Baroda, inspired by a career best first class score of 181 by Nayan Mongia, finished with an imposing first innings total of 568 on the second day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Orissa at the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation ground in Baroda on Friday. By close, the visitors had just commenced their long haul by scoring four without loss in one over.

Resuming at 319 for two, Baroda did well to get to their final total. Mongia and skipper Jacob Martin resumed their third wicket association but at 342, Martin was leg before to Jayachandra for 86. The former India player batted almost four hours, faced 172 balls and hit 13 fours. Tushar Arothe joined Mongia and the two proceeded to figure in a fourth wicket partnership of 75 runs off 16 overs before the India wicketkeeper was finally dismissed. Mongia, whose previous best first class score was 165, was caught by Parida off Mohanty. He batted 7-1/2 hours, faced 317 balls and hit 25 fours and a six.

There was no respite for the Orissa bowlers for Arothe and HR Jadhav (21) then added 47 runs for the fifth wicket off 16.4 overs. Then Sanjay Raul got among the wickets and Baroda slid from 464 for four to 499 for eight. Among those dismissed was Arothe who made 86. In a stay of 3-1/2 hours, he faced 156 balls and hit 15 fours and a six.

However the tired Orissa bowlers encountered one last, unexpected hurdle with Valmik Buch (29) and Irfan Pathan (40 not out) adding 56 runs off 24 overs for the ninth wicket. The Orissa bowlers had a trying time in adverse conditions against a strong batting line-up. Mohanty sent down 41 overs to take three for 110. Two other bowlers conceded more than 100 runs - medium pacer Ajay Barik who captured one for 126 off 26 overs and off spinner Sanjay Satpathy who finished with two for 120 off 38 overs. The toil of the Orissa bowlers ie best exemplified by the fact that the Baroda innings lasted 760 minutes and 177 overs.

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