Brief Scores
HDFC Bank: 2/198 in 20 overs
Dharminder 82* (40)
Abhishek 69 (50)
Anil Jha 0/15 (4)
Shekh Sarai: 143 all out in 17.2 overs
Digvijay 54 (39)
Raja Gurmeet 4/32 (4)
Manav 2/12 (2)
Man of the Match: Dharminder (HDFC Bank)
Best Performer for Shekh
Sarai XI: Digvijay
Complete Scorecard: http://bit.ly/1sGr4zc
Match Report
HDFC
Bank regularly plays corporate tournaments all around the city, and they always
expect to do well. Shekh Sarai had been one of the most solid performers in the
previous tournament, and they came wanting to start on a good note. We expected
some great cricket all-round.
Destructive Brilliance – A
Record Partnership
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| The victorious HDFC Bank team |
HDFC
Bank, especially, did not disappoint. From the time they won the toss and
elected to bat first, they did not put a foot wrong. The openers, Sant Ram and
Abhishek, gave them a solid and steady start, putting on 41 in the Powerplay
overs. Leg-spinner Gaurav’s first over was taken out for 15, with Sant Ram
swatting a big six over mid-wicket. In the 7th over, Karamveer
finally got the breakthrough they needed, as he got Sant Ram to edge one
through to the wicketkeeper. It was brief respite. Dharminder joined Abhishek
and proceeded to set a record partnership. They set up the kind of destructive
batting platform that should have the rest of the teams worried.
Dharminder
and Abhishek are contrasting batsmen. Abhishek has a solid technique and a wide
range of shots. He waits for the ball, tries to find gaps and does not take too
many risks. Dharminder, on the other hand, believes in the ‘if it’s in my arc,
it’s out of the park’ philosophy. He plants a foot forward and bludgeons
anything that’s in his slot. And he has the sense to wait for bad balls.
Together they put on 149 runs in 72 balls, the highest partnership for any
wicket this season. When Abhishek was finally dismissed in the 19th
over, bowled by Ajay, the score read 191. He had got 69. Dharminder ended with
82 not out (40 balls). This included 7 big sixes, one of which sailed over 100
meters. Spinners Gaurav and Digvijay took a lot of punishment, as did part-time
seemers, Vijayant and Sanjay.
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| Captain Digvijay was the start performer for Shekh Sarai XI |
Seemer
Anil Jha was the only exception among the bowlers. He did not pick up a
wicket, but he bowled an inspired spell of dead accurate bowling, conceding
only 15 from his 4 overs.
One-man Chase Falls Short
199
was a big chase and needed a good start. Shekh Sarai got just the opposite, as
Vijayant and Ajay were dismissed by Manav in the 2nd over of the
match. Captain and opener Digvijay, however, was not about to give up hope. A
batsman with a classy technique, who prefers to find gaps and play along the
ground, he batted with focus and determination. He struck 3 boundaries of
Sachin’s second over, and welcomed Vivek with a six straight back over his
head. Even though HDFC captain Jannat got Sauarav in the 6th over,
Shekh Sarai had some momentum on their side, and had 47 on board by the end of
the Powerplay.
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| Digvijay awarding Dharminder, the Man of the Match |
Junmeet
joined Digvijay, and they proceeded to set up a launch pad for their late order
batsmen. It was clear that captain ‘Diggie’ would have to bat till the end, and
when he reached his fifty with a big six off Jannat in the 12th
over, HDFC looked a bit worried. However, the joy was short-lived. The very
next ball, Digvijay skied a catch to Sant Ram, and with the score still only
98, it seemed like the knockout blow. That it proved to be, as spinner Raja sealed
the game in the next over, picking up 3 scalps in 4 balls, including the wicket
of Junmeet (23). Shekh Sarai were bowled out for 143, but even as they walked
off the field, they looked determined to set the score right in the next game. We hope for some good performances from them!
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