31 August, 2014, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: IISc's KSCA IV Division 2014 campaign was severely jolted as
they succumbed to Dolphin CC by 5 wickets. In a rain affected game, IISc put up a shoddy performance with the bat
and couldn't even last the full quota of 50 overs. Dolphin CC skipper won the
toss and promptly chose to field given that rain was predicted later in the
afternoon.
IISc was off to a rollicking start with the first 3 overs
producing 28 runs. Mohammed paid the price for bowling a shortish length to
Kiran and bled 19 runs in his first 2 overs. Dolphin's skipper Sachin, then
turned to the left arm spin of Nakul. The move paid rich dividends almost
immediately as Kiran, in a bid to assert his dominance on the spinners, inside
edged one onto his stumps. Ashith & Gaurav then played cautiously and tried
to build a partnership but the run rate plummeted as the next 22 overs produced
just 66 runs. With the pressure mounting on both the batsmen to up the ante at
the halfway stage, Ashith was bowled
playing a loose shot. Varun soon
followed edging a wide one behind the stumps. Vikram batted with a sense of
purpose as he looked to try and get IISc towards a good total. But, Gaurav at
the other end continued his struggle to pick up the pace as he labored towards
his 50 in the 40th over. The game was in
the balance and IISc still looked set for at least 220. However, Girish then
struck thrice in two overs to send the
IISc middle order packing. Vikram's promising innings was cut short by Girish, as
he lured him out of his crease and got him stumped. Raviteja and Gaurav immediately
followed playing tame shots off Girish. The lower order was blown away by
Mohammed's yorkers and IISc's batting came to a grinding halt at 202 in the
47th over.
IISc took the field
charged up and wanting to prove a point. IISc's opening bowlers displayed a lot
of discipline and intent. Ankit built
pressure from one end with his nagging line. Varun quickly removed Mohammed and
Adhkosh reducing Dolphin CC to 7 for 2
in 5 overs. Vikram soon followed in the 13th over, playing all over a yorker
from Raviteja. Dolphin CC were tottering at 30 for 3 in 12.1 overs when the
rain arrived. Once the rain subsided, Dolphin CC needed to score a revised
target of 180 in 45 overs. The wet
outfield nullified the swing and seam that the seamers were able to extract
which prompted IISc to turn to spin. Arindam removed Samith almost immediately
in the 16th over (49 for 4 ). Sachin and Pawan then went about the repair job
for Dolphin CC with minimum fuss. The
pair effortlessly picked the singles and put away the loose balls to the
boundary. The pair put on 127 runs in just 21.3 overs virtually sealing the
match in their favor. IISc's fielding
was yet again found wanting as they failed to grab the few chances that were
offered. A few comical errors by fielders in the deep hastened the end for IISc.
With one win and one loss in two games IISc need to win all
their remaining matches to entertain any thoughts of making it to the next
round. The remaining league matches will
be held in October on completion of the YSR tournament. IISc gets a welcome break as they have
sufficient time to regroup and approach the remaining games with a fresh mind.
Brief Scores:
Mohammed 10.5-1-35-4, Girish 10-0-46-3, Adhkosh 10-0-35-1
