Duleep Trophy Final: Mukesh Kumar, Mohammed Shami help East take control

CHENNAI: Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar may currently be out of India’s red-ball line-up, but the two Bengal pacers offered a timely reminder of their quality on the flat surface of the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.Bowling in the Chennai heat, Shami and Mukesh combined for four wickets as East Zone cemented their grip on the Duleep Trophy final. South Zone ended the third day on 242-6, still trailing by 466 runs after East posted a mammoth first innings total.Shami (2-17 in 11 overs) showed excellent control as he continued to pick the wickets of the well-placed Shaikh Rasheed and Smaran Ravichandran, both talented players from the South stable. On the other hand, Mukesh returned figures of 2-36 from 12 overs. The pair complemented each other beautifully, constantly debating what length to mix and making clever use of the reverse swing.“After about 20 overs, there was a bit of movement – reverse and otherwise. We benefited from that so we were able to pick up wickets quickly,” said Mukesh at the end of the game.East skipper Ishan Kishan was cautious with his front-rowers, aware of the physical demands of bowling in wet conditions. Shami opened with a three-over spell that cost just one run, while Mukesh bowled a four and removed Ricky Bhui, who played a delivery that zipped down the leg side to Kumar Kushagra.“It’s very hot here right now and the wicket is flat. So five or six spells wouldn’t really work here… In fact, long spells can lead to cramps,” said Mukesh. “Our plan as a team was to bowl in short bursts… We put maximum effort into every ball. That worked for us.”With left-arm spinner Anukul Roy unable to play after injuring his hand while bowling on Monday, East had to rely on part-time spin.Shikhar Mohan, an orthodox left-arm bowler in Anukul’s absence, made the most of his opportunity by claiming his first first-class wicket when N Jagadeesan (32) sliced ​​a delivery to Abhimanyu Easwaran at backward point.Devdutt Padikkal, fresh from his impressive performances in India, reached his half-century off 65 balls but his partnership with Rasheed was broken by Shami. The veteran lineman returned after lunch to relieve the right-hander and yanked one back sharply to jam his leg — before.Mukesh also created considerable pressure and claimed the prized scalp of Padikkala, who fell for 62. “The plan against Devdutt was to mix stump to stump,” said Mukesh. “If you offer the batsmen width on wickets like this, the runs will leak in. Our plan was to stay consistent, mix the balls up and let them take chances.”The key, Mukesh explained, was not to try to overdo things on a level playing field. “Speed ​​was a priority, but without fitness you can’t increase the pace. Then it’s about hitting the deck and measuring the length that works on this pitch,” he said.Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 56 offered South some resistance, Shreyas Gopal added 38 before falling to Kounain Quraishi in the last over of the day.Short Score:East zone 708 completely out. South Zone 242-6 (Padikkal 62, Tilak 56*). Match to continue.