CHANDIGARH: Ludhiana boy Nehal Wadhera blasted an effortless 171 to power Punjab Cricket Club to a commanding 141-run victory over RBI, Mumbai in a league match of the 26th All India JP Atray Memorial cricket tournament for the Trident Cup at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali on Friday.
Opening the batting for the Punjab Cricket Club (PCC), who were put in to bat, Nehal looked unstoppable from the word go, smashing 24 boundaries and two massive sixes during his143-ball knock. The southpaw was involved in as many as three big partnerships, which set the tone for the side’s mammoth 337 for 9 in their 50 overs.
Nehal and fellow opener Abhijeet Garg ensured PCC got off to a flying start as the duo put up 48 runs for the first wicket in 9.4 overs before Abhijeet was caught by Sumit off Amit Mishra for 21, inclusive of two boundaries. Nehal, who had been stroking the ball effortlessly all round the wicket, then paired up with Sanvir Singh to fetch 151 runs for the 3rd wicket. The partnership was broken when Sandeep was caught and bowled by Ali Murtaza for 65 off 62 balls with four boundaries. Skipper Anmol Malhotra (23) then came to the middle and added 59 runs for the 4th wicket with Nehal, who by then went well past the three-figure mark.
Nehal was eventually caught by Rajesh off Ankit Rajput in the 42nd over but the damage was already done and the PCC innings ended at 337. For RBI Mumbai, Ankit Rajput (3 for 54), Amit Mishra (3 for 67) were the main wicket takers.
In reply, RBI Mumbai made a fluent start by adding 54 runs for the opening wicket before their innings derailed, thanks to a disciplined effort from the PCC bowlers. Rajesh Bishnoi (44), Syan Mandal (30), Sumit Ghadigaonkar (25) and Jyot Shaya (30) were among the notable contributors for the side, that eventually was skittled out for a meagre 196 in 36.5 overs.
For PCC, Sanvir Singh bowled a spirited spell to claim 5 wickets for 20 runs, Barinder Sran and Krishan Alang accounted for 2 wickets each. Nehal was declared the Man of the Match.
Feisty Shashank stars in Chhattisgarh’s win
In the second match played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chhattisgarh banked on a flashy century from opener Shashank and an equally effective half century from Ashutosh Singh to tame Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association by 9 wickets in VJD method. The match witnessed a brief interruption due to a passing shower.
Up against a revised target of 178, Chhattisgarh were never in a spot of bother, thanks to Shashank’s brisk unbeaten 103 off 93 balls, studded with 12 boundaries and five huge sixes. At the other end, Ashutosh remained unbeaten on 59 off 81 balls with six boundaries, to take the side home comfortably in 29.3 overs.
Earlier UPCA were bowled out for 206 in 48.3 overs with Adishesh Singh’s 71 off 84 balls, laced with eight boundaries and a six being the principal run getter. Ajay (5 for 33) was the most successful bowler for Chhattisgarh.
Delhi boys tame Bihar
In the third match played at Sector 16 Cricket Stadium, Chandigarh, Players XI Delhi made short work of Bihar XI to pocket the contest by 8 wickets. Bihar’s decision to bat on winning the toss completely backfired as they were bundled out for a paltry 144 in 42.4 overs. Akash’s 36 and Babul Kumar’s 33 were the only notable contributions for the batting side.
It was a collective effort from the Delhi boys, as Rishabh, Arjun, Manish Sherawat and Hrithik Shokeen scalped two wickets each.
In reply, Delhi raced to the total in 27 overs. Vidhansh (41) and Dhruv Kaushik (49) put on 84 runs for the opening wicket, before Jeevanjot Singh’s unbeaten 38, completed the formalities. For Bihar XI, Shasheem and Keshav Kumar picked a wicket apiece.
