Published: Sep 11, 2016, 10:30 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 11, 2016, 11:08 PM (IST)
TUTI Patriots (TP) edged past Ruby Kanchi Warriors (RKW) by 9 wickets in 24th match of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2016. RKW won the toss and unhesitatingly chose to bat first on a track that had very little to offer for the bowlers. Captain Laxmipathy Balaji and co. bowled in the right channel, keeping a lid on the runs. Even at the age of 34, the pacer was at his his lethal best in the first spell but was eventually taken to the cleaners in the death overs. All the same, it was Washington Sundar who kept the runs flow intact in the mandatory powerful. He, along with V Athisayaraj Davidson, bowled in the channel of uncertainty and often beat the outside edge of the batsmen. Also read: Dindigul Dragons ease through to the playoffs, following 7-wicket win over Karaikudi Kaalai
On the other hand, Nilesh Subramanian kept playing his shots, taking his team to 37 for 1 after 5 overs. Meanwhile, Bharath Shankar hit a lovely four and a six before he holed out to third-man. The onus was then on Subramanian to take his team to a competitive total. He hit two boundaries off Davidson’s over: one through covers and the other through point. He looked set right from the word go. Nonetheless, the trio of Balaji, Aswin Christ and Akash Sumra did not concede boundaries after three overs of mandatory powerplay.
But there was no stopping Subramanian as he went all guns blazing and smashed a maximum over the bowler’s head, followed by a delightful slap through covers. Just when things fell in place for RKW, Srinivan trapped Subramanian with a wily delivery in front. He failed to get in a right position and flick it on time.
Sundar the put RKW in further enigma and sent Shahrukh Khan back to the dug-out.
Meanwhile, captain Baba Indrajith steadied the sinking ship and scored 28 off 32 ball, inclusive of one boundary. However, it was Jagatheesan Kousik who provided the much needed impetus, as he fired on all cylinders, plundering 43 runs off just 25 balls. He hit as many as four sixes, the best was the one over deep mid-wicket. TRK scored 47 runs in the last five overs, registering 145 for 8 from 20 overs. Aswin was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 19. ALSO READ: TNPL 2016, Dindugul Dragons vs Karaikudai Kaalai, Preview and Predictions: Dragons face red-hot Kaalai
Given the nature of the track, defending 146 was an uphill climb. RKW needed wickets to put TP on the back foot. They needed someone to run through the top order and dent opposition’s spirit.
However, as fate would have it, TP played with caution and made sure they give away easy wickets. The opening duo of Kaushik Gandhi and Umashankar Sushil stitched up an opening stand of 76 in just 10 overs.
Both batsmen looked in ominous touch, making sure they pick up a boundary every over. But Gandhi seemed in no non-sense mood. He swept Murthy Prabhu over over backward square-leg.
None of the bowlers could stop the runs slow. Even though the track was tailor-made for the batsmen, TP bowlers failed to mount pressure on the opposition.
However, TP needed 70 off the last 10 overs, with Gandhi and SP Nathan at the crease. With 9 wickets in hand, the task of scoring over 6 RPO was not that big for the in-form TP. In fact, they achieved the target in 16.3 overs, and are placed at the fifth position in the points table. ALSO READ: Watch a ‘furious’ Ravichandran Ashwin play mediator as street fight breaks out in TNPL match
Balaji at the post-match conferences said, “The boys played a very good brand of cricket and that is what we look to do. The boys showed intent and that is how we should be playing. If we pick wickets the match can change very quickly and our bowlers absorbed the pressure well. The bowling is one of the strongest points for us. Each of our batsmen are very keen on going out there and playing. We wanted to be strong in the top six and Sushil gave us a strong start.”
Meanwhile, Indrajith, captain of the losing side, said, “Baba Indrajith: “I should have carried on and my contribution of 28 off 33 balls wasn’t enough. I was looking to consolidate and should have kicked on earlier. In the end I felt we were 15-20 runs short. If we had scored 160-165 runs, the bowling plans of bowling shorter deliveries would have worked well for us. We have learnt a lot in this tournament and are hoping to come back stronger next year.”
Gandhi was awarded Man of the Match for his blistering 80-run knock. He said, “Nothing much was in my control in the earlier games as I kept getting out to instinctive shots. I knew one big innings was around the corner as I was hitting the ball well. I wanted to step up and pick up the other team mates as well.”
Brief scores:
Ruby Kanchi Warriors 145 for 8 (Jagatheesan Koushik 43, Baba Indrajith 28; Alag Prathiban 1 for 47) lost to TUTI Patriots 150 for 1 (Kaushik Gandhi 80, Umashankar Sushil 36; Aswin Crist 3 for 19) by 9 wickets
