SK Play of the day: Gautam Gambhir falls agonizingly short of a century in Duleep Trophy final

Continuing his prolific run of form in the 2016 edition of the pink-ball Duleep Trophy, Gautam Gambhir gave India ‘Blue’ another solid start in the opening day of the tournament final against Yuvraj Singh-led India ‘Red’ at Greater Noida. However, the southpaw might rue missing out on a century after being dismissed for 94.

Upon winning the toss, Gambhir opted to bat first on a dry surface which could deteriorate on the last couple of days. He explained, “(I am ) looking to put runs on the board so that the spinners can capitalize later on. It's a new game and we need to start well. It's important to play the first session well so that you can dominate later on.

“We will try and bat for as long as possible so that spinners can take advantage later on.”

Eager to lead from the front, the 34-year old seemed intent on resuming his fruitful association with the attacking Mayank Agarwal. With the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja bolstering his side, a strong first-innings total could go a long way towards stamping their authority on the contest.

Up against the new-ball pairing of Pradeep Sangwan and Nathu Singh, both openers began cautiously. However, Yuvraj pulled out a major surprise by introducing Amit Mishra into the attack as early as in the eighth over itself.

Gambhir reiterated his prowess against the turning ball by settling in quite comfortably. Meanwhile, at the other end, Stuart Binny replaced Sangwan to a defensive field setting which only highlighted India ‘Red’s impatient approach. Soon, the runs started to flow with Agarwal piercing the gaps relentlessly and finding the boundaries.

When the leg-spinner imparted significant flight on the ball, the left-hander did not hesitate to come forward. He had his fair share of luck too as chinaman exponent Kuldeep Yadav saw a sharp close-in chance go down while his partner survived a stumping opportunity too.

After averting another nervous moment off Mishra’s guile, Gambhir brought up his fourth successive fifty as well as a hundred-run partnership with Agarwal who later reached his fourth consecutive half-century too. Even though the pitches had assisted stroke-play, the duo’s consistency was still remarkable.

Binny prised out the breakthrough when the right-hander chipped one straight into extra cover’s hands. If the bowlers yearned for some respite, then the sight of Pujara taking guard must have sapped their energy. But, the fall of a wicket resulted in a few false strokes as Gambhir’s concentration seemed to be suddenly shrinking shortly after lights came on at the picturesque stadium.

Just six runs short of reaching three figures, he chopped a fuller delivery from Kuldeep onto the stumps and his wait for a first-class ton since December 2014 was extended further. However, the veteran had done enough to propel India ‘Blue’ towards a substantial total.

Pujara proceeded to bring up 10,000 first-class runs en route to a brilliant century. In the company of wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik, he aggravated India ‘Red’s woes with another hundred-plus stand to end the opening day at 362/3. Ahead of a packed home season, Gambhir’s productive outing could go a long way in keeping India’s Test regulars on their toes.