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Tamil Nadu v Karnataka (Merchant, South Zone)
TR Kashyappan, CricInfo
26-28 November 1998
Day 1 Report
Karnataka won the toss and elected to bat. The Tamil Nadu new ball
bowlers were wayward and soon the spinners took charge. Wickets
started falling at regular intervals and at lunch Karnataka were
struggling at 69 for 4. They were 153 for 7 at tea, before being
bowled out for 209. Tamil Nadu's fielding left much to be
desired. Rajesh, the tiny left-arm spinner's 5 for 71 and off-spinner
Abdul Malik's 3 for 37 did most of the damage to the Karnataka batting
line-up. Sudhir Rao (opening bat) scored 58, while middle-order bat P
Sharath, scored a stroke-filled 53 for Karnataka.
Day 2 Report
On the second day, with Tamil Nadu chasing Karnataka's score of 209,
everyone believed it would not be too demanding. After 7 overs Tamil
Nadu was at 32 for no loss. Steve Lazarus, Karnataka's left-arm medium
pace bowler, ripped out the Tamil Nadu top-order to leave them
tottering at 114 for 5 at lunch. Things could have been much worse as
Tamil Nadu were 41 for 4 at one stage. Satish made a neat 38 and
Aditya batted freely to score 57, driving beautifully on either side
of the wicket. A sudden rush of blood on the part of Aditya brought
about his end, and Tamil Nadu were bundled out for 181. Steve Lazarus
ended with figures of 6 for 41 and Dharmi Chand took 4 for 56 for
Karnataka. At stumps Karnataka were 74 for 2.
Day 3 Report
On the 3rd day Karnataka declared their innings after tea, scoring 239
for 8. Once again Sudhir Rao made a fine 69, well supported by R
Balaji 43, Bafna 30, and Sharath 34*. Spinners Rajesh and Mallick were
among the wickets with three each. The Tamil Nadu fielders were
generous and lethargic. In the time remaining, Tamil Nadu threw their
bats around and at one stage were precariously placed at 63 for
5. Jaishankar 42*, and skipper Vikram Kumar played sensibly till end
to salvage the draw.
Points: Karnataka 5, Tamil Nadu 3.
Special Awards:
Best Batsman: Aditya (Tamil Nadu) and Sudhir Rao (Karnataka)
Best Bowler: Rajesh (Tamil Nadu) and S Lazarus (Karnataka)
Most Promising Player: D Jaishankar
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