One thing is certain: the toss is vital in a one-day game. All three league matches in the TVS Salve Challenger series have been won by teams batting first.

Chasing under lights is a herculean task. On Saturday, even the great Sachin Tendulkar failed to live up to the challenge, as India 'A' were bundled out by India 'B' for 225 runs in 35.2 overs and beaten by 83 runs in the last league match of the series.

The match was a dress rehearsal for Sunday's final. After Yuvraj Singh and Dinesh Mongia scored centuries to enable India 'B' pile 340 runs, the evening session promised to be eventful with Sachin Tendulkar leading the India 'A' riposte. Thin showers reduced the target to 308 off 40 overs, and when Tendulkar hooked Amit Bhadari into the top tier of the Chinnaswamy stadium, the chase was on.

Siddharth Trivedi of Gujarat got his first outing and beat Tendulkar with one that cut in sharply. The umpire disagreed and the lanky pacer was then torn apart by Tendulkar for three consecutive boundaries.

Trivedi bowls some sharp rising deliveries but lacks direction, giving easy hit-me balls every over.

Bhandari, however, got the better of Tendulkar, forcing him into a false shot that landed straight into India 'B' captain Rahul Dravid's hands at mid-off.

Tendulkar scored 22 off 14 balls, with four boundaries and a six.

India 'A' reached their fifty in five overs but lost the prize wicket of Tendulkar, who had wiped off the cobwebs of the long lay-off and seemed his usual fluent self.

Left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir, vying for the opening Test berth, showed why he is described as an explosive opener by former India batsman and coach Sandeep Patil after taking over from Tendulkar. Driving comfortably off the back-foot and front, he gave a brave batting exhibition that was laced with sweet timing before Sarandeep Singh bowled him around his legs for 58 off 37 balls, which had ten fours.

Ratra was bowled by medium pacer J P Yadav for 1 at the same score.

Mohammad Kaif and S Sriram tried to capitalise on the good start with quick singles as India 'A' reached their 100 in the 12th over. The duo stitched a fifty-run partnership off 44 balls and the match was still on.

But Dravid soon realised that the slow bowlers could do the job for him and employed spin from both ends. Indeed, the move proved mercurial, as Kaif was trapped in front by Mongia for 27 and Sriram was stumped for 29 while looking to up the tempo.

At 149 for 5, the match was over. Rohan Gavaskar failed to reproduce the magic that earned him the man of the match award in the opening tie against India Seniors and was gone for 16.

Mithun Manhas, playing his first game of the series, scratched around for 38 before he was bowled by leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule.

Mongia had a good outing, adding figures of 4 for 31 to the century he scored in the afternoon to deservedly claim the man of the match award.

Dinesh Mongia, Yuvraj help India 'B' to huge total

Earlier in the afternoon, India 'B' showed off their batting prowess once again by smashing their way to their second consecutive 300-plus total. In posting 340 for 2 on Saturday, they did not even need the experience skipper Rahul Dravid.

A beauty of a batting pitch and belligerent centuries by Dinesh Mongia (121) and Yuvraj Singh (111) combined superbly to set India 'A' a very stiff target.

India 'B' won the toss and elected to bat, keeping in mind the cool conditions prevailing in Bangalore, especially during the evenings.

India 'A' left out Wasim Jaffer, giving off-spinner Mithun Manhas a chance to impress the selectors, while India 'B' left out Shiv Sunder Das and Ajit Agarkar, giving Satyajit Parab a look-in.

Parab (41) did not disappoint in the openers' slot and put on 101 runs for the first wicket with Mongia at the other end. The duo took time to settle down, scoring 15 runs off the first five overs, but then found the form and strokes to get India 'B' off to a confident start.

Parab was beginning to open up but sooped a catch to Mohammad Kaif in the covers off Anil Kumble, who ended up as the sole wicket-taker for his side.

From that point on, the game was a struggle for India 'A'.

Yuvraj, who came in at the fall of Parab's wicket, looked in prime form, keeping the fielders on their toes all the time with shots flowing on both sides of the wicket.

Mongia's place in India's one-day team is a topic for debate but his batting showed no hint of pressure. After being dropped by Mithun Manas at second slip off the opening ball of the match from Aavishkar Salvi, he was particularly good with his shots behind the wicket, playing them with finesse and common sense. He hit as many as 18 fours in his knock before falling leg-before to Kumble.

Among the trio of wicketkeepers under consideration, Thilak Naidu (47 runs off 37 balls) is said to have the best batting. Today we saw why.

Coming in to replace Mongia, he kept the scoreboard ticking with ones and twos before launching a fierce assault on the bowling.

At the other end, Yuvraj stroke the ball really well. He got his 50 off 52 deliveries but then proceeded to smash the attack to all parts of the ground with disdain. He eventually ended up with 111 off a mere 82 deliveries.

The India 'A' bowlers were reduced to mere spectators and none impressed. Anil Kumble claimed two wickets but conceded 73 runs in his 10 overs. The veteran leg-spinner has increasingly looked out of sorts in this tournament.

India Seniors, having lost both their games, were knocked out of the tournament on Thursday.

Whatever the outcome of the match, India 'A' and 'B' will meet in Sunday's final.

Scoreboard

India 'B':
Dinesh Mogia lbw Kumble 121
Satyajit Parab c Kaif b Kumble 41
Yuvraj Singh not out 111
V S Thilak Naidu not out 47

Extras: (lb-6, nb-3, w-11) 20

Total: (for two wkts, 50 overs) 340

Fall of wickets: 1-102, 2-219.

Bowling: Avishkar Salvi 10-0-67-0, Irfan Pathan 10-1-67-0, Ramesh Powar 10-0-52-0, Anil Kumble 10-0-73-2, Mithun Manhas 4-0-29-0, Sachin Tendulkar 6-0-46-0.

India 'A':
G Gambhir b Sarandeep Singh 58
S Tendulkar c Dravid b Bhandari 22
A Rathra b J P Yadav 1
M Kaif lbw Mongia 28
S Sriram st. Naidu b Mongia 29
R Gavaskar c J P Yadav b Mongia 16
M Manhas b Bahutule 38
R Powar b Mongia 10
A Kumble c Naidu b Trivedi 8
I Pathan Jr. not out 0
A Salvi b Bahutule 0

Extras: (lb-2, b-1,nb-9, w-3) 15

Total: (in 35.2 overs) 225

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-87, 3-87, 4-146, 5-149, 6-189, 7-202, 8-225, 9-225.

Bowling: Bhandari 6-0-41-1, Trivedi 4-0-34-1, J P Yadav 3-1-27-1, Sarandeep Singh 8-0-41-1, Bahutule 3.2-0-28-2,
Mongia 8-0-31-4, Bharadwaj 3-0-20-0.