Gujarat reap benefits of using RP Singh judiciously

There were contrasting emotions running in the dressing rooms after the second day's play. On the right, Ishan Kishan was crestfallen, wondering what could have been. He was in tears, staring into space, wondering how tasty his plate of noodles may have been had he remained unbeaten overnight. He had counterattacked to make a blistering half-century that had Gujarat desperately trying to slow the game down. Jharkhand were on the ascendancy, a lead was a possibility. But his dismissal just before close of play changed the mood within the camp.

On the left was RP Singh, humming a song while icing his sore knees, both feet resting against a chair pulled up opposite him. He had the look of a man satisfied with how things stood, a situation his team hasn't ever been in previously. A place in the Ranji Trophy final isn't assured just yet, but at least he has given them a reason to dream.

The kind of form Kishan was in, it seemed he was in a hurry to get runs. RP Singh may not have the pace he had as a 20-year-old who bustled in on a lifeless Faisalabad track on debut in 2005, but he showed the variations and bowling acumen he had gathered over time. Two overs prior to his dismissal, Kishan had hooked Jasprit Bumrah for six. Bowling short perhaps wasn't the best ploy for someone who didn't have the pace. Instead, RP Singh bowled a cutter, one that landed on the rough created by Hardik Patel's footmarks at the other end.

There wasn't too much wear and tear, but this one gripped the surface and bounced a little more. Kishan tried to fetch a flick from off stump, but the ball deviated just enough to take the leading edge. Bumrah trembled, took a couple of steps forward, then a step back, before safely pouching it. Done and dusted. RP Singh had taken three wickets across two spells, one of which could potentially be the difference between the semi-final and the final. The roar in the Gujarat camp echoed across the empty stands.

But all this may have not been a possibility had RP Singh's knees given up. Since being signed on as a professional, Gujarat have selectively used him. Part of the reason for that has been form and fitness - at 31, he's far from the menacing swing bowler he once was. But they've often leant on his experience at crunch moments, like in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final last year against a robust Delhi line-up in Bangalore. He picked up four wickets then in a superb new-ball burst to bowl Gujarat to their maiden domestic one-day title.

"We were mindful of his injury history and fitness, so even before the start of the season, the plan was to just prudently use him," Parthiv Patel, the Gujarat captain, told ESPNcricinfo. "He's experienced enough, and has gained enough knowledge over the years to know how to bowl on what kind of tracks. Plus, this was a semi-final. We felt we needed that experience here, on this kind of surface where it's green but the kind where you don't really expect the ball to do a great deal. It worked really well for us."

Monday presented a tougher challenge to the one he faced in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Gujarat needed a favour from RP Singh the batsman too. He walked in at No. 9 after the lower-middle order had been snuffed out by some genuine swing bowling by Ajay Yadav. Cruising overnight on 283 for 3, Gujarat had lost four wickets in the first hour. The ball was buzzing around. At the best of times, it's the kind of situation where batsmen aren't entirely sure if they should trust their instincts and play shots or bide their time.

RP Singh, sensing he may not last long if he kept defending, decided the best way out was to hit his way out of trouble, and, in doing so, he swung Gujarat close to the psychological barrier of 400 runs. Edges flew over slips, swipes and slogs fetched boundaries through vacant areas because the cordon was packed, and when the fielders were placed deep, he was more than willing to pinch singles. He ended up with a cameo of 40, before the innings drew to a close in the third over after lunch.

When he bowled, his run-up, rhythm and relatively lean structure - a lot different to the bowler who turned up from a holiday in Miami to play a Test against England at The Oval in 2011 - suggested considerable work has gone in at training during the time spent away from the game. His opening and final spell of the day proved that playing him in a crunch game after a five-week break was worth it.