Apoorv Wankhade is a well-known name in the Indian domestic cricket circle. The right handed middle order batter has been playing for Vidarbha since 2012-13. His prolific performances at the domestic level were rewarded when he was picked by IPL franchises; Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. The 29-year old was a part of the Mumbai Indians in 2012 and 2014, while he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018.
With IPL 2022 just a few months away, the selection trials have already begun. Wankhade was called up by Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals for the selection trials. He was also called by one of the two new teams that will feature in the upcoming IPL; Lucknow and also by Punjab Kings. However, due to COVID-19, the selection trials of Lucknow and Punjab Kings were canceled.
Wankhade is an experienced campaigner having played 15 First Class matches, 29 List A games and 60 T20. Given that he will be eyeing a place in any of the IPL teams it is important to look at his T20 performance. In the 60 T20 matches that he has played, he has muscled 1029 runs at a strike rate of 133.11. He averages 27.81, with the best score of 56 not out.
In the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Wankhade showed his class as he hammered 158 runs in six innings at a stellar average of 158 and strike rate of 175.55. His average of 158 was the best in the tournament. He also smashed 11 sixes in the competition and was one among the 12 players in the competition to hit more than 10 sixes. His best score came against Manipur when he hammered 49 not out off just 16 balls. In that innings, he bludgeoned as many as six sixes, which was the second highest number of sixes in an innings in the tournament last year.
From his numbers it is quite evident that Wankhade is a hard hitting batter. Being a middle order batter, he can perfectly fit the role of a finisher in any team. Apart from his batting, he can also roll his arm over to bowl right arm medium pace.
A memorable win for Vidarbha, against Arunachal Pradesh as they enter the Quarter finals of the U19 Cooch Behar Trophy (2021-22). The Pre Quarter Finals match, which was held at the D Y Patil Academy, Ambi, was won by Vidarbha. All thanks to the bowlers, Yatharth Javery and Ashit Singh, who bowled brilliant spells respectively in both the innings.
The toss fell in the favour of Arunachal Pradesh and they decided to bat first and post a huge total to Vidarbha. But things didn’t work in their favour and they were restricted to a very low score of 38 runs in 18.2 overs.The Right hand pacer, Yatharth Javery bowled impressively in the 1st innings. He bowled 9.2 overs giving away 16 runs and taking 8 wickets of the Arunachal Pradesh team.
In reply, Vidarbha in their 1st innings, scored 435 runs in 103 overs losing 6 wickets and declared their innings.The right handed batter Danish Malewar, was the highest scorer for Vidarbha. He scored, 151 runs in 200 balls hitting 17 fours and 5 sixes. Also, Jagjot Sasan (59 runs off 49 balls) and Tejas Soni’s (51 runs off 30 balls)quick fire innings came out as a boon for Vidarbha team.
The Arunachal’s team, in 2nd innings were again restricted for a low total. They scored just 59 runs in 21 overs. Out of the 59 runs scored by the whole team, 45 came from Honey Khari’s bat off just 29 balls. Ashit Singh this time, was the highest wicket taker for Vidarbha. He took 7 wickets bowling 10 overs, giving away 28 runs. This led to Vidarbha winning the match by an innings and 338 runs.
The Vidarbha team has qualified for the quarter finals and looks all set. The players have shown positive mindset which proves to be helpful for their team. Hence, the team is working hard and will hope to emerge as the champions.
On January 4 at Dadoji Konddev Stadium in Thane, the semi-finalists of IPL 2021, Delhi Capitals conducted selection trials under the able aegis of former India wicket-keeper bat Saba Karim. Around 50 players were invited for the selection trials and they were judged based on their performances in the match simulations.
Out of the invited players, three players were very impressive. They were Jitesh Sharma, Mukesh Kumar and Pradeep Sahu. Jitesh Sharma is a right hand top order bat and wicket-keeper, who represents Vidarbha at the domestic level. The 28-year old is known to be a hard hitting batter. In the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he muscled 214 runs in seven innings, including two half centuries and had a strike rate of 235.16, which was the fifth highest in the tournament. He also smashed 18 sixes, which was the highest in the competition. During the selection trials, he showed his class with a quickfire 59 off just 30 balls. Sharma was earlier signed by Mumbai Indians in 2016.
Mukesh Kumar was the other player who caught the eye of selectors. The 28-year old right arm speedster from Bengal is a good seam bowler. He had a decent outing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as he scalped eight wickets in six matches. During the match simulation, he accounted for 2-30 in his four overs. He bowled in tight lines and lengths, asking questions to the batters.
Apart from Sharma and Kumar, Pardeep Sahu had a good day during the selection trials. The wily leg spinner from Haryana wrecked havoc with 5-17 in his three overs. The 36-year old has been a part of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. In 2019, he traveled with the Australian team as a part of the support staff to offer his services to the Australian batters, which helped them play against Indian wrist spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
In addition to Sharma, Kumar and Sahu, other players like Atharva Taide, Mayank Rawat and Tilak Raj made their marks during the selection trials. Taide is a 21-year old left handed batter from Vidarbha. The southpaw was impressive in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (270 runs in 7 innings) and Vijay Hazare Trophy (345 runs in 7 innings). Mayank Rawat, 22, from Delhi is another talented right hand batter. He represented India U19 in 2017 during England U19’s tour of India. Tilak Raj is also a batter who has the potential to make it big in the near future.
On January 3, Our Cricket Club took on Ashirwad Cricket Club at Yashwant Nagar Cricket Ground in Virar, Mumbai during the Ameya Junior 2021 U19 T20 tournament. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Ashirwad Cricket Club posted a modest 123-9 in their full quota of 20 overs and in reply Our Cricket Club made a mockery of the chase as they achieved the target in 18 overs, winning the match by 10 wickets.
The right handed opening batter Ayush Vartak stitched a 128-run opening stand with his partner Pratham, who contributed with a fluent 37 not out off 49 balls, including four boundaries. The duo ensured that there were no hiccups and steered their side to a comfortable 10-wicket win. Pratham played the perfect second fiddle to Ayush, who was looking in phenomenal touch. Ayush hammered 87 not out off just 59 balls, peppering the boundary rope 10 times, as he hit eight boundaries and two sixes.
While talking to CricketGraph the 17-year old said, “The wicket was a little damp. We were playing the second match on the same wicket that day. It was important for us to spend maximum time at the crease. We were chasing a par score of 124. Before Pratham and I stepped in to bat, our coach told us to chase the score without losing a wicket. We were determined to do so.”
Ayush further added, “The opposition employed a lot of spinners. I tried to play each ball on its merit and punished the loose balls. I am happy that I could score runs for my team and lead my team to a comprehensive win.”
Apart from Ayush and Pratham, the other top performers in the match were, Adarsh Singh, captain of Ashirwad Cricket Club, who scored an unbeaten 63 off 50 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes, and the pace bowling duo of Varad Vaze and Bhargav Patil from Ours Cricket Club. Right arm speedster Vaze picked up 2-22 in his four overs, bowling 14 dot balls, while the left arm seamer Patil scalped 3-22 in his four overs, bowling 12 dot balls.
On December 21, KPCA 11 took on Salgaonkar CC at Azad Maidan, Mumbai during the KPCA U20 Season 2 tournament. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, KPCA 11 posted a respectable score of 209 in 33.3 overs and in reply bundled out Salgaonkar CC cheaply for a paltry 23 in 11.5 overs. KPCA 11 won the match by a huge margin of 186 runs. For KPCA 11, the wrecker-in-chief was Shubham Giri, who struck gold every time he came in to bowl.
The right arm seamer, who opened the bowling for KPCA 11 ended with envious figures of 7-9 in 5.2 overs, including two maidens. Giri picked up the wicket of Salgaonkar CC captain Soham Keer on the very second ball of the innings as he clean bowled the skipper for a duck. In his second over, which was the third over of KPCA 11’s bowling innings, Giri scalped three wickets and just missed out on a hat-trick. He picked up the wickets on the first, second and fourth ball of his second over. After bowling a couple of overs, he was given a break and brought back again in the 10th over from a different end. He accounted for one wicket in that over and followed it up with another in the 12th over of the innings.
While talking to CricketGraph Giri said, “I am extremely happy to have registered my best bowling figures to date. I was bowling well in the previous games so I had the confidence of doing well in this match too. However I had no idea that I would pick seven wickets in the match. The conditions were not exactly conducive for bowling. When we came in to bowl, the wicket was dry and did not offer any assistance to the bowlers.”
He further added, “I was determined to hit the right lines and lengths and I think with my persistent effort, I could yield good results. I am primarily an outswing bowler. Out of the seven wickets that I took, my favourite ones were that of Sai Bhoir and Pranav Satvi, who were out LBW. My other five wickets came in the form of three clean bowled and two catch outs.”
Match scorecard : https://cricheroes.in/scorecard/2671828/KPCA-U20-SEASON-2/KPCA-11-vs-Salgaonkar-cc
NSCA and Youth Cricket Club locked horns against each other during the All Stars 40 overs tournament on Sunday at Badlapur. Winning the toss and electing to bat first, NSCA posted a challenging score of 269-4 in 40 overs, riding on Yogesh Shinde’s scintillating century.
Shinde came in to bat at number three when his team lost the wicket of Yash Surve in the ninth over. The right handed batter muscled 143 off just 131 balls, smashing 15 boundaries and two sixes. His unbeaten innings was a perfect blend of defense and attack.
“When I came in to bat I was determined to get my eye in. The wicket was wet and the ball was not coming nicely on to the bat. I played each and every ball on its merit and when I was set I decided to attack the opposition bowlers. As the ball became old and the wicket eased out, the ball was nicely coming on to the bat. I was able to hit through the line”, Yogesh told CricketGraph.
He further added, “There were some quality bowlers in the opposition, including some former Mumbai bowlers. It was important for me to respect the good balls and dispatch the loose ones. I enjoyed batting against the spinners and was able to capitalize on the start that I had got. I came into this match in good form as I had scored a couple of centuries in my previous five innings.”
After showcasing his heroics with the bat, Shinde also rolled his arm over to scalp 1-37 in his six overs. He won the player of the match for his scintillating performance with both bat and ball. Apart from playing for NSCA, Shinde also represents Pandurangwadi team in Division C of MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) tournaments.
After posting a daunting 269-4 in 40 overs, NSCA restricted Youth Cricket Club to 255-6, winning the nail biting contest by 14 runs. For Youth Cricket Club, Saif Shaik starred with the ball picking up 2-39 in his eight overs and captain Ritesh Gamre, who opened the batting, top scored with an elegant 64 off 54 balls, including seven boundaries and a six.
In match number four of U-25 Shalini Bhalekar Trophy, an MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) affiliated tournament that was played between Dilip Vengsarkar XI and Chandrakant Pandit XI, Jayesh Pokhare of Chandrakant Pandit XI top scored for his team with a scintillating 97. Coming in to bat under pressure when his team was tottering at 100-4, Pokhare showed nerves of steel as he absorbed the pressure and played an instrumental role in his team’s total of 356-9. The left hand batter held the innings together along with Minad Manjrekar (74 not out) and Divyansh Saxena (65). Pokhare stood there like a rock, while the other batters played around him.
“Our coach Rajesh Sanil sir just told me to bat out time and play as close to my body. He asked me to be patient and play every ball only on its merit. Sir’s advice paid off as I was able to help my team recover from a pressure situation. I am glad that I was able to contribute to my team’s success”, Jayesh told CricketGraph.
He further added, “The wicket was green and the new ball was swinging quite a bit. Our opponents had some good fast bowlers in their ranks, including Arjun Tendulkar, who used the new ball well and exploited the green wicket. When I went in to bat, the ball became relatively old. There was not much swing, however there was some reverse swing on offer. It was important for me to play the reverse swingers well. I was determined to play as close to the body as possible as advised by Rajesh sir. I enjoyed facing the spinners and was able to hit some good shots off them.”
The three day match between Dilip Vengsarkar XI and Chandrakant Pandit XI ended in a draw. Batting first, Dilip Vengsarkar XI declared their innings at 379-9 in 77 overs. In reply, Chandrakant Pandit XI scored 356-9 in 85.1 overs. Batting in the second innings, Dilip Vengsarkar XI were bowled out for 208 in 59.2 overs, while Chandrakant Pandit XI put together 89-0 in 12 overs, before the match ended in a draw.
Wonder kid Shardul Joshi, not yet nine even, was the synosure of eyes of those watching this tiny boy capturing five wickets to bring the MCC ‘B’ a fine victory over Kaustab Pawar Crickeet Academy by six wickets in the MCC Talent Search under-12 cricket league (Season-1), co-hosted by Jwala Sports Foundation at Santacruz’s Air India Sport Cub at Kalina.
Electing to bat, KPCA boys stuggles and were dismissed for 119 with Shardul Joshi returning with figures of 5-0-23-5. Chasing 120 to win, MCC junior sring were home with six wickets in hand.
Brief scores: Kaushtab Pawar Cricket Academy 119 all out (Arham Jain 47; Shardul Joshi 5/23, Arav Agarwal 2/22) lost to MCC ‘B’ 120/4 off 22.2 overs (Yuv Shah 28, Darsh Singhania 3/12). Player of the match –Shardul Joshhi.
Brain-4 Sports 63/7 off 25 overs ( Praveer Singh 29; Advait Bhat 3/10, Devang Tandel 2/8) lost to Pro Talent CA66/1 (Yash Rawat n.o. 27, Aryan Pawart 27) by nine wkts.
It seemed to be a very challenging and difficult task for Vidarbha at first, but all thanks to the skipper, Md. Faiz and Danish Malewar’s impressive ton that lead Vidarbha to a respectable total against Jharkhand in the Cooch Behar Trophy (2021-22)
The toss went in the favour of Vidarbha and they chose to bat first. The pitch was a batting pitch. But things didn’t work accordingly and Vidarbha lost 2 early wickets. Both the openers were dismissed on a score of 2. It was Danish Malewar, (104 off 162 balls) and Md. Faiz, (103 off 243 balls) and were backed by Tejas Soni, ( 57 off 100 balls). The Vidarbha team were restricted on a score of 397 in 124.4 overs.
The Jharkhand team, in reply scored 420 runs in 149 overs. Sanyog Bhagwat, took 3 wickets in 26 runs by giving 81 runs. Jharkhand had the lead in the first innings and the match was drawn.
The tournament is now in it’s most important phase and all the teams are struggling really hard to make it to the top and surely the fittest will survive.
Yes Bank after opting to bat first at Cross Maidan posted a moderate total of 129/4 in 20 overs where in openers Sarvesh scored 58 off 57 balls. Even though, they did not lose many wickets, Yes Bank could not up the tempo in the final overs which resulted in a below par total. The bowlers bowled tight with most of the bowlers maintaining a good economy rate not allowing the batters to score freely.
Chasing 130, Macleods Pharma went on to win the match by 5 wickets and 2.4 overs to spare. Macleods Pharma crossed the victory line in the 18th over with opener Amar Narkar anchoring the chase with an aggressive half century. Aman scored 59 off 42 balls which had 7 fours and 2 sixes while was nicely supported by Hanumant at the middle order who scored 41* off 43 balls.
Macleods Pharma won the semi finals of the tournament while opener Amar Narkar was declared ‘man of the match’