Zaheer destroys Bihar with 10 wicket haul

Baroda's first clash in the Super League this season was against Bihar on home turf at the IPCL Sports Complex in Baroda. Bihar won the toss and put their opponents in, only to see them rattle up 360/6 on the opening day with Baroda skipper Tushar Arothe blasting a rapid century. The next day Baroda extended their total to 499 before allowing their guests a look-in. Paceman Zaheer Khan was one of the few failures for the home side, being taken out for a sixth ball duck by his Bihar counterpart Mihir Diwakar.

He was to make more than fair amends over the remaining course of the match. With no foreknowledge of the impending sequence of events, Bihar would have been at a loss to comprehend what hit them, succumbing as they did inside 28 overs. Zaheer set the ball rolling by knocking over both openers, Nikhilesh Ranjan and Ratan Kumar. He then came back to rip through the heart of the middle order, removing Rajiv Kumar and captain Sunil Kumar. And he terminated the innings for 119 in a shade over two hours by scalping last man Anil Kumar and end with figures of 5/43. Of Zaheer's victims, three were bowled, one was leg before and the other was caught behind by keeper Nayan Mongia, testifying to his relentless accuracy.

Following-on, Bihar were plunging towards an innings defeat at stumps on the second day having progressed to 74/3. Zaheer had done the early damage once more, dismissing Ratan Kumar and Sunil Kumar for the second time in the day. Bihar put up a stiffer challenge this time round as Ranjan and Diwakar both made fifties but that still could not prevent them hurtling to an innings and 114 run defeat shortly after lunch on the third day.

Zaheer ended the tenures of Aamir Hashmi, Vikash Kumar and Anil Kumar late in the innings to grab his second five wicket haul in the match. As in the first innings, four of his five victims were bowled or leg before, an untypically high proportion. Zaheer's second innings pickings of 5/67 gave him match figures of 10/110 and allowed Baroda to commence their Super League programme with the perfect launchpad of eight full points.