Das hundred puts India A in control against Durham
India A ended the first day of their four-day match against Durham at Chester-le-Street on 275 for 3, thanks to a century from Shiv Sunder Das and some substandard bowling from Durham's depleted attack
Wisden CricInfo staff
27-Jun-2003
Day 1 Close India A 275 for 3 (Das 125) v Durham
India A ended the first day of their four-day match against Durham at Chester-le-Street on 275 for 3, thanks to a century from Shiv Sunder Das and some substandard bowling from Durham's depleted attack.
The crowd was barely sufficient to constitute a quorum, and the closest they got to seeing a big-name player was when Durham's new signing Shoaib Akhtar was introduced to them at tea-time. Durham chose to rest several front-line players, and it was decision they were left to rue as India A made largely untroubled progress.
Das was in superb form, driving and cutting with ease, and with Wasim Jaffer (43) put on 122 for the first wicket. Das then added 80 for the second wicket with Gautam Gambhir, the only batsman in the top five without Test experience. Gambhir played some exquisite leg-side strokes in making 35.
Das's confidence only wobbled briefly when he survived a good shout for leg-before from Mark Davies on 96. Durham's hopes of pressurising Das while he was in the nervous nineties were dashed when they gifted him his hundred with a careless overthrow.
Das chanced his arm after passing three figures, eventually falling for 125 to a slip catch from Vince Wells off Ian Hunter (212 for 3), but Hemang Badhani (43*) and Parthiv Patel (21*) put on an unbroken of 63 in almost two hours to ensure that India A ended the day in a commanding position.