SK Play of the day: India Blue's runfest in Duleep Trophy Match 3

The first pink ball day-night first-class cricket tournament to be organised in India has seen plenty of discussions happen on the prospects of the newest innovation in cricket. While some are of the opinion that the pink ball is good enough with its present structure to be fully implemented at all levels in India, others have been asking for patience before India gives its go ahead to regular pink-ball cricket.

The beta version of it all, the Duleep Trophy, has seen contrasting action transpire over the course of the three games that have been played so far. While India Green and India Red were bowled out for less than 200 in the first innings of the first match of the league, India Blue more than made up for all of that, as well as for the play lost due to rain and wet outfield in the second match of the tournament, with a massive total of 707 in their first innings at Stumps on Day 2.

As many as three batsmen scored a century in the innings, and they had four partnerships in excess of 100 runs – which is a record in Duleep Trophy history – as Cheteshwar Pujara (166), Mayank Agarwal (161) and Sheldon Jackson (105) all made hay while the Sun shone brightly over Greater Noida as opposed to the rains that were pelting down a few days back.

Gautam Gambhir (90) and Karn Sharma (57) scored half-centuries as well.

The tactics behind the monumental total

While the numbers that India Blue have accumulated do invoke attention and praise, the purpose behind the score and the conditions that led to such a score aren’t very good as far as result-oriented first class cricket is concerned. On an absolutely flaccid wicket at the Greater Noida Sports Complex, the India Green bowlers had nothing to help themselves with, as the India Blue batsmen piled up a truckload of runs.

Secondly, the fact that the total at Stumps was in excess of 700 runs and not a good enough first innings total in the vicinity of 400 or 500, was due to the fact that India Blue needed only a draw to progress through to the final and meet India Red who have already qualified with a win and a draw to their name.

Hence, even after two of their top three batsmen scored centuries and they finished Day 1 comfortably placed at 336/3, they gave enough room for their No. 7, Sheldon Jackson, to score his own first-class century. Karn Sharma, who has a first-class batting average of 24, scored a fifty, and India Blue didn’t relent until their third centurion was dismissed in the dying moments of Day 2, that was, thankfully, the tenth wicket to fall.

With half of the scheduled time allotted for play already being elapsed, a draw certainly looks on the cards. But the question to be asked here should be about the tactics being applied by the teams.

Jalaj Saxena, who picked up 49 wickets in the 2015-16 Ranji season went for 115 runs in 35 overs and managed to pick up just one wicket. Shreyas Gopal, who picked up 23 wickets for Karnataka during the last Ranji season, picked up a five-wicket-haul for sure, but he was taken for 173 runs in his 37 overs and 3 balls – an economy rate of 4.61. By no means were they the bowlers who would bowl the way their figures suggested at the end of the day.

But, on a flat wicket and with a draw being the objective of the batting side, they were, along with their team, batted out of the competition. Had this been a true wicket, a result-oriented wicket, India Green would have had a chance to redeem themselves after their loss against India Red in the first game.

But, with the way things have transpired, India Green need only a miracle to book them a berth with India Red in the final. Miracles, however, are called so for a reason.

Brief Scores: India Blue 707 (Cheteshwar Pujara 166, Mayank Aggarwal 161, Sheldon Jackson 106, Shreyas Gopal 5/173, Ashoke Dinda 2/114) vs India Green at Stumps on Day 2.