After a few cancellations and a hiatus due to final exams, the Wesleyan cricket club returned to competitive cricket with a home game against RPI at Andrus Field.
RPI arrived late, and in groups of 2 and 3, with their "supporters" arriving before most of the players. Finally, a 30-overs-a-side game got underway at 1 pm.
RPI won the toss under rather dubious circumstances. With their captain insisting that the toss be held on the edge of the ground, the first toss bounced off the steps of Olin Library. A re-toss, won by Wesleyan, wasn't accepted by RPI so another toss was held. RPI elected to bat first.
The RPI openers got of to a flying start thanks to some wayward bowling by skipper Swarna and Vuyani. Swarna took himself off after just two overs and introduced debutant G.Ravishankar, who finally make the all-important breakthrough in the 9th over. Zohair skied the ball and Zaki took a well-judged catch at mid-wicket and in the same over, the other opener, gloved a catch to wicketkeeper Vikram Maniar. He refused to leave as he claimed that the ball had come off his upper arm.
Soon, a clean-bowled was overruled because the batsman protested that the ball had "rolled" and an lbw appeal off Sanjai's bowling, upheld by the main umpire, was overruled by the square leg umpire thanks to the batsman vehemently protesting that it was bat-pad!
Arnab's double strike in the 17th over set the stage for a dramatic collapse. Swarna came back and bowled a better second spell and the two of them took 3 wickets each to reduce RPI to 124/8, after being 94/2 at one stage. Ravi took his 3rd wicket and Zaki finished off the innings at 149 in 28 overs, leaving Wesleyan a target of 5 an over.
The RPI bowlers, in their attempt to bowl very fast sprayed the ball all over the place. Zaki and Swarna opened the batting and Swarna was clean bowled by a ball that almost rolled. With the ball keeping lower as the match progressed, batting was becoming very difficult, but Wesleyan stayed in the hunt all along thanks to the number of wides bowled by RPI. At the drinks break, Wesleyan were 71/3 in 15 overs, with only 15 runs having come off the bat, since most dot balls were either keeping very low or were out of the batsman's reach! Vuyani, Zaki and Sanjai kept the innings together by avoiding risks and at 94/4 in 20 overs, the stage was set for a final assault on the target.
With the RPI bowlers, Zohair in particular, improving their line, it was upto the batsmen to force the pace. Ravi and Vuyani were beginning to open up when Ravi was run out and 44 runs were needed off the last 35 balls.
Vuyani's dismissal at 117 for a well-made 22 resulted in 3 more wickets tumbling for just one run and in the end, Vikram and Dominik played out the overs. The innings ended at 132/9, with 82 extras (67 wides)! RPI won by 17 runs. Their bowlers and fielders argued several calls by the umpires but had only themselves to blame for bowling so many wides. Good batting by their openers enabled them to pull off this victory.

Swarna Basu
6.4.2000
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