Great Escape for Bihar

Tamil Nadu just failed to pull off a fantastic victory over Bihar at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur in their Cooch Behar Trophy quarter final today. In a heroic performance the Tamil Nadu bowlers had Bihar on the ropes at 63-8 but time ran out just as they were set to deliver the killer blow. It was an amazing turnaround to a match that Bihar appeared to have sewn up on the strength of their first innings lead yesterday. The draw ensured that hosts Bihar went through to the semis where they will await the winner of the Delhi-Gujarat game starting tomorrow.

Having conceded a first innings lead of 111, Tamil Nadu (overnight 26-1) declared at 271-8 after a century by 18 year old Surendar Doss had opened up a narrow window of opportunity. Doss made 112 (139 balls, 6 fours and 5 sixes) with his second fifty coming off just 40 balls. Bihar were set 161 to win in a minimum of 32 overs and they began to flounder at once.

Ganapathy removed both the openers, including a wicket off the third ball of the innings. Vidyuth opened himself at the other end and he took two wickets off successive balls in his fourth over as Bihar crashed to 9-4. At tea Bihar were 33-4 in 12 overs.

Tamil Nadu were getting through their overs as quickly as possible in an all out bid to force victory. Leg spinner Krishnan Velmurugan, who turns 19 later this month, grabbed 3 wickets in a miserly spell after tea as Tamil Nadu tightened the screws further. The eighth Bihar wicket fell at 59 off the last ball of the 38th over, after which there was time only for two more overs. But Aamir Hashmi and Satendra Mishra played out an over each to deposit last years runners up Tamil Nadu out of the tournament. Hashmi followed up his 1st innings 94 by propping up the brittle Bihar middle order once more with a match saving 32 not out off 86 balls. For TN, Vidyuth took 3-32 from 18 overs while Velmurugan's figures read 11-8-6-3. Amazingly the six runs that he conceded included four no balls.