Sandeep shines through cloud cover

The only activity at the scheduled 10.30 am start of the India-Hong Kong game at the rain-drenched Hagley Park was a...

The only activity at the scheduled 10.30 am start of the India-Hong Kong game at the rain-drenched Hagley Park was a ducks laborious walk to the fence. After an hours drizzle and a few more puddles,it reached inside the 30-yard circle. The birds presence was seen as a sign of an eminent wash out. Though the weather held on,the duck did prove a precursor for things to follow.

With four 0s in Hong Kongs 143,ducks proved to be the talking point of the day. Sandeep Sharma was responsible for one of them on his hat-trick ball. After dismissing Irfan Ahmed on the first ball he faced,Sandeeps in-coming ball missed the stumps by a whisker as Nizakat Khan was foxed.

Under overcast conditions,Sandeep was once again the pick of the Indian bowling. With figures of 10-4-13-1 against Afghanistan,he finished with 7-2-11-3 and,for the second consecutive game,bowled unchanged.

Talking about his dream spell that would have read better without the four on the final ball,Sandeep said he had expected to do well in New Zealand. Off the wicket,I move the ball in India as wll,but here I knew I would get swing in the air too, he said.

Though the conditions were favourable,Sandeep had to outthink the batsmen. The wicket he enjoyed most was that of opener Shakeel Haq,caught in the slips. Initially,I was trying to restrict him,so I bowled a three-fourth length. But as a variation I bowled one ball further up. He took the bait and mistimed the shot, explained the Man of the Match.