It had been a grey morning until that point. Punjab,who started the final day of the Ranji match against Saurashtra at 44/4 in their second innings,were soon 58/6 and an innings defeat looked inevitable. With no resistance forthcoming from the home team,who were shot out for 278 in the first innings in reply to Saurashtras 542,there was little excitement left in the proceedings. It was then that Siddharth Trivedi breathed life into the game while also hastening its end. At 78/6,the Saurashtra pacer got one to nip back in and trap Karan Goel in front of the wicket. Off the very next delivery,he sent back Harbhajan Singh. Trivedi had one more ball left in the over and the question on everyones lips was: Will he get a hat-trick? As Manpreet Gony took guard and looked around,it was evident that he was under tremendous pressure. Seconds later,he left the field,caught by Ravindra Jadeja,leaving Trivedi in the midst of ecstatic celebrations. Soon after,there were more celebrations as Jaydev Unadkat trapped Brainder Saran to give the team an innings and 144-run win and six points no less. I was bowling well last evening. I just wanted to put an extra bit in the morning so that we could wrap up the game as soon as possible, Trivedi told The Indian Express. While playing for Rajasthan Royals,I picked up a lot from Australias Shaun Tait. I stay in touch with him during the off season also. Bowling alongside him has raised my level, said Trivedi,adding: Keeping in mind the amount of international cricket which is being played these days,who knows there might be chances for bowlers like me some day. Not many years ago,Trivedi was one of the fringe pacers in Indian cricket but couldnt take the next step. I have evolved as a bowler in the last three-four years. I have become a thinking bowler now. I have been working on my speed and accuracy in the recent years, he said. On the other hand,the Punjab players were at a loss when asked what were the reasons behind the teams humiliating defeat at home. On a pitch where they were bundled out for 278 and 120 in the two innings,their four-pacers attack let Saurashtra score 542. The wicket was quite good for the fast bowlers. I think the Punjab bowlers kept bowling short or full and thats the reason they were not able to beat our batsmen, reasoned Trivedi. Brief scores: Saurashtra (first innings): 542 all out,Punjab: (first innings): 278 all out,(second innings): 120 all out (Amitoze Singh 41 not out,Uday Kaul 18,Sandip Maniyar 4/18,Sidharth Trivedi 3/34,Jaydev Unadkat 2/27)
