Srivastava, Seth enter record books with mighty stand
A record 249 run ninth wicket partnership between Ankit Srivastava and Kapil Seth was the highlight of the second day of Madhya Pradesh's Central Zone Ranji Trophy clash against Vidarbha at the Nehru Stadium in Indore
Sankhya Krishnan
14-Nov-2000
A record 249 run ninth wicket partnership between Ankit Srivastava and
Kapil Seth was the highlight of the second day of Madhya Pradesh's
Central Zone Ranji Trophy clash against Vidarbha at the Nehru Stadium
in Indore. After Madhya Pradesh declared at a formidable 552/8, a
deadly spell by medium pacer Jai Prakash Yadav saw Vidarbha capitulate
to 157 by close of play.
Madhya Pradesh resumed this morning at 317/8. The ninth wicket pair
which had come together at 276 were fortuitously separated four and a
quarter hours later when Srivastava retired hurt on 204 (237 balls, 30
fours, 1 six). In the meantime their partnership of 249 had surpassed
the existing national record of 245, standing in the name of Vijay
Hazare and ND Nagarwalla for Maharashtra against Baroda at Pune sixtyone seasons ago. The world record of 283 by Messrs. Chapman and Warren
for Derbyshire in 1910 remained agonisingly out of reach.
However a total of 276 runs were added for the ninth wicket - albeit
with the involvement of three batsmen - as Seth went on to figure in a
27 run unbroken stand with last man Narendra Hirwani before skipper
Chandrakant Pandit decided to close shutters. No. 10 batsman Seth
helped himself to an unbeaten 125 (167 balls, 14 fours, 3 sixes).
Umesh Patel was the pick of the Vidarbha bowlers, nine of whom were
used, taking 3/102.
Opening bowler Harvinder Sodhi drew first blood for MP, removing
Adwait Manohar in the seventh over. But Vivek Naidu and Shailesh
Harbade took Vidarbha through to 70/1 at tea and there was no hint of
the procession that was to follow. The 68 run second wicket stand
ended when Harbade was caught by Pandit off Yadav, the first of his
seven victims. Madhya Pradesh leg spinner Narendra Hirwani was not
even pressed into service as the last nine wickets tumbled for 78.
Vidarbha plunged to 157 all out in just 43 overs, Yadav finishing with
7/31.