Dry spell continues

Punjab fail to capitalise on Mandeep ton; UP off to strong reply as Harbhajan Singh goes wicketless

The world would seem a cruel place right now if you were Harbhajan Singh. If being dropped from the ODI squad pinched him,the Test-axe definitely must have felt exceedingly agonising and rather unique. Regardless of what he has been quoted as saying in the recent past,the veteran off-spinner would definitely have hoped for better circumstances to make his return to the Punjab dressing room following a five-year hiatus. The grime of domestic cricket must certainly not seem a pleasant proposition,especially at a time when Harbhajan his 406 Test wickets notwithstanding has been pushed into proving his worth all over again for a return to the Indian team.

Though the Punjab-Uttar Pradesh clash in itself was anticipated as an interesting one,given the evenness between the two outfits,it was obvious that the most fascinating skirmish within the battle would begin once Harbhajan took the ball in his hands. The hosts,including the skipper,had earlier in the day offered Uttar Pradesh a lift back into the contest by losing five wickets for 10 runs after finishing Day One strapped into the driver8217;s seat. And as he brought himself onto bowl,Harbhajan not only had to worry about his own performance,his team too required him desperately to make a few inroads.

For 17 overs on Friday at the PCA Stadium in Mohali,Harbhajan bowled impressively. He got bounce off the wicket,turned a few past the UP batsmen,and did pose them a stern challenge which he should anyway at this level. But while the visitors did not find it easy to get him away for too many runs as his economy rate would suggest the wickets column remained bare,just like it has more often than not in the last few months.

And while Harbhajan concluded yet another despondent day on the cricket field he had been dismissed off the first delivery he faced during Punjab8217;s innings his team,too,had little to cheer about with Uttar Pradesh finishing strong on 221 for three with skipper Suresh Raina another international star out to prove a point still at the crease.

Things could have gone a lot better for Punjab and their skipper,if only their lower order had built on their opening-day advantage.

The fairly shiny second-new ball and the UP pace pairing of RP Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were expected to be a stringent test. But only Mandeep Singh,who finished unbeaten on 175,managed to survive their morning burst while the rest fell away meekly.

Ray of hope?

In contrast,Punjab8217;s new-ball bowlers hardly created an impact on Tanmay Srivastava and Mohammad Kaif-who put on on a 121-run stand for the second wicket,adding to the pressure on Harbhajan and eventually his woes. The nippy morning conditions will provide a ray of hope for the Punjab bowlers come Day Three,but the light at the end of the tunnel continues to get bleaker for their captain.

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Brief score: Punjab first innings 350 all out Uttar Pradesh first innings 221/3 TM Srivastava 62,M Kaif 65; MS Gony 1/57,NTS Sidhu 1/45