CHENNAI: Playing with the tail is an art by itself. VVS Laxman is a classic example who played with the tail many times and served India’s cause with distinction.
At the domestic level S Sharath, R Prasanna from Tamil Nadu and Y Venugopal Rao from Andhra are some of the names that come to mind who did their job with distinction.
Similarly, Lalit Yadav made a magnificent 177 to help Delhi post a mammoth 452 against Tamil Nadu on Day two of the Ranji Trophy at Guwahati.
He too has shown the pluck and flair to play with the tail.
Tamil Nadu were 72 for 2 at stumps. Before Tamil Nadu’s game, Yadav had scored over six 50’s in his career, with 91 being his highest at an average of 40 plus.
“It was a brilliant effort by Lalit Yadav. It is not an easy job playing along with the tail. A player is under immense pressure to not only score runs but also see that the batter at the other end does not lose his wicket,’’ said former India player Rao.
On Thursday evening, when Delhi were 291 for 7 at close of play on Day 1, Tamil Nadu chief coach M Venkataramana was hopeful that his bowlers will wrap up the Delhi tail on Friday morning.
But that was not to be. Lalit, along with Simarjeet Singh, added 48 runs for the eighth wicket, later with Vikas Mishra Lalit raised 92 runs for the ninth wicket. These two partnerships could prove to be a costly affair.
During this phase, Tamil Nadu captain tried several bowlers but without any reward. The Delhi tail wagged and proved a tough nut to crack.
The bowling attack looked ordinary as they lacked imagination and penetration.
They have an arduous task on Saturday having lost Laxmesha Suryaprakash and B Aparajith before the end of day’s play.