Services staring at big defeat

As the fog overstayed its welcome, the sun shone rather late on Tuesday. Given the previous day8217;s gloom, however, no one complained.

Hosts collapse for a paltry 77; Faiz Fazal slams century to put Vidarbha in command

As the fog overstayed its welcome, the sun shone rather late on Tuesday. Given the previous day8217;s gloom, however, no one complained. The wetness had vanished, the swing appeared negotiable, and the stage was perfect for the Services batsmen to overhaul Vidarbha8217;s modest first innings total of 151.

It was easier said than done. The hosts were off to the worst possible start 8212; the first and the second ball of the day from Sandeep Singh disturbing Devendra Israni8217;s timber and finding AK Mohanty8217;s edge, respectively. The remaining batsmen didn8217;t offer any resistance either and Services folded up for 77 lasting just 31.4 overs with Sandeep settling for a five-for 5/27.

The man who really wanted to make amends for his first-innings low was Faiz Fazal. When the Vidharba opener brought up his century with his eleventh boundary, apart from the scenic sunset into the airport, there were at least two things that were worth noticing simply for cricketing reasons.

One, how he picked the worst ball of the over last ball of the over from AK Mohanty to glide it past the third-man fence after defending the first five and two, the way he reacted 8212; just a second8217;s response with a raised bat towards the dressing room without making too much of a fuss he didn8217;t even take out his helmet.

Punishing bad balls was evident in the way Fazal8217;s legs moved against spinners 8212; mostly backfoot shots and, with time, he started getting atop the pace of Pankaj and Rakesh Kumar, with the slightest nudges racing to the fence. His keeping the helmet right on his head after a sapping 314 minutes in the middle was symbolic of the way he carried his bat through the day to 119 not out with Vidarbha leading by 252 runs with eight wickets remaining.

Fazal saw through a dicey morning spell from both Kumars, and then after Pankaj8217;s reverse swing found Amit Despande and Alind Naidu in front of stumps, reined in the temptation of going for the big shots after his century.

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8220;Tomorrow8217;s first hour will be crucial for us as there8217;s a lot of time two days remaining in the match. After that we can go for the big shots,8221; said Fazal, downplaying his century to a couple of 50-plus scores on grassy tracks during the last season.

As Fazal played the waiting game, Services too will have to do the same on Wednesday.

8220;We really don8217;t have any choice left other than waiting for them to declare. The track has become batting-friendly and now we are only hoping our batsmen to come good in the second innings,8221; said JP Pandey, Services coach.

Brief scores: Vidarbha 151 and 178 for 2 in 74 overs Faiz Fazal batting 119; Pankaj Kumar 2/59 lead Services 77 Sandeep Singh 5/27 by 252 runs