South move into semis

Suresh grabs six wickets to rattle Central,but first-innings lead settles Duleep quarters

There was some confusion on the first morning of the opening Duleep Trophy fixture regarding the identity of the Suresh who was named in the South Zone XI. And while it was soon revealed that the man in question was actually M Suresh from Andhra and not Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner C Suresh,there were still doubts over what exactly he did.

But by the time both captains agreed to call the match off on Sunday afternoon,the 25-year-old leg-spinner had ensured that those present at the Chinnaswamy Stadium will not forget his name in a hurry. Suresh ended the day with career-best figures of 6/84,capturing the first six wickets of Centrals second innings,which ended at 255/9 Mohammad Kaif,who top-scored with 87,being the last man out.

Despite a drawn result,South Zone advanced into the semi-finals by virtue of a slender three-run first-innings lead,and set up a clash with defending champions North at Rajkot. East and West will play the other semi-final at Mumbais Cricket Club of India.

Early burst

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The first fifteen minutes of the day belonged to Rajasthan pacer Pankaj Singh,who snared the last three wickets of Souths second innings to end up with figures of 5/90. The UP duo of Shivakant Shukla and Tanmay Srivastava then set about their teams monumental task of chasing down 381 in confident fashion,and there was a glimmer of hope.

But Suresh got into his act soon after,dismissing Srivastava caught and bowled for an attractive 44 with the first ball of his spell. He struck twice in quick succession after lunch,removing Shukla and Yere Goud. Parvinder Singh was next,before wicket-keeper Naman Ojha edged a perfect leg-break to Karthik,handing Suresh only his second five-wicket haul.

Suresh,who also posted his highest individual score,an unbeaten 58,in the first innings,admitted that he did have thoughts of an improbable Perfect 10. But Kaif hit a few quick boundaries and Karthik (stand-in captain) decided to take me off the attack, he said.

With Andhra being relegated this season,Suresh,who has a job with the Railways and works as an accounts clerk in Secunderabad,could well end up with a move to the Karnail Singh Stadium,so he can continue playing in the Elite Division.