Gujarat bowler Siddharth Desai celebrates after taking a wicket against TNCA President’s XI in the All India Buchi Babu cricket tournament at the Salem Cricket Foundation Ground in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, 28 August 2024.
| Photo Credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
Left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai picked up six for 61 to help Gujarat bowl out TNCA President’s XI for 211 and secure a first-innings lead of 160 runs on day two of the Group-B match in the third round of the Buchi Babu cricket tournament at the Salem Cricket Foundation (SCF) ground here on Wednesday.
Batting again, Gujarat got to six for two to end the day on a 166-run lead.
Siddharth picked up six wickets in a row with close-in fielders from around the wicket on a pitch that seemed to offer turn and, remarkably, sharp bounce.
He had a delivery slightly spin and sharply spring off the surface as Radhakrishnan nicked to the keeper on the last ball before lunch. The 24-year-old had A. Badrinath bowled through the gate with the arm-ball, and K.T.A. Madhava Prasad bowled with a delivery that pitched on middle-and-off and turned just enough to hit the top of off-stump.
Gujarat bowler Siddharth Desai delivers a ball against TNCA President’s XI in the All India Buchi Babu cricket tournament at the Salem Cricket Foundation Ground in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, 28 August 2024.
| Photo Credit:
E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN
Bowling from over the wicket to left-hander Rithik Easwaran (11), he had the batter charge at him and flick it straight to Umang Rohitkumar at short midwicket. He also had Mohamed Ali (56, 77b, 6×4, 2×6) from over the wicket to get to his five-wicket haul — the batter, trying to loft the ball down the ground, ended up dragging himself out of the crease to be stumped.
M. Mohammed gloved to be caught by Priyank Panchal at slip off Siddharth.
TNCA got to the total it did, courtesy of Ali and Andre Siddarth (55 n.o., 62b, 8×4, 1×6).
The scores (round three, day two): Group-B: Gujarat 371 in 109.4 overs (Kshitij Patel 62, Jaymeet Patel 144, Dhrushant Soni 44, M. Siddharth 6/76) & 6/2 in 4 overs vs. TNCA President’s XI 211 in 61.4 overs (S. Mohamed Ali 56, C. Andre Siddarth 55 n.o., Siddharth Desai 6/61).