Friendly Match: Dilli Wallahs vs Desi Boys

Brief Scores

Dilli Wallahs:                              9/166 in 20 overs

                                                  Amit 30 (34)

                                                  Jagneer 29* (19)

                                                  Sumit 27 (21)

                                                  Manoj 2/20 (2)

                                                  Siddharth 2/32 (4)

                                               

Desi Boys:                                  7/170 in 20 overs

                                                  Rohit 46* (25)  

                                                  Pradeep 31 (18)

                                                  Bhavdeep 30 (36)

                                                  Bittoo 2/31 (4)

                                                 

Man of the Match:                       Rohit (Desi Boys)

Best Performer Dilli Wallahs:      Bittoo

Complete Scorecard:                  http://bit.ly/121OwBS

Desi Boys Clinch Last Ball Thriller

The two teams before the start

Sunday began with a white sightscreen and a white set of stumps. After a good 3 weeks we had a red ball match, and it was quite a change for the eyes! It also turned out to be the closest and most exciting match of our weekend.

Not many people would get excited over a friendly match between two Sunday teams. But this game proved, once again, that you don’t need the likes of Dhoni, Kohli and Warner to create thrill in a cricket match. Two enthusiastic sides, both equally eager to end winners, are all that’s needed.

Chase at the Death – The ‘Rohit’ Factor

The thrilling climax began when opener Bhavdeep was clean bowled by Bittoo in the 14^th over, trying to slog him out of the park. Team Desi Boys still needed 70 off 39 balls, and Sumit and Rohit were both new to the crease. 6 wickets still stood, but momentum was clearly with the Dilli Wallahs. Rohit, a diminutive batsman with deceptive power off both front and back foot, clearly carried his team’s hopes. He and Sumit put on a brisk 20-run partnership with singles and doubles round the park, till Jagneer delivered a crucial blow, clean bowling Sumit.

Players look on as the excitement heats up!

With 50 needed off 25, a big over was the need for the batters. That is exactly what the 17^th turned out to be. Left-arm spinner Amit bowled 5 full tosses and Rohit obliged, slamming a six and a four to get 16. Rohit batted with energy and purpose, cutting out dot balls and running his own team out of breath with more doubles (and a 3) than we are accustomed to seeing in an entire match!

Last Over Drama

With 13 needed off the last over and Rohit on strike, the game was set for a dramatic finale. Jagneer’s first ball was spanked to long off, and Rohit coaxed Manoj to come back for a second. Bittoo’s throw, however, was dead accurate at the non-striker’s end. Manoj was run out for a well played 13. The next ball was an almost exact replay, except that the batsman run out by Bittoo on the second run was Gaurav, dismissed without facing. The fielding side had their collars up now. Rohit, undeterred, picked up another 2 doubles off the next two. Now with 7 needed off 2, a boundary was mandatory for team Desi Boys.

Rohit receiving the Man of the Match award

Jagneer, feeling the nerves, mis-directed the next one, and it turned out to be a full toss above the waist. The umpire signaled ‘no ball’, and Rohit pulled it for four. The Desi Boys team cheered wildly from the dugout. 2 from 2, and Rohit swatted the next one to long on for a single. With a single needed off the last ball of the match, Sunny was on strike for his first ball. Everyone came into the circle to prevent the one, and about 2 dozen spectators crowded the boundary line.

Dilli Wallahs Innings: Wide Balls and 30-run Cameos

The dramatic game had a rather sedate start. Desi Boys, bowling first, struck the first blow in the second over, as Siddharth clean bowled Mark off his first ball. 12 balls later, Bittoo edged medium pacer Sunny to the keeper, and the fielding side had the upper hand. Puneet, who is also playing our LFL tournament for team TCS, came out to the middle and punched an exquisite boundary off his fourth ball straight back past the bowler. He didn’t last long though, as he was caught and bowled off Rohit for 12 in the 8^th over.

The runs kept ticking however, and the 32 wides that the Desi Boys sent down certainly didn’t help their cause. Amit Khosla (30), Sumit (27), and Jagneer (29 not out in 19 balls) all played useful hands, and aided by the extras, they took the score up to 166. The only two sixes of the innings were hit by Jagneer off the bowling of Dheeraj. Medium pacer Chaman was the only bowler who managed to keep the runs in check, conceding only 23 from his 4 overs.

Stifled Chase

The two best performers - Bittoo (left) and Rohit

Encouraged by their score, the Dilli Wallahs came out strong and opener Chaman was dismissed in the 3^rd over by Bheeshm. His powerful cut was judged to perfection and caught safely by Amit at point. Siddharth and Bhavdeep were bogged down by the good deliveries in an erratic spell of bowling in which the Dilli Wallahs alternated between a sharp line-length and wide balls. Siddharth was bowled by Puneet in the 7^th over, and after 10, the Desi Boys were only 58.

Puneet decided that the chase was getting out of hand, and he cut loose in the 11^th over, carting Bheeshm for 6 straight over his head. He got another two sixes in the next over by Bittoo, over mid-wicket and long on before being clean bowled in the same over for 31. Bhavdeep played a useful 30, and the 3^rd wicket partnership set the grounds for Rohit to play his defining innings.

Finale

It all came down to the last ball. Sunny swung and found the gap between point and short third-man for four. The entire Desi Boys team spontaneously ran to the center, and the celebrations were reminiscent of a world cup triumph.

Rohit was the obvious man of the match for his 46 not out and 2 wickets. The best performer for team Dilli Wallahs was Bittoo for his spell of 4-0-31-2, and his two crucial run outs in the last over. During the presentation, Matt announced that this was actually the last in a 3-match series, and they had come locked one-all. What a fitting end!