BOMBAY: Haryana kept their Cool in the face of some magnificent batting by Dilip Vengsarkar who was unbeaten on 139 to snatch a thrilling two-run victory Over Bombay to win the Charminar challenge Ranji trophy for the first time here Tuesday.

Chasing an imposing victory target of 355 in 190 minutes and 20 mandatory overs when Haryana were all out for 242 in their second innings after 100 minutes batting Tuesday Bombay feel agonizingly short of the target by three runs when they were bowled out for 352 in the 19th mandatory over

Haryana thus won their first ever national championship since their debut two decades back. It was also their second victory over Bombay in six meetings.

Bombay were off to a disastrous start losing three wickets for 34 before lunch.

Buta blazing knock of 96 off 75 balls in 80 minutes by Sachin Tendulkar which included nine fours and five sixes set them off on the canter which was later carried on by Vengsarkar despite handicapped by a groin strain sustained during the course of his innings.

The 35-year-old Stalwart slammed five sixes and seven fours in his brilliant 228-minute essay which was his 14th ‘ton’ in the championship and his 55th in first class cricket.

Including among his hits to the fence were three sixes and two fours in the company of last man and Debutant Abey Kuruvilla with whom he added 47 Pulsating runs and almost saw Bombay through to their 31st title.

Bombay who needed to score at the rate of 5.7 runs per over when the mandatory overs started required 59 off the last 10 before the onslaught by Vengsarkar on Bhandari brought them within reach of the target. They then needed only 14 runs in the last seven overs.

Vengsarkar and Tendulkar who cut the Haryana bowlers to ribbons with his audacious stroke play put on 134 runs for the fourth wicket in 22 overs.

Then Vengsarkar in considerable agony and with Rajput as a runner and left handed Vinod Kambli (45) added 81 runs in 16.2 overs for the fifth wicket to take Bombay to 249.

Kambli was out in the first mandatory over caught and bowled by Bhandari who along with left arm spinner Pradeep Jain bowled very well to check the run flow with not less than eight men on the boundary line.

Bombay then lost wickets regularly and things seemed totally lost for them when they were 305 for nine at the end of 12 mandatory overs before Vengsarkar made a brave effort which however proved to be in vain as Kuruvilla was run out by a throw from Amarjeet Singh Kaypee to the striker’s end from square leg to fetch victory.

Earlier Haryana’s last two pairs added 83 invaluable runs and also ate up useful time. Resuming at the overnight second innings total of 159 for the eight they were all out for 242 with Ajay Banerjee unbeaten on a stubborn 60 with nine fours.

Bombay’s hopes of putting an early end to the Haryana second innings were frustrated by a stubborn ninth-wicket partnership of 57 mins between Banerjee and Jain who like in the first innings proved to be a sticky customer in making 13 before being trapped leg before by Sanjay Patil.

Last man Yogendra Bhandari used the long handle effective to make 19 with four boundaries and also added 31 runs with Banerjee as Haryana prolonged the innings till Bhandari edged Salil Ankola to lone slip Vengsarkar.

Bombay were rocked on the back-foot by Chetan Sharma and Kapil Dev who claimed two and three wickets respectively to have the home team struggling at34 for three at lunch. Shishir Hattangadi (L) and skipper Sanjay Manjerekar (19) were Sharma’s victims while the Haryana captain accounted for Lalchand Rajput. (11).

Article extracted from this publication >> May 17, 1991