Brief
Scores
HDFC Bank: 5 / 170 in
20 overs
Abhishek 62 (47)
Arun
61 (38)
Gurjeet
24* (10)
Siddharth
S 2/27 (4)
Stoners: 99 all out in 15.4 overs
Varun 35 (24)
Gurjeet
3/7 (2.4)
Sant
Ram 3/17 (3)
Man of
the Match: Abhishek
(HDFC Bank)
Best
Performer Stoners: Varun
Ruthless
and Clinical, HDFC Bank Stroll Into Quarters
It was a must-win game for HDFC Bank. For Stoners, it was a
chance to seal a place in the quarters. Both teams are tournament heavyweights
who expect to win. By any reckoning, it was a blockbuster encounter.
Rakesh
and Stoners Deliver First Blow
The match began with the kind of energy and intensity that was
expected. Left-arm seamer Rakesh, Stoners most energetic pace bowler, ran in
hard for the 1st over. Abhishek matched his intent with two
boundaries – first a cut, then a lovely cover drive to split the off-side ring.
Shreyans, a surprise (though highly effective) pick to share the new ball, was
dispatched to the square leg fence in the 2nd. Abhishek, the star in
a strong batting line-up, already looked dangerous. It was Stoners, however,
who seized the advantage in a combative start. The catalyst was Rakesh, though
not with the ball. Sant Ram played Shreyans softly to mid-off and set off for a
single. Rakesh bounded in like a gazelle, and picked up and released the ball
in a single fluid motion, throwing the stumps down at the non-striker’s end
with the batsman well short. It was an eye-catching piece of athleticism.
Mustafa followed this up with a daring bit of captaincy to
replace Rakesh in the 5th with leg-spinner Siddharth. The big
hitting Dharminder couldn’t resist, and he top-edged a simple catch to point.
The decision had paid off – advantage Stoners. Arun came in to join Abhishek,
and the two batsman decided to shut out the risks for a few overs. A spell of
steady, risk-free batting followed, and after 10 overs, HDFC were 56 / 2. The
acceleration was going to come, and an aggressive single to long on off the first
ball of the 11th signaled the intent.
Arun and
Abhishek Turn the Game in ‘Bevan-esque’ Fashion
 |
| Arun (left) and Abhishek combined for 123 runs |
Abhishek pulled Mustafa for four three balls later, and Arun
smashed a leg-side six off the last ball. The two set batsmen switched gears
effortlessly, and they were helped by some indisciplined bowling. Boundaries
came both sides off the wicket, and every over between the 10th and
the 17th yielded a minimum of 11 runs. Between them Arun and
Abhishek got only 4 sixes, but since both are adept at finding gaps and they
run hard between the wickets, they kept the runs ticking fast. Their
partnership was a remarkable lesson in just how effective risk-free hitting can
be. A simple dropped catch by Ankush in the 13th proved costly, as
Arun immediately launched a six, and then unfurled a couple of beautifully
timed straight boundaries in the next over. Abhishek punished Mustafa for two
big sixes in the 16th over to take the score up to 129.
HDFC
Finish Innings on a High
Arun was finally caught by Shreyans at long-off in the 17th
off the bowling of Sid. The 67-ball partnership had yielded 105, and Arun had
contributed 61 from 38 balls. HDFC now had the platform to go into top gear,
and Gurjeet obliged, lifting his first ball over cover for four. He sealed the
momentum with two further boundaries in the over, one flick and another punch
over point. Leg-spinner Siddharth finally got the wicket of Abhishek, caught at
deep mid-wicket off the last ball of the 19th over. He had played a
fantastic innings of 62, complete with 7 boundaries, two sixes and nearly two
dozen singles. Gurjeet (24 not out in 10 balls) finished the innings with a
six, and HDFC set Stoners a challenging target of 171.
Varun
Stops Early Collapse, Gives Stoners Hope
 |
| Gurjeet (l) and Sant Ram shared 6 wickets |
From the time HDFC struck the first blow, the chase never picked
up steam. Ayush inside-edged Sachin off the last ball of the second over, and
wicket-keeper Abhishek, who was initially moving the other way, picked up a
blinder on the wrong foot. As we have seen before, when Ayush is out early, it
seems to deflate Team Stoners’ morale. The other opener Shreyans was trapped in
front by Manav two balls later, and just when Varun and Sanit seemed to be
putting on a promising partnership, the latter edged Vivek to the
wicket-keeper. Akshar followed soon after, top-edging a full toss to point off
the bowling of Mukul. This left Stoners in trouble at 48 / 4.
Varun continued to bat with positive intent. He typically plays
straight, targeting the boundary between mid-wicket and long-off, and where
boundaries are not available, he looks to take singles and keep the score
ticking. A full swing over mid-wicket for six took the score to 71 / 4 after
10. With wicket-keeper Bhaskar still there at the other end, there was hope.
Sant Ram
and Gurjeet Seal the Game
 |
| The two best performers - Varun (l) and Abhishek |
The spinners came on from the 11th, with left-arm
spinner Sant Ram and offie Gurjeet bowling in tandem. Varun, needing to play a
long hand, appeared to be tiring quickly and he just managed to clear the long
on fence in the 13th to take the score up to 86. Sant Ram, however,
trapped him LBW the very next ball. His fighting 35 ended up being the only
resistance from the batting side, as the latter half disintegrated rapidly.
Sant Ram and Gurjeet both ended with 3 wickets each, and with this big 71-run
win, HDFC Bank sealed a berth in the quarter-finals.
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