Arothe leads Baroda run feast

Skipper Tushar Arothe led a Baroda run feast on the opening day of their Group B Ranji Trophy Super League match against Bihar at the IPCL Sports Complex ground in Vadodara on Saturday. The left handed Arothe hit 125 as Baroda finished with 360 for six off 90 overs at stumps.

It was indeed a superb recovery by the home team who were put in to bat. For, medium pacer Dhiraj Kumar removed in form opening batsman Cecil Williams and SS Parab with successive deliveries to have Baroda tottering at ten for two in the third over. Then started the spirited Baroda rally. The recovery process was initiated by opener RA Swaroop (59) and Nayan Mongia (65) who added 89 runs for the third wicket off 29.3 overs. Swaroop was then out after facing 98 balls and hitting eight fours. But Mongia and Arothe continued the rescue act by adding 114 runs for the fourth wicket off 26 overs. Mongia then fell to Dhiraj Kumar. He faced 161 balls and hit four of them to the fence. The 33-year-old Arothe and former India player Atul Bedade then consolidated with a fifth wicket partnership of 97 runs off 18.3 overs. Arothe was finally fifth out at 310. In a stay of three hours, he faced 145 balls and hit 20 fours. Bedade fell shortly afterwards for 49, compiled off 72 balls with the help of seven hits to the ropes. RB Patel enlivened the closing stages with a bright unbeaten 32 off just 23 balls with the help of five fours to set the seal on Baroda's dominance. Dhiraj Kumar, who took the first four wickets to fall, had figures of four for 114 at close of play.