Matchday
3 has been the busiest day of our tournament so far. We had 3 matches, and each
of these added a fair dose of thrill and excitement to our tournament. The
action began as Globex International and Vedic Naturals, the top 2 teams of
Group A, took on each other for top honors in the group. This promised to be an
eventful encounter, and it lived up to its billing from the first ball.
Match 5: Globex
International vs Vedic Naturals
Globex
won the toss and putting Vedic Naturals in to bat on a somewhat damp wicket,
they had them tottering at 9 for 5 from 6 overs! Just as it seemed that Team
Vedic had no further hope, Gagandeep and Kuldeep turned the match around.
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Mudassir, the Man of Match |
Scoring 43 (26) and 52 (34) respectively, they powered their team total up to a
healthy 156 from 20 overs. However, opener Mudassir from team Globex
International stole the thunder with 63 from 48 balls, ensuring that his team
chased down the total in 18.1 overs. Fast bowler Kuldeep took 16/3 from his 4
overs, to follow up his half century.
The
Man of the Match was a hard pick, but it was Mudassir who took away the prize
for his match-winner. Kuldeep, however, remains in contention for the Man of
the Series and Best Allrounder awards.
Vedic Naturals: 156/8 in 20 overs
Gagandeep 43 (26)
Kuldeep 52 (34)
Zubair 2/16 (4)
Parihar 2/17 (4)
Mudassir 1/21 (3)
Globex International: 158/6 in 18.1 overs
Mudassir 63 (48)
Kuldeep 3/16 (4)
Ashwini 1/15 (4)
SPARTAN Man of the Match: Mudassir
Match 6: DIT vs Foreway
The
second match of the day was also a crucial one, and it was played between the
remaining two teams from Group A - DIT and Foreway. DIT had lost its first two
matches, and Foreway had lost its opening game, so it was a must-win game for
both the teams.
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Sudhanshu getting his award |
DIT
won the toss and decided to bat. However, unlike their earlier matches, they
failed to impress and got bundled out for 112. DIT, though, did put up a
spirited fight with the ball, getting wickets at regular intervals and giving
Foreway many nervous moments. Finally, the total just wasn’t enough, and
Foreway got home with enough overs to spare. The Man of the Match was Sudhanshu
from Team Foreway, for an impressive 8/3 from 3 overs, and a brilliant run out
of his own bowling.
DIT: 112 all out
Sudhanshu 3/8 (3)
Foreway: 116/7
Ankit 29 not out
Manu 4/33 (4)
SPARTAN Man of the Match: Sudhanshu
Match 7: Hindustan Tiles vs
SRT XI
The
final match of the day was the first one from Pool C, between SRT XI and
Hindustan Tiles. Hindustan Tiles won the toss here and elected to bat first. At
one point they seemed to be in serious trouble, at 67/5. Medium pacer Harshit
(23/4 from 4 overs) and off-spinner Rajat (14/2 from 4 overs) bowled with a lot
of skill and energy, and it seemed like Hindustan Tiles had no respite.
Unfortunately for SRT XI, their other bowlers let them down, and Ajay (45 from
31 balls) and Rahish (44) capitalized on some undisciplined bowling. They
finally ended up with an impressive 174/9 from their 20 overs.
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Ajay, the Man of Match |
SRT
XI cracked under pressure sensationally, and scorching opening spells by Sachin
(10/3 from 3 overs) and Ajay (18/3 from 4 overs) had them shut out at 36/7. The
match may have been lost, but Rajat and Vikas were in no mood for a tame
surrender. They launched a record unbeaten 8th wicket partnership of
106 runs to revive the SRT total to a respectable 142/7 from 20 overs. The two
standout allround performances came from Rajat (14/2 and 50 not out) and Ajay
(45 and 18/3) from SRT XI and Hindustan Tiles respectively. The Man of the
match was Ajay for his match-winning contribution.
Hindustan Tiles: 174/9 in 20 overs
Rahish 44
Ajay 45
Harshit 23/4 (4)
Rajat 14/2 (4)
SRT XI: 142/7 in 20 overs
Rajat 50 not out
Vikas 40 not out
Sachin 3/10 (3)
Ajay 3/18 (4)
SPARTAN Man of the
match: Ajay