Kotak in long graft

Patience is a virtue. Saurashtra's Sitanshu Kotak (or Pitamah Bhishma, as he is he is fondly called by some younger ones) will vouch for it. Today he frustrated the Delhi team with some sluggish batting on the second day of their Ranji Trophy super league tie at the Roshanara Club Grounds.

The veteran batted for nearly five and-a-half hours, playing 203 deliveries, out of which 70 he didn't even touch, in reaching his personal score of a modest 77. His team ended a very slow day on 175 for 7 before the game was called of early due to bad light.

Yesterday, Delhi had wound up their innings on 244, and this morning as expected went all guns blazing at the visitors. Ishant Sharma struck in his third delivery of the morning, uprooting opener Kanaiya Vaghela's off stump. The batsman had not anticipated the ball would nip back as much as it did.

Made to bat early today Kotak decided that he wasn't going to make the hosts earn his wicket. The southpaw remained adamant that he was going to stick around even if it meant not scoring. He was beaten more that two dozen times within the first session of the match yet the ball repeatedly evaded his bat's edge.

The difference in his batting from the other Delhi batsmen was that Kotak never really went for the ball and stuck to his crease defending everything that came his way.

At the other end opener Sagar Jogiyani was scoring freely and reached to 25 before he to fell victim to Ishant. He edged one straight to second slip where Aakash Chopra made no mistake.

Ishant, though not effective as one would have wanted him to be, still kept the ball up throughout the day and was swinging but he could not trouble the batsman. He was also the most expensive of the lot.

All eyes were suddenly focused on Cheteshwar Pujara and he was expected to score, but Rajat Bhatia's slow medium deliveries proved too tricky, and he was caught leg-before for 11. Immediately after lunch Bhatia claimed the wicket of skipper Jaydev Shah for a duck.

Jaydev, who was dropped the previous delivery by Virat Kohli at slips, made the same mistake next ball by edging it straight to the keeper becoming Bhatia's second victim.

Bhatia was the best bowler today and was best suited for a pitch that had slowed and died down as the day rolled on. The all rounder had only conceded 9 runs in his 13 overs. He kept a good line and length throughout his spell and even though Kotak and new batsman Pratik Mehta remained resolute. He stuck to his line and was finally rewarded by Kotak's wicket.

The left-hander had finally succumbed to his own game and slashed at a wide ball towards Shikhar Dhawan at gully.

Kotak's inning, though long and unending, had its better moments - a drive through mid-on off Pradeep Sangwan, a simple guide towards third man off Ishant were a few to mention.

After he departed Mehta, who also had applied similar tactics as Kotak gave way his wicket to Bandhari. He batted three hours and faced 116 balls for his 27 before playing on towards the keeper.

Sangwan then got Ravindra Jadeja's wicket in similar fashion before the umpires called stumps and left the visitors trailing by 69 runs with Rakesh Druv and Kamlesh Makvana batting on 12 and nought, respectively.

Brief scores: Delhi (1st innings) 244 vs Saurashtra 175/7 (Sitanshu Lotak 77, Rajat Bhatia 3/9, Ishant Sharma 2/61).