Nehra's four-wicket haul keeps South in check
Ashish Nehra continued his wicket-taking spree in the Duleep Trophy tournament as a strong South Zone batting line-up was kept down to 327 for 9 on the opening day at Indore
Cricinfo staff
01-Mar-2005
Ashish Nehra continued his wicket-taking spree in the Duleep Trophy tournament as a strong South Zone batting line-up was kept down to 327 for 9 on the opening day at Indore. Robin Uthappa, VVS Laxman and Sridharan Sharath stroked half-centuries but Nehra's regular strikes prevented them from gathering too much momentum.
Having chosen to bat first, South were given a fiery start by Uthappa, the opener from Karnataka, who carted 15 fours in his 95-ball 80. Nehra's double strike pegged South back to 125 for 3 but Laxman and Sharath ensured any collapse with a fighting 87-run partnership.
Sharath's dismissal, though, left North with only the tail to contend with. Dinesh Karthik remained unbeaten on 49 when stumps were drawn but South's inability to make a big total might prove decisive when one considers their relatively inexperienced bowling attack