After five year wait,five for VRV Singh

Then Thursday happened. And VRV had the collective attention of every single journalist present at the Choudhary Bansi Lal Stadium in Lahli.

As he claimed his fifth wicket in the form of Nitin Saini to fold up Haryana’s innings for 163,two firsts happened in a long time. One,he finally let his emotions take over. Two,he claimed his first five wicket haul in a first-class match in over half a decade. His ecstatic celebration showed just what it meant for him to stand at the top of his bowling run-up once again. But on Thursday,he did a lot more than just bowl. He was simply menacing.

On a considerably lively Lahli wicket on Day One,the Punjab pacer recorded figures of 5/38 to trigger a memorable comeback,his first match since the final of the Duleep Trophy in 2008. In that match,he had taken two five-wicket hauls. Today,it seemed like VRV had never gone missing.

During the first session,he went wicketless. But during the course of his seven overs before lunch,VRV’s pace,rhythm and nagging length had the Haryana batsmen caught in two minds. He also used his bouncers sparingly,delivering it more as a surprise than his stock ball. He was rewarded for his thought process early in the post-lunch session,when he removed Haryana opener Avi Barot for 65. No one else would score as much for the hosts.

Barot had been part of two Haryana partnerships. Forty-eight for the first wicket with Abhimanyu Khod and 47 for the third wicket with Rahul Dalal. Having scored most of his runs on the off side,especially through point and gully,Barot was early into yet another off-side stroke when he scooped a VRV delivery straight to Taruwar Kohli at cover.

In walked Sachin Rana and VRV changed his line. From back-of-a-length,he pitched it up,aiming for middle and leg. Inswing comes naturally to the 29-year old. But the one that dismissed Rana was a straighter one with little movement. The umpire had little doubts when he upheld the LBW shout.

Then VRV had a third,four overs before tea. This was a soft dismissal,when Jayant Yadav playing a length ball back on to his stumps. Haryana were 157/7. And immediately after tea,the first over after the break,he sent back both Harshal Patel and Mohit Sharma in the space of four balls to finish with a five-for. Haryana were bowled out for 163.

“The ball was moving and I took advantage of that,” he said later. “The best thing about this,the five-for,is that I am feeling really fit and hope to do keep this up in the future.” This feeling of well being and fitness did not happen overnight. It began soon after his recuperation ended,when VRV,despite his journalistic ambitions,spent hours working out in the gym.

Feeling fitter,he made himself available for inter-district tournaments in Punjab last year. And then the JP Atray,held in Chandigarh this September,provided him with the finishing touches. And finishing touches was exactly what he applied to Haryana’s batting line-up on Thursday.

Brief scores: Haryana 163 all out (A Barot 65,N Saini 29,A Khod 21; VRV Singh 5/38,S Sharma 3/61) vs Punjab 50 for three (R I Singh 22,U Kaul batting 9; S Budhwar 1/2,M Sharma 1/15)