cover drive bisecting the fielders 8212; Dravidsubstantiated those claims. But if the start was great then what followed was mere good.

His 62 off 67 balls kept the scoreboard ticking when the need of the hour was to send it racing. Aashish Kapoor deceived him with the classic spinners8217; ploy. Keeping the mid-wicket vacant, the off-spinner lured Dravid to play across. Rahul played but missed and Kapoor got his reward.

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After Dravid departed in the 40th over, a couple of cameo8217;s were witnessed in the death overs. Kambli8217;s 26 in 22 balls and Robin Singh8217; 15 in 17 balls helped the Seniors finish at 279.

SCOREBOARD :

India Seniors:
Shiv Shankar Das b Bangar 73 150m, 102b, 4215;4
VVS Laxman lbw Bangar 43 89m, 57b, 5215;4
Rahul Dravid b Kapoor 62 86m, 67b, 4215;4
Vinod Kambli lbw Bangar 26 29m, 22b, 1215;4, 1215;6
Robin Singh run out Kartik 15 14m, 17b, 1215;4
Samir Dighe run out Kartik 3 11m, 10b
Sunil Joshi c Azharuddin b Kartik 16 26m, 13b, 1215;6
Nikhil Chopra c Bangar b Kumaran 17 12m, 12b, 2215;4
Anil Kumble notout 3 9m, 4b
Harvinder Sodhi run out 2 2m, 2b
Venkatesh Prasad run out 0 1m, 0b
Extras: 19 lb 3, w 10, nb 6
Total: all out in 50 overs: 279
Fall of wickets: 1-84 Laxman, 2-178 Das, 3-209 Dravid, 4-215 Kambli, 5-230 Dighe, 6-243 Robin, 7-272 Chopra, 8-274 Joshi, 9-276 Sodhi

Bowling: Kumaran 10-1-61-1, Bhandari 8-1-42-0, Bangar 10-0-54-3, Kartik 9-0-46-1, Kapoor 10-0-55-1, Sehwag 3-0-18-0.

Sandeep Dwivedi

Sandeep Dwivedi is the Sports Editor at The Indian Express. He is one of India's most prominent sports journalists, known for his deep analytical insights and storytelling that often goes beyond scores and statistics to explore the human and cultural side of sports. Professional Profile Role: As the Sports Editor, he leads the sports coverage for the newspaper and the website. Weekly Column: He writes "The Sports Column," a weekly feature where he provides sharp, narrative-driven perspectives on the biggest sporting news of the week. Podcast: He is a frequent contributor to the "Express Sports" podcast (Game Time), where he discusses evolving trends in cricket and other international sports. Areas of Expertise While Dwivedi covers the entire sporting spectrum, his work is particularly noted in the following areas: Cricket: He provides extensive coverage of the Indian National Team and the IPL. He frequently analyzes the leadership styles of figures like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Gautam Gambhir. He is known for tracking the transition phases of Indian cricket and the evolution of specific players like Kuldeep Yadav and Rishabh Pant. Athletics & Olympic Sports: He has written extensively on Neeraj Chopra’s rise in javelin, the nuances of Indian shooting, and tennis legends like Sania Mirza and Leander Paes. Human Interest Stories: A hallmark of his writing is his focus on the struggles and backgrounds of athletes, such as the sacrifices made by Shafali Verma’s father or the "silent battles" of veteran players like Cheteshwar Pujara. Notable Recent Work & Themes Leadership and Dynamics: Recently, he has written about the dynamic between Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma, arguing that personal friendship is not a prerequisite for team success. Sports & Culture: His articles often intersect with global culture, such as his deep dive into the 100-year legacy of the Harlem Globetrotters and their role as American soft power during the Cold War. The "Grey Areas" of Sport: He often addresses sensitive topics like the mental health of cricketers post-retirement, the "outrage industry" in sports broadcasting, and the impact of fan-wars on the game. Tenure and Experience Dwivedi has been with The Indian Express for over three decades. This experience allows him to provide historical context to modern sporting events, often comparing current crises or triumphs to those of previous generations. You can follow his latest work and columns on his official Indian Express Author Profile. ... Read More