Dinesh Mongia cemented his growing reputation as one of the hottest players on the domestic circuit with another fluent knock in the last round-robin match of the Challenger Series. India B went into the game needing to beat India A to entertain any hopes of making the final. All the portents were good as skipper Robin Singh won the toss and elected to make first use of a true batting wicket.

But events, as they unfolded, did not take heed of the favourable omens. Sachin Tendulkar was quickly hauled back to the dressing room after hitting a flurry of boundaries and Jai Prakash Yadav and Mohd. Kaif fell in successive balls soon after to leave the B team at a precarious 49/3.

Beckoned to the middle, Mongia spared a minimum of time on the preliminary sparring as he set about the India A bowling. Two forcing shots square of the wicket on the off-side dismissed Venkatesh Prasad from the attack. Mongia's Punjab colleague Reetinder Sodhi was treated just as roughly when he arrived on the scene, being pulled and cut with elan. Mongia completed a 52 ball fifty in fine style, going down on bended knee to sweep left arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi over the pickets at square leg.

All this while Amay Khurasiya was playing a punishing hand at the other end and the association between the two lefthanders blossomed to 171 before both departed in close proximity. Having batted exactly two hours for his 83, Mongia was caught off Ajit Agarkar. His effort had spanned 84 deliveries and contained six boundaries and two sixes.

The innings lost momentum after the twin blows, meandering to 284 before being terminated in the 50th over. India B were duly knocked out of the competition by their opponents, denying Mongia another opportunity to exhibit his much endowed talents. But he had already done enough and more to be adjudged the best batsman of the series at journey's end.