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MELBOURNE, Oct 30 AAP – Victorian opener Jason Arnberger went through plenty to score a vital century on day one of the Pura Cup cricket match against Tasmania.Arnberger made an unbeaten 109 at the MCG as the Bushrangers reached 5-258 at the close.His 100-run stand with Cameron White (46no) lifted the Victorian run rate and gave the home side a slight advantage.”It was probably one of my best (centuries), it’s always hard to get one at the MCG – it’s probably the toughest (in terms of) accumulating my runs,” Arnberger, 29, said.Arnberger was dropped before he had scored, driving to Graeme Cunningham at silly mid-off.Cunningham could not hold the difficult chance despite several grabs at the ball.Victoria won the toss, but the dry pitch had uneven bounce and the outfield was slow.A rearing delivery from Shane Watson after tea also hit Arnberger on the right hand, giving him another ice pack at the end of the day’s play to go with the one for his pre-existing knee injury.”It was very tough, the wicket looked pretty good but it didn’t play as well as it looked,” Arnberger said.”You get a shot to play, hit it into the wicket and it wouldn’t go anywhere.”You’re playing good shots and getting no value – the outfield was pretty slow as well.”They bowled pretty well, they just bowled line and length (on) off stump and set straight fields.”Arnberger was stranded on 35 for 40 minutes and Victoria inched to 4-142 at tea.But he and White lifted the run rate and the centurion noted his partner made the batting look much easier.Arnberger also lifted the tempo, staying in the 90s for only 10 balls.He had faced 294 balls in 370 minutes, hitting eight boundaries.It was Arnberger’s sixth first-class ton and a welcome return to form, having managed only 401 runs last season at 28.64.This was his first Cup century since the 2000-01 season.Victoria brought in White, a leg-spinner, as a late replacement for Jon Moss and omitted paceman Will Carr because of the dry pitch.The Bushrangers will also have the trump card of master leg-spinner Shane Warne.”It’s going to get harder and harder to bat on that,” Arnberger said, adding the pitch was already turning.Fellow opener Matthew Elliott made 35, while paceman Damien Wright was the only multiple wicket-taker with 2-62.

Kensington Oval should provide a pitch for the first Test against New Zealand, starting Friday, similar to that lauded by West Indies captain Carl Hooper last month as the best in the preceding series against India.Pitch supervisor Richard Prof Edwards was confident yesterday that everything is ready, adding that preparation by head groundsman Hendy Davis and his staff had not been adversely affected by the current rainy weather.It should be very similar to the pitch for the India Test, he said. With the moisture around, it should have a little juice on the first day and gradually get better for batting.We’ve managed to prepare pitches at Kensington in recent years that are good for cricket, with something for both bowlers and batsmen, and we saw that in the India Test, he pointed out.Sent in, India lost a wicket to the first ball of the match and collapsed to 102 all out on the opening day, more through limp batting than devastating bowling. They never got back into the game as West Indies went on to win by ten wickets.Describing that pitch, Hooper said: If you put your back into it, you got something out of it. But batsmen who applied themselves were able to get some runs.The one for Friday is alongside that used for the Test and the One-Day International against India last month.With the traffic on those pitches, from batsmen running between the wickets, bowlers following through and close fielders, the eastern side has less grass than to the west but it’s not a problem, Edwards said.It looks good, there are no cracks visible, what with the moisture around, and I’d expect it to stand up well, he added. We’ll take some of the grass off before Friday and give it one light sprinkling on Thursday.On all past evidence, the captain who has the coin drop his way should choose to bowl first. The New Zealanders have found helpful first day pitches in each of their three previous Tests at Kensington.In 1972, Garry Sobers ignored a lush green surface and batted on winning the toss. The West Indies were 44 for five by lunch and dismissed for 133, mainly through the big fast bowler Bruce Taylor’s seven for 54.But conditions for batting improved so markedly, New Zealand replied with 422 and the West Indies saved the match by scoring 564 for eight in their second innings through Charlie Davis’ 183, Sobers 142 and their stand of 256.In 1985, a menacing West Indies attack of Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Winston Davis made the most of the toss, undermining New Zealand at 19 for four on a first day shortened to 19.5 by rain.It became 94 all out next day and, although they batted better second time round to reach 248, they were beaten by ten wickets.It was the same margin by which they lost in 1996 after they were bowled out for 195 on the first day and Sherwin Campbell responded with 208 in West Indies’ 472. But it was not a feared fast bowler who created havoc on the opening day but Jimmy Adams, who claimed five for 17 with his optimistic left-arm spin.Nathan Astle, one of only three of the current team who played in that match (captain Stephen Fleming and Chris Harris are the others), attacked for 125 in New Zealand’s second innings but the effort was in vain.

Leaders Surrey reached 191 for five on the rain-delayed first day of their Frizzell County Championship Match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. After rain prevented play until 1200, Dougie Brown gave the hosts an excellent start, with three wickets as Surrey slipped to 59 for four. But Mark Ramprakash (67*) and his skipper Adam Hollioake (66) shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 88 before Hollioake was dismissed just before the close.Carl Crowe took three wickets for second-placed Leicestershire as they bowled out third-placed Hampshire for 311 at Grace Road. Nic Pothas (63) and John Crawley (60) shored up the hosts, while there were also two wickets for Academy hopeful Matthew Whiley.Kent’s Amjad Khan (six for 56) broke the back of the Sussex batting after the hosts were put in at Hove. Martin Saggers and David Masters shared the remaining wickets as Sussex were turned over for just 145, with only Michael Yardy (33) passing 20. At stumps Kent were 152 for five, with Ed Smith unbeaten on 63.At Scarborough, Peter Bowler gave Somerset the backbone Sussex lacked. Bowler (84), Piran Holloway (65) and Keith Parsons (59) helped the visitors to a healthy 299 for five at stumps against bottom-of-the-table Yorkshire. Off-spinner Richard Dawson took two wickets for the hosts.Division Two leaders Essex had a bad day at Southend. Worcestershire’s off-spinning all-rounder Gareth Batty garnered six for 71 as the hosts crumbled to 197 all out. Veteran John Stephenson (44) led a praiseworthy rearguard action, and Andy Flower made 41. At the close the visitors were 20 for no wicket in reply.Another veteran, Kim Barnett, scored his 61st first-class century to hold second-placed Middlesex at bay at Southgate. Barnett (119*) was assisted first by Craig Spearman (46) and then by Mark Alleyne (45) as Gloucestershire closed on 270 for four.A two-day finish looks possible at Darlington between third-placed Derbyshire and bottom-of-the-table Durham, who were bowled out for 191 by Derbyshire, for whom Kevin Dean took four for 65. At one point Durham were 108 for seven before Graeme Bridge (49) led a minor revival. Derbyshire fared even worse as Neil Killeen (three for 27), Mark Davies (two for 18) and Marc Symington (two for 12) shot them out for just 96, with only Michael Di Venuto (57) and Lian Wharton reaching double figures. At stumps Durham were 63 without loss in their second innings, 158 ahead.Paul Franks (four for 46) and Andrew Harris (four for 70) combined to bowl Glamorgan out for 213 at Trent Bridge, with only Ian Thomas (76) playing an innings of substance. Notts ended the day on 133 for two, with Guy Welton on 55 and Usman Afzaal 53.

For some people, it is akin to a pilgrimage, an annual-or-so journey undertaken with near-reverence to just imbibe their share of the action. For others, it is the greatest second-hand thrill they can experience, an escapist hiatus from day-to-day drudgery. For yet some others, it is a chance to breathe the same air as the heroes they worship.Sadly these days, it also appears that for some more, a cricket match is the window into 15 minutes of fame as the sweep of the television camera catches them hooting, waving, sporting hideously ungrammatical banners, and generally making fools ofthemselves.Three consecutive one-day internationals between India and the West Indies have been marred by crowd trouble, the last of which had to be abandoned with more than 20 overs to play. Puzzlingly enough, when the crowd stepped into the fray – with a well-aimed bottle that struck Vasbert Drakes – India were 200 for one from 27.1 overs, nicely on their way to chasing down the target of 301. Latest action hero Virender Sehwag, moreover, was winding up to set pulses racing faster than they already were, unbeaten on an 82-ball 114. Why on earth, then, would an Indian supporter want to wreck a game poised at this delightful stage?Admittedly, to stretch the point a little, there are few things people will eschew in an effort to hog the limelight. And so cricket coverage has seen its share of freaks in the crowds; from wearing women’s dresses (by men, obviously!) to dressing up as SantaClaus to shaving the names of television channels into designer hairdos, nothing seems too absurd. Perhaps, then, the simple act of hurling a half-filled water bottle onto the field is only another manifestation of this publicity-seeking phenomenon.Sociologist, writer and long-standing cricket aficionado Mukul Kesavan agrees that this might just be the case. “I think the difference between crowds now and crowds earlier (circa 1970, say) is that then you were watching a game for which you hadbought a ticket and for which you had risen at five in the morning to get a decent place in the cheap seats. Watching a game was a rare and precious experience, and if you did riot, it was because your cricketing passions got the better of you,” he says.Going one step further, Kesavan adds, “Now the rowdiness seems to be more pastime than passion. My guess is that this is an extreme manifestation off the TV disease. People who come to watch cricket matches today come to watch an entertainment that they have previously seen on TV. Watching cricket on television is on par with watching other kinds of popular entertainment, such as game-shows, where the programme is as much about the studio audience as it is about the stars.”That crowds have always been on air for surprisingly long is indisputable, right from the days when Henry Blofeld discoursed at embarrassing length on the sizes, shapes and colours of jewelry sported by women in the stands, down to the modern phenomenon of cricketers-turned-commentators vainly reading out banners that fans scrawl about them. One-day cricket, thus, has not only changed the way fans view the game, but the manner in which they watch it as well.While Indian grounds certainly have no monopoly over crowd trouble, there are several facets that are unique to them. The most relevant, probably, is the fact that the percentage of people who actually pay for their tickets at venues is an absurdly low figure.Take the case of the recent India-West Indies Test match at Chennai. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) gives out complimentary tickets under various heads. Every player who has ever represented Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy, for example, gets two tickets. If the cricketer has played for India, the count usually rises. Every umpire – and there are an estimated 200-plus such registered umpires under the auspices of the TNCA – also receive their freebies. Every member of the Madras Cricket Club (MCC) gets a ticket, as do members of the Madras Race Club, which is affiliated to the MCC. In all, just these minor categories would account for several thousand tickets.Secondly, every district association – and there are 28 such – gets a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 75 tickets, based on their relative importance. In addition to this, tickets from specified stands, sold commercially at Rs 300 are made available to them for Rs 75. Add to this the fact that every registered club – over 100 such in the five divisions that constitute the TNCA league – and you’ve accounted for a little more than 10,000 complimentary tickets.Only then do the heavyweights enter the picture. Every government agency ­ the police, the municipal corporation, the water-works, you name it – gets a slab of tickets. By and large, there are no stipulated quotas, but the tickets awarded are inproportion to the clout that each of these institutions wields with the TNCA. Of course, staff from all these departments “on duty” at the venue may number another several thousand. (The Kolkata Test against Australia, to cite an example, had as many as 22,000 policemen on duty at the Eden Gardens.) Throw in the comparatively trivial numbers that make up pressmen, vendors, ball-boys, hospitality staff, and one would then hardly be surprised to find that a huge proportion of the 50,000 seats at the TNCA are just given away.Where, then, do the paying public figure? In just a small minority in the stands. It goes without saying that people in general are infinitely more careful with their money than other peoples’. When the power blinks out in a cinema theatre, impatient audiences holler out only the choicest invective at the management until the show resumes. When someone orders a tomato-less burger at a restaurant, only to find it teeming with tomatoes, it is immediately returned with a demand for a replacement.Would it not be logical, then, to extend these analogies to cricket? Would someone who paid of their hard-earned for a ticket be likely to throw a bottle and bring a screeching halt to the entertainment? “No spectator has any financial stake in watching the match,” observes Kesavan. “The solution is selling tickets to individuals, not giving them away as freebies. Once people who want to watch cricket badly enough to pay for their tickets fill stadiums (or even half-fill them) you won’t have a tenth as much trouble,” summarises Kesavan.One cannot help but think that this might be the one of the few genuine solutions to the problem. More policing, closed-circuit cameras, heavy frisking and other ad-hoc strategies to tackle the problem would be like taking an aspirin to fight the flu. The pain may ebb, but the root cause has hardly been tackled. If the authorities are serious about resolving this issue, the only way to do so is to bring the genuine cricket fans streaming back into the cricket grounds.

Western Province were again unable to follow-up their early inroads into the KwaZulu-Natal second innings, and by close of play on the third day the visitors had extended their lead to 365 with three wickets still in hand and no declaration in sight.Overnight batsmen HD Ackerman and Claude Henderson kept their partnership going for 45 minutes against the second new ball before Henderson’s defence was penetrated by McLean. Roger Telemachus soon followed, and Charl Willoughby’s presence at the crease eventually persuaded Ackerman to play some of his rarely seen aggressive shots, hitting three fours and a five in an entertaining last wicket partnership. They finished the innings with 3.50 batting bonus points, ensuring that they must win this match to qualify for the Final in April.Trailing by 99 runs, the home team fought back gamely. Telemachus had Doug Watson lbw and Willoughby dismissed Ahmed Amla to a slip catch for the second time in the match, but WP were struck a cruel blow when Willoughby was injured shortly before lunch. His dislocated shoulder ended his participation in this match. Henderson, opening the bowling after lunch, dismissed Jonty Rhodes with a ball which kept low, and also had Dale Benkenstein caught behind, at which stage KZN were in trouble on 41 for four. Hashim Amla and Jon Kent restored the balance with a partnership of 55 before Amla was dismissed by part timer Jonathan Trott, the second dubious lbw decision of the innings.Kent and Lance Klusener continued to turn the screws with a partnership of 81 for the 6th wicket. Kent played some elegant strokes, while Klusener, true to reputation, treated Henderson with the utmost respect but belted all of his 6 fours and 3 sixes off the seamers from the Wynberg end. Both departed in quick succession, at which point WP had some hope of fighting back, with KZN 289 ahead with just three wickets in hand.That was the last success for the home team. Duncan Brown dug his heels in, playing a gritty innings interrupted only when he pulled a Henderson long hop over the mid wicket boundary. Goolam Bodi played with his normal aggression, punishing all the bowlers as he included ten boundaries in his unbeaten 50. The umpires allowed WP just one over with the second new ball before offering the batsmen the light with seven overs still to be bowled, but already 26 minutes into overtime. Henderson was the best of the bowlers, bowling 32 overs unchanged from the Kelvin Grove end.

Doug Cowie and Brent Bowden will be New Zealand’s two automatic nominees to the International Cricket Council’s international panel of umpires.They will be part of a 20-strong group whose international duties will be largely confined to standing in One-Day Internationals, although some panel members could be called in to help the elite panel of eight when there are unavailabilities.The international panel is due to be announced by the ICC in the next few days.Cowie, 55, has stood in 22 Tests since making his international debut at Napier in 1994/95 when New Zealand played Sri Lanka. He has also stood in 63 ODIs.Bowden, 39, has stood in three Tests and 19 ODIs.Their reserve is Tony Hill, 50, and unless one of either Cowie or Bowden is overseas doing other games, his main duties will centre on TV umpire work.There is also the possibility that international matches in New Zealand won’t have an overseas umpire in them in which case the matches would have the top two standing together.The two other members of the former international panel, Dave Quested and Evan Watkin drop back to the A panel where the prospects of covering international matches are largely confined to tour games involving international sides.Meanwhile, Bowden and another Auckland umpire, Phil Jones, will be doing games at the Pacifica Cup being played in Samoa later this month and in early-June. Among other umpires from the region in attendance will be Bob Parry and Rod Tucker from Australia and Tony Cooper from Fiji.New Zealand Cricket’s umpiring manager Brian Aldridge will be the tournament umpires’ manager.

Marcus Trescothick continued his tremendous start to the season with a fourth century in six innings to lead Somerset to a 108-run Benson andHedges Cup victory over Gloucestershire at Taunton.Without the injured Mark Alleyne and Ian Harvey, the Gloucestershire attack could not contain the England opener, who blasted 112 off 99 balls, with 12 fours and a six, as Somerset posted 262-9 after winning the toss.Despite a bright start in reply, which saw them 70-1 in only the 14th over, the visitors subsided tamely to 154 all out, using up just 38.2 overs.While both teams qualify for the quarter-finals, Somerset do so as group winners, having overtaken their previously unbeaten West Country rivals.Skipper Jamie Cox’s only concern will be the way his side slumped from 215-2, with ten overs remaining, when a 300-plus total looked possible.Two run-outs and a succession of loose shots meant they fell well short, with Jeremy Snape collecting 4-32.Trescothick had been in prime form from the start. He hit three boundaries in an over off both Jon Lewis and Mike Cawdron, who was also deposited for an enormous six over mid-wicket.Peter Bowler provided solid support with a 94-ball half-century in an opening stand of 138. Then Ian Blackwell hit a brisk 35 to further strengthen Somerset’s position.Despite the middle-order collapse, it was a sizeable total andGloucestershire needed a good start in reply. They got it through TimHancock, Kim Barnett and Rob Cunliffe.Andy Caddick was seen off, but Jason Kerr came on to prove a more than adequate replacement, varying his pace intelligently in an accurate six-over spell that brought 2-13.Kerr was also responsible for the key run-out of Hancock for 30 with a fast throw from third-man, which reduced Gloucestershire to 75-4. The result was never in doubt from then on.Trescothick weighed in with 3-30 with his medium-pace and took a sharp slip catch to cement the gold award.

FULL NAME: Neeten Chouhan
BORN: At Harare, 3 April 1983
MAJOR TEAMS: Mashonaland A (2000/01), CFX Academy (2001/02). Present club side:Universals
KNOWN AS: Neeten Chouhan. Nickname: Chewy
BATTING STYLE: Left Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Leg Breaks and Googles
OCCUPATION: CFX Academy studentFIRST-CLASS DEBUT: 23-25 March 2001, Mashonaland A v Midlands, at Kwekwe SportsClub
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaitedBIOGRAPHY (March 2002)Neeten Chouhan, the often dogged opening batsman for the CFX Academy in 2002, may have an equally bright future as a leg-spinner, in the opinion of Academy coach Dave Houghton. Neeten has a tendency to bowl inaccurately, which Houghton puts down to lack of practice over the last few years, but he has the ability to spin the ball sharply and bowl the odd virtually unplayable delivery.Neeten has the benefit of a keen cricketing parent, as his father Nick has been a Mashonaland Cricket Union administrator for years, having been a player himself in the past at social level. Other members of the family, according to Neeten, have been enthusiastic as spectators rather than players. Nick first introduced Neeten to the game in the back yard of their home when he was very young, and this was reinforced at junior school. He first played for Selborne Routledge Primary School colts in Harare when in Grade 3, but then moved to Sharon School.At the age of about 10 he remembers scoring 64 in one match, and in another taking six wickets, although this was bowling seamers rather than leg-spin. He only turned to leg-spin at high school, when his conversion was by accident: he says his team was short of a spinner, so he gave it a try and picked up five wickets.He played for the Harare primary schools team in the national inter-provincial festival before graduating to Prince Edward High School. He was in the A team for each age-group until graduating to the first team in Form Four, where he finished his school career as captain. He was selected for the national Under-16 team, and Mashonaland sides at all age levels, captaining that side in his final year at school. He also went on a Zimbabwe development tour to Kenya in 2000. He played primarily as a batsman, usually at four or five, but he was moved to open the batting during his last two years at school. He did not enjoy great success in these matches.His best batting performance was 104 not out for the school first team against Watershed School, followed by 101 against Eaglesvale, and took nine wickets with his leg-spin in a match against Plumtree. While still at school he made his first-class debut for Mashonaland A against Midlands at Kwekwe, but without success. He left school at the end of 2001 and won a place in the CFX Academy.He started playing club cricket for Sunrise, the predominantly Indian sports club in Harare, but they were in the third league and he had set his sights higher. He moved to the Prince Edward old boys’ club, Old Hararians, for two years, but was unable to break into their first team regularly, so he moved again to Universals `to get a better chance’.He opened the innings for the Academy in the Logan Cup, although he prefers the middle order. He showed the ability to concentrate and play a long innings, but has not yet found the freedom to develop his strokeplay. He feels his straight drives are his best strokes. As a bowler he feels his main strength is in his ability to spin the ball sharply, and he has the googly and top-spinner to add to his normal leg-break. He usually fields in the cover area, although the Academy also uses him at short leg.He feels the coaches who have had the greatest influences on his career have been George Lee-Bell, coach at Prince Edward during his time there, and Bill Flower.Cricket heroes: Damien Martyn and Neil McKenzie, as he enjoys their style of play. "Obviously Shane Warne."Toughest opponents: Bowler – Henry Olonga.Personal ambitions: "Obviously to play for Zimbabwe, before the age of 23. Battingwise I want to average around 45 in Logan Cup."Proudest achievement so far: "Becoming Mashonaland A captain and getting into the Academy."Best friends in cricket: Conan Brewer.Other qualifications: A-levels, degree in computers.Other sports: Tennis for Mashonaland at Under-12 level, hockey for Mashonaland in 2001.Outside interests: "Watching TV!"

Scorecard
Phillip Hughes made his first century for South Australia•Getty Images

A sturdy century by Phillip Hughes and a striking all-round display from Johan Botha lifted South Australia to a bonus-point victory over Tasmania in Hobart, the Redbacks’ second consecutive limited overs win.On a sluggish pitch, the off-season recruits Hughes and Botha guided the visitors to 8 for 248, a tally that was to prove far too steep for the Tigers as the Redbacks delivered a beguiling combination of pace and spin.Hughes survived a difficult chance to the Tigers’ wicketkeeper Tim Paine on 24 but otherwise showed power, poise and a wide stroke range on a surface most other batsmen found difficult to get comfortable on.Botha’s stand of 76 with Hughes ensured SA would post a strong total after the innings had slipped to 5 for 142 against a decent spin spell from Jason Krejza. Ben Hilfenhaus shared the new ball with Krejza and nipped out Michael Klinger early but was hit about Bellerive by Hughes in later stints at the crease.Tasmania’s reply began well enough, but turned when Tim Paine’s flat pull shot was smartly held on the midwicket fence by Hughes. Two balls later Jake Haberfield pinned George Bailey on the crease, and added a critical third when Ricky Ponting drove to wide mid off.Botha, Dan Chrisitan and the economical Nathan Lyon constricted the remainder of the innings, wickets falling regularly as the Tigers’ chase petered out well short.

Tamil Nadu piled up 287/3 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy pre-quarterfinal against Delhi at the IIT-Chemplast ground, Chennai on Saturday. Hemanth Kumar was the toast of the day with an unbeaten 108.Tamil Nadu skipper Robin Singh opted to bat. Delhi medium pacers Robin Singh Jr and Amit Bhandari extracted pace and bounce on a flat track, troubling S Sriram and S Badrinath in the early overs. Badrinath had an early escape when he edged one from Bhandari that fell short of second slip.The opening pair put together 70 runs. Sriram (38) was the first to be dismissed, caught behind by Chawla off Bhandari. Sriram never looked too comfortable in the middle.Badrinath followed Sriram back into the pavilion in a hurry, caught by Shewag off left-arm seamer Amit Suman. The ball kicked up off a good length and popped up in the air after hitting the batsman’s gloves. Tamil Nadu were in some trouble at that stage, reduced to 74/2.Left-handed batsmen Hemanth Kumar and S Sharath took the attack to the Delhi camp, batting sensibly and accumulating runs. Sharath struck one massive straight six and five fours in his classy knock of 58 before being bowled of a big inside edge off the bowling of Suman.Hemanth and Sharath added valuable 106 runs for the third wicket. Rahul Sanghvi who was dropped from the national side after being smashed by the Aussies in the Mumbai Test, seemed to carry the blues into the match. He looked clearly a different bowler without any confidence to give the ball the loop to purchase wickets on a placid track.The off spin bowling of Harendra Chaudhury and Virender Shewag did not make an impression on the batsmen either as they kept on piling up the runs. Sharath’s wicket was the last success of the day for Delhi.The spotlight was on Hemant. He played with his usual lazy elegance, driving through covers and playing the pull shot with ,lan. He punished the loose stuff. Delhi relied heavily on their medium pacers to tie down Hemanth, who so far has played a chanceless knock. He got to his hundred by lofting a full toss from Amit Bhandari who was bowling with the second new ball, straight over the bowler’s head first bounce over the ropes. He has struck 12 fours and a massive six so far in his unbeaten innings.Giving Hemanth good company is JR Madanagopal who is unbeaten on 44 including three boundaries and a six. The pair have added 107 runs for the unfinished fourth wicket stand.Amit Suman was the best of the bowlers, extracting good bounce off the track. He has troubled all batsmen today, bowling left-arm and over the wicket. He did manage to move the ball either way off the seam to finish the day with 2/60 off 17 overs.Tamil Nadu will hope to pile on the runs tomorrow since, in Indian domestic cricket, most matches are decided on the first innings lead. With the likes of S Mahesh and Robin Singh to follow and Vidyuth Sivaramakrishnan batting at number ten, it might well be another long day in the field for Delhi.Delhi is led by Vijay Dahiya, who till the other day was a contender for the India wicket keeper’s job. Dahiya is playing this match as a batsman while Pradeep Chawla dons the wicket-keeping gloves. Off spinner Nikhil Chopra is not playing as he is indisposed.