da casino： Services toiled for 40 overs to reach 62 for two, replying to Delhi’simposing 467 for five declared, a total mainly powered by captainMithun Manhas’ cracking 140
Staff Reporter02-Nov-2001Services toiled for 40 overs to reach 62 for two, replying to Delhi’simposing 467 for five declared, a total mainly powered by captainMithun Manhas’ cracking 140.Resuming on Day Two at their overnight score of 242 for two, Manhaswas on the offensive right from the beginning and was instrumental inhis team scoring 151 runs off the 36 overs bowled in the firstsession.Services tasted some success in the 14th over of the day when they hadyesterday’s centurion, Akash Chopra (123), caught at silly point by PMadhusudhan Reddy off Arun Sharma, bringing Pradeep Chawla to thewicket. Manhas, who exploited Services’ erratic bowling and shoddyfielding to the full, dispatched glorious shots all over the ground,cracking 20 boundaries and two sixes, sending his rivals scurrying forcover.His 16th boundary, a captivating pull towards the midwicket, fetchedhim his century. Manhas and Chawla (66) added 140 runs in 34 overs,piercing the field at will, before the latter fell, brilliantlystumped by keeper Sarabjeet Singh off Reddy in the 135th over.Delhi plundered 72 runs in 11 overs after lunch before a mistimedManhas shot off Sudhakar Ghag landed straight in the hands of SanjayVerma at cover; the innings was promptly declared.Services began their innings on a sedate note, the runs eluding themas Delhi’s opening bowlers Amit Bandhari and Arun Singh were ontarget, striking line and length straight away. Delhi drew first bloodin the seventh over when keeper Pradeep Chawla lunged to his right tolatch on to an edge from Narendra Pal Singh, who never lookedcomfortable and managed just two off 30 balls.With the Delhi bowlers and agile fielders giving them no room to playshots, Services went into a shell, getting into a defensive mode toensure that did not lose any more wickets. But the hosts struckanother blow in the 25th over when Delhi trump card off-spinnerSarandeep Singh scalped his first wicket, dismissing Jasvir Singh (7).However, Reddy (16*) and Yashpal Singh (30*) joined together and triedto shrug off the impact of the early dismissals, playing some positiveshots. Their unbeaten partnership of 41 imparted a modicum ofstability to the Services innings, and they hold the key to theirteam’s fate in the match, given the huge total amassed by Delhi.