East Zone race to incredible victory

Chasing a victory target of 306 and winning with almost ten overs to spare. That's the incredible feat that East Zone pulled off on the opening day of the Deodhar Trophy tournament at Baroda on Wednesday. When favourites Central Zone led off with 305 for seven in 50 overs, few would have given East Zone a chance of winning. But an unbeaten fourth wicket partnership of 175 runs between opener Nikhil Haldipur and Saba Karim, both of whom got breezy hundreds, saw East Zone race to victory for the loss of only three wickets and with 9.5 overs to spare.

The batsmen had things their own way from start to finish. The fact that 614 runs were scored off 90.1 overs, with three hundreds being notched up while only 10 wickets fell illustrates the dominance of the bat over ball. The knocks by Karim and Haldipur, their hectic partnership and East Zone's remarkable victory put into the shade the superb century of Jai P Yadav in the morning.

Opting to bat, Central lost the in form Jyoti Yadav quickly when he was bowled by Zaman for eight. But Gagan Khoda and Jai P Yadav steadied the innings with a second wicket partnership of 99 runs off 18.3 overs. Khoda was content to play second fiddle as Yadav blazed forth with bold strokes. After Khoda's departure for 40, Yadav and Amay Khurasia then maintained the momentum with a third wicket stand of 110 runs off 18.1 overs. Again Yadav dominated the partnership and was well past his hundred when Khurasia gave a return catch to Utpal Chatterjee for 39. The veteran Bengal left arm spinner then dismissed Yadav in his next over. Yadav's brilliant 128 was compiled off just 117 balls and he hit 17 fours and two sixes.

The sparkle was maintained by a bright 45 by D Bundela. He faced only 27 balls and hit two fours and three sixes. With skipper Gyanendra Pandey, he gave the innings a final flourish by adding 46 runs for the sixth wicket off only five overs. The East Zone skipper Chatterjee was the one bowler to stand up to the punishment and was rewarded with four for 53 off ten overs.

The East Zone innings was a riot of runs from the start. Openers Haldipur and SS Das hammered 107 runs off the first ten overs before the latter was run out for 49 off 37 balls. He hit seven fours and a six. After this explosive start, East Zone faltered with Rohan Gavaskar being run out for five and P Mullick being dismissed for seven. At 134 for three, the innings had lost the momentum but Haldipur and Karim wasted little time in putting East Zone back on track. The medium pacers Sodhi and Zaidi were harshly treated and the spinners fared little better. Even the inform Kartik Murali went for 71 runs off ten overs. Haldipur and Karim just did what they liked with the bowling and there was never a chance of even a single maiden over. Ultimately Haldipur remained unbeaten with 127 off 111 balls with 14 hits to the ropes and Karim was not out with 102 off 89 deliveries with the help of ten fours and two sixes. The winning stroke was hit by Karim - a four off Abbas Ali which took him past his hundred.