Brief
Scores
Vedic
Naturals: 7 / 219 in
20 overs
Nitin 79 (41)
Devraj
52 (36)
Cristy
26 (9)
Mohit
3/50 (4)
Star XI: 64 all
out in 11.5 overs
Gopal 5/10 (3.5)
Kapil
3/11 (4)
Man of
the Match: Nitin (Vedic
Naturals)
Best
Performer: Gopal
(Vedic Naturals)
Complete
Scorecard: http://bit.ly/1EpybIc
Vedic
Naturals Destroy Clueless Opposition, Juggernaut Rolls On
Vedic Naturals is a side with two faces. They sleepwalk or they
unleash a destructive force of irresistible scale. Against Star XI they were at
their formidable best. It was the perfect setup for an engrossing heavyweight
battle, except for the fact that the opponent never showed up. At least not in
spirit anyway. With 460 runs in two games, including a record 282, Star XI were
the team everyone feared. Till they took the field in this game. Somewhere over
the last couple of weeks, the soda had lost its pop. It was impossible to
recognize these eleven guys who went through the motions in a daze, and finally
rolled over without a fight.
Cristy
Races Off the Blocks
 |
| Nitin, after his destructive knock of 79 |
Star’s first and only success came in the first over of the
match, as NP Singh was trapped in front by Mohit, playing across the line to a
straight delivery. Nitin walked out, saw one ball, and then launched a crushing
attack for the next hour that left the opposition bowlers stunned. Off his
second ball, he got off the mark with a swing over extra cover that raced to
the boundary, before disdainfully hooking a short delivery past fine leg.
The ball was passed to Prashant, Star’s fastest bowler, who
seemingly prefers bowling a fuller length. For opener Cristy, who loves to
bring his bat down in a straight arc and hit through the line of the ball, it
was the flavor of choice, and he was prepared to feast. The bowler’s struggle
with his line did not help. 5 wides way outside the off stump were followed by a
dismissive straight drive for four. Prashant overcompensated and went on
Cristy’s pads the next ball, and the batsman obliged with a flick for six. Back
outside off next ball – six over extra cover, a couple of wides, then an edged
boundary past the keeper off a desperate short ball. 28 came off the over. By
the time Vedic had got this far in their last game, they had already lost half
their side. Cristy and his men were on song.
Nitin
Delivers Destruction – 6 Overs, 92 / 2
 |
| With 265 runs in 4 innings, Devraj is leading the run charts |
Cristy lifted another effortless six over long off in the next
over, before missing the ball altogether and becoming Mohit’s second victim.
There was to be no respite, however. Devraj, the tournament’s leading
run-scorer, came out and gave Nitin just the security he needed to express
himself without fear, doubt or restrain. Left arm spinner Ravinder was welcomed
with a leg-side swing for four, before being launched over square leg, then
slog-swept over mid-wicket for sixes. Mohit’s medium-pace was rapidly unraveled
in the next, with three square boundaries on the off-side and a six over
mid-wicket off consecutive deliveries. At the end of 6, the score read 92. Star
XI were being given a taste of what they had dished out earlier in the
tournament. And they had no answer.
By the time Nitin was finally dismissed off the first ball of
Prashant’s return spell in the 15th over, caught at deep square-leg,
he had amassed 79 off 41 balls, powered by 5 sixes and 9 hits to the fence. The
score read an imposing 170. Devraj compiled yet another fifty to take his tournament
runs tally to 265, and Gagan opened out for 2 sixes on way to a quick 22. Vedic
Naturals closed with 219, dealing out their opposition the daunting prospect of
a record run chase.
Gopal
5-wicket Haul Tears Apart Star XI Batting
 |
| Gopal and Nitin (l to r), the two best performers |
Opener Anuj, who already had a century to his name, ended his
tournament awkwardly off-balance with his feet in a tangle. Caught somewhere
between ducking, flaying and fending a Kuldeep bouncer in the second over, he
managed to edge the ball tamely to wicket-keeper Cristy. Yogesh and Himanshu
briefly put together a promising partnership before the latter charged out of
his crease at the non-striker’s end for a non-existent single off the last ball
of the 4th over. He was sent back by Yogesh, but never made it back.
From 43 for 2, Star XI collapsed in a sensational heap to 64 all out.
Left-arm spinner Gopal, who came on in the 6th over,
was the chief destroyer with his slow, teasing tweakers. Confusing the batsmen
with variations in pace and flight, he set up a procession and finished with
figures of 3.5 – 10 – 5. Kapil, without doubt a yard quicker than before,
stalled the other end with impressive figures of 4 – 0 – 11 – 3. Vedic Naturals
left the field decidedly satisfied with their performance. They could not have
hoped for a more convincing win or better form to carry into the semi-finals. On
a day when they have turned up with sharp form and focused aggression, they are
yet to lose a match. Nitin was our choice for the Man of the Match for his
belligerent innings. Gopal was given the Star Performer award for his
impressive 5-wicket haul.
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