Safi Darashah invitational tournament: Nightmarish day for the bowlers

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On a nightmarish day for bowlers at the Alur (2) ground, the formidable KSCA XI set such a huge, impossible target that it would require a superhuman effort from KSCA Secretary’s XI if they are to entertain hopes of making the final of the Safi Darashah invitational tournament.
If the first two days of the semifinal was evenly balanced between the bat and ball, Day 3 of the encounter was total annihilation of the bowlers as an astonishing 491 runs was plundered in 102 overs for the loss of just five wickets on Tuesday.
Resuming at the overnight 169/2 after snatching a big lead of 136, KSCA XI’s formidable batsmen tore apart the Secretary’s XI attack with Ganesh Satish (103, 179b, 13x4) leading the charge.
While Satish mixed caution and aggression at one end, Amit Verma (92, 115b, 11x4, 3x6), Manish Pandey (55, 50b) and C.M.Gautam threw their bats around with absolute freedom as KSCA XI added 261 runs in 57 overs before declaring their innings at a massive 430 for five in 93 overs.
Set an impossible target of 567 in 120 overs, Secretary’s XI launched a spectacular fight back through Mayank Agarwal (118 n.o., 160b, 16x4, 3x6) and red-hot skipper Karun Nair (97 n.o. 113b, 15x4) to put the fear of god into their senior rivals.
At close the openers had raced away to 230 without loss in just 45 overs but they still need 337 runs in 78 overs in what could prove to be an exciting final day’s play.
At the Alur (3) grounds, President’s XI seized the first innings lead in another high-scoring contest. Haryana CA resumed at 242/2 in pursuit of 581/3 and were bowled out for 514 with four deliveries remaining in the allotted 120 overs.
S.K. Moinuddin, who had bagged two the previous day, picked up two more at a high cost of 4180 while Ronit More went for 123 while snaring three wickets. Armed with a 67-run lead, President's XI's R, Samarth (129 n.o., 150b) and first innings centurion Kunal Kapoor (75, 63b) powered them to 301 for four for an overall lead of 368 with 10 overs in their kitty .
Brief scores:
Alur (2) Ground: KSCA XI 341 in 86.2 overs and 2nd innings: 430 for 5 in 93 overs (Ganesh Satish 103, Manish Pandey 55, CM Gautam 34, Amit Verma 92, Parappa Mordi 2/83, J.Suchith 2/142) vs KSCA Secretary XI : 205 in 56.4 overs and 2nd Innings: 230 without loss in 45 overs ( Mayank Agarwal 118 n.o., Karun Nair 97 n.o.
At Alur (3): KSCA Presidents' XI: 581-3 in 120 overs and 2nd Innings : 301 for 4 in 50 overs (R Samarth 129 n.o., Kunal Kapoor 75, Sunil Raju 44, Jayant Yadav 2/76) vs Haryana CA XI: 514 all out in 119.2 overs (Sunny Singh 58, Rahul Tewatia 54, Kuldeep Hooda 45 n.o., SK Moinuddin 4/180, Ronit More 3/123, Arjun Shetty 2/98).