India has genuinely been in a tremendous shortage of all-rounders at the International level and when you such young prodigies like Kunj consistently playing with the bat as well as with the ball at the grassroot level, it just proves India has got deep stock of talent in every corners. The left-handed batsman and left arm pacer Kunj Vora has come up with excellent performances amassing 162runs at a strike rate of 175+ with the bat at an average of 162.00 (2fifties which were not-out) and 4wkts in 3matches which steered his team HR college to a quarter finals win yesterday.
The 1st match was played at United Cricketers, Cross Maidan in Mumbai between HR College and SIES where in HR won the toss and elected to bowl first as the wicket was damp. Kunj shared with cricketgraph that ‘the wicket was a bit damp and the ball was coming slowly to the bat plus it was very very hot” . SIES were all out for 84runs which HR college chased down successfully in just 11 overs and won the match by 8wkts. Kunj Vora was not only the pick of the bowlers with 3/9 in 3 overs but also remained unbeaten on 44* off 28balls (6fours, 2sixes). The 2nd match which followed was against Bhavans College where they won the toss and elected to bat first. Batting first they made 128 in 15 overs where in Kunj continued from where he left as he scored a swashbuckling 66* off mere 36 deliveries which included boundaries in every corner of the ground. Kunj also stitched a great partnership of 110 with his captain Abhishek Purohit who scored a gutsy 36. The opposite team Bhavan’s also made 128 where in Aditya bowled well to take two wickets. A toss was carried after the draw where HR won the toss and were declared to be the winners.
In the 3rd match which followed against Elphinstone College on 24th October, Elphinstone won the toss and elected to bowl first. Batting first HR boys once again did a good job as they scored 123/6 in 15 overs where in Kunj at no.4 smashed his 2nd consecutive fifty scoring 52 off 30balls. Kunj only dealt in boundaries as he smashed 8fours and 2sixes to dominate the bowlers. In reply, Elphinstone were all out for 97runs where in Darshit was the pick of the bowlers with 3wkts while Kunj also took a wicket. HR college won the quarter finals with that win and Kunj’s form with the bat as well as his contribution with the ball played a big part in it. Cricketgraph congratulates young Kunj and wishes him to continue his purple patch with the bat.
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Two talented teams full of young prodigies displayed enormous passion and vigour towards the game as the match witnessed a great competition put on by both the teams as well as some great individual performances. Played at the Worli Sports club, SPG won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of putting the opposition under pressure.
Batting first, Shivaji Park Gymkhana scored a decent score of 237/all out in 99.5 overs. Solid opener and prolific batsman since last year or so Rajsingh Desmukh continued his form with the bat as he scored a yet another elegant knock of 88 coming of 209balls (7fours). Raj as usual looked solid while he also got great support from Harsh Salunkhe who chipped in with a 78ball 51. Off-spinner Umar Khan continued his wizardry with the ball as he grabbed his 2nd 5wkt haul of the tournament bagging 5/52 in 28.5 overs which included a staggering 10 maidens.
In reply, Rizvi SC fought well with the bat as they scored 240/7 in 64.3 overs and won the match on 1st innings. Opener Abhinav singh smashed yet another half century scoring a timely 59 off 81balls while right handed Tejas Chalke anchored the innings with a match winning 72 off 139balls. All-rounder Mohit tanwar’s crucial half century (50 off 75b) down the order helped Rizvi surpass SPG’s team total. Rizvi won the crucial semi final and Tejas Chalke was declared ‘man of the match’. Cricketgraph congratulates all the young boys who performed well while wishes all the players luck for their upcoming matches.
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Played at the Belapur Sports Ground in Navi Mumbai, it was a match between two promising teams namely Dugout11 and Harbour Tigers where in Dugout 11 won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of making a big total.
Batting first, Dugout 11 did a commendable job of scoring a decent 147/8 in 20 overs which is a very competitive score to defend. Opener Rajneesh Shrama scored a 32ball 39 while while the rest of the bowlers chipped in with starts. Anshu Singh with 3/18 was the pick of the bowlers while Paresh chipped in with 2wtks.
In reply, Dugout 11 boys did a wonderful job with the ball as they restricted Harbour Tigers to just 97runs all out in 15.5 overs. Right-arm leg spinner Kapil Bhadra yielded magic with the ball as he came up with the 1st 5wk haul of the tournament. Kapil bowled a match winning spell of 5/19 in 3.5 overs which did the maximum damage to the Harbour Tigers Chase. Dugout 11 won the match by 50runs and Kapil Bhadra was elected man of the match. Cricketgraph congratulates Kapil while wishes both the teams luck for their upcoming matches.
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Played at the Belapur Sports Ground, it was a match between two good teams namely Navi Mumbai Lions and Harbour Tigers where in Harbour tigers won the toss and elected to field first as the wicket looked more favorable for the bowlers.
Their decision to bowl first was quite spot on as they restricted Navi Mumbai Lions to just 135/8 in 20 overs. Even though their opener Ramesh Nanda gave a solid start with a 43ball 41 (5fours, 1six), the rest of the batsman below him could not convert their good starts. From the bowling side Siddhesh Tilekar was the pick of the bowler with 3/22 in 4overs while Paresh also took 2wkts.
Chasing 136 in a T20 is almost a formality as Harbour Tigers chased down the score in style in just 16.2 overs. Wicket-keeper opening batsman Abhijeet Kandhare scored an aggressive 37ball 70 (9fours4 sixes) at a strike rate of almost 190 to steer his team to a win. Abhijeet got good support from his opening partner too as he scored 31 off 26balls. They did lose quick wickets in between and it was a great tough fight by the Navi Mumbai lions as they did not allow them to win the match easily. Eventually, Harbour Tigers won the match by 2wkts and 22 balls to spare and Abhijeet kandhare was declared ‘man of the match’. Cricketgraph congratulates Abhijeet while wishes luck to both the team for their upcoming matches.
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Played at the Sassanian, Azad Maidan in Mumbai it was a match where we got to see two good pefomances- one with the bat and one with the ball. Played between Bybankar and Kirti College, Kirti college won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of scoring big and putting the opposition under pressure.
Their decision to bat first was quite spot on as they scored a mammoth 155/2 in 15 overs. Kirti College openers Vedant Murkar and Tanmay gave an excellent start which completely shifted the momentum in their favor. While right handed Vedant scored a counter attacking 71 off mere 36balls, his opening partner Tanmay also gave a solid support scoring 46. Tanmay was unfortunately run out but Vedant kept on scoring runs with dominance in every corner of the ground.
Chasing 156 in 15overs is always going to be tough and Kirti College boys bowled really well to restrict bybankar boys to just 60/all out in 12overs. Left-arm spinner Aaradhya Shinde was terrific with the ball as he came up with match winning bowling figures of 5/9 in 3 overs on a batting track. Aaradhya bowled in the right areas and confused the batsman with his spin which dented the opposition’s chase. What’s more Aaradhya took a stunning hat-trick along which included 4wkts in 4balls. Kirti College won the match by a big margin of 95runs while Aaradhya and Vedant were the standout performers in the match. Cricketgraph congratulates both the boys while wishes all the players luck for their upcoming matches.
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In a country where thousands of young boys are aspiring to represent the Indian cricket team and don the India cap, Umesh Patwal has come up with an innovative cricket coaching technique, in an endeavor to fulfil the desires of these boys. Umesh Patwal, a level 3 coach (Cricket Australia) and level 2 coach (BCCI) started ‘ithinksportz’ in January 2017. Patwal has a bag full of experience when it comes to cricket coaching, case in point; he was the batting coach of Afghanistan Cricket team, Academy coach at Vidarbha Cricket Association, Director of Cricket at Global Cricket School and Head Coach of Payyade Cricket Club.
While speaking to Cricketgraph.com, Patwal averred, “Body balance and stability are the vital elements in the game of cricket”. Laying enormous amount of emphasis on this fact, Patwal thought of starting something of his own, where the main focus will be solely on improving the body balance and stability of the players. The session commences with a basic warm-up and then the coaches take charge of the drills to hone a particular shot like cover drive, on-drive, to name a few. The use of cones is made for the drills. “Cricket is a game full of variations, like the formats are different, the kind of ball used could be varied and ofcourse the ground conditions are diverse”, added Patwal. To play such a game, understanding your own body is of utmost importance. Indoor facilities are available for practice in the monsoon period.
Just like batting, the other two departments; bowling and fielding are also subject to skill and balance focused drills. Specialist coaches are at the players’ disposal which train them to sharpen their bowling and fielding skills.
Ithinksportz has become the talk of the town already in a matter of just few months. Umesh has found able allies in Vikrant Gupta, coach at Global Cricket School and level 1 umpire, Kiran Desai, ICC level 1 coach and coach at Vibgyor school, Sanjay Varma, head coach at Kapol International school, and Sunil Mehra, head coach at Don Bosco, Borivali. The strong team of coaches impart quality training to the 100 students of the academy. The Academy runs in the morning between 7am and 9am and in the evening between 4pm and 6pm. There is a special coaching between 9.30am and 12noon for all those who want to master a particular stroke, say, a cut or a pull, etc.
Umesh Patwal’s vision is to build players that are not only technically sound but also have a great understanding of their body to play the sport.
Ithinksportz has also spread its wings down under in the city of Melbourne, where Harshad Dixit is in-charge of the Academy.
Cricketgraph team wishes Umesh Patwal success with ithinksportz.
Played at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana, Dadkar Maidan in Mumbai, It was a match between two big local teams namely Shivaji park Gymkhana and Dilip Vengsarkar Foundation where in Shivaji Park Gymkhana won the toss and elected to bat first.
Batting first, SPG boys did a fairly good job with the bat as they scored 201/10 in 77.4 overs. Sturdy opener Raj Desmukh scored 40% of the team runs as he scored a solid looking 84 off 135balls(8fours). Raj displayed a nice level of calm and maturity for his age as he hardly indulged in playing any reckless shots which could have cost him his wicket. Raj’s opening partner Swaraj was the 2nd highest scorer with a 74ball 37. It was definitely Raj’s 84 which helped them reach the 200run mark. From the bowling side it was once again Khush Jain who was impressive with the ball taking 4/54 in 19.4 overs.
In reply, Dilip Vengsarkar Boys were bundled out for just 62runs in 42.5 overs with Shreyansh top scoring with a 20. Aditya Jadhav and Harsh Salunkhe were the pick of the bowlers taking 3/21 & 3/11 respectively. Shivaji Park Gymkhana won the match on 1st innings and opener Raj Desmukh with his solid 84 and 3catches was the standout performer of the match. Cricketgraph congratulates SPG team and Raj while wishes all the boys luck for their upcoming matches.
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Played at the Azad Maidan in Mumbai, it was a match between two promising teams namely Rizvi and Al-barkat where in Rizvi won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of scoring big and putting opposition under pressure.
Their decision to bat first was quite spot on as they scored a very healthy total of 130/6 in 15 overs which is an extremely good score to defend. Even though opener Awais Khan was out for a duck, his opening partner Abhinav singh changed the whole game with his 49ball 82 smashing 9 fours and a six to lift his team total to 130. Aadil sayyed was once again impressive with the ball as he was pick of the bowlers taking 3/23 in 3 overs.
In reply, Al-barkat managed to score only 65runs in 15 overs as the bowlers did a fantastic job of restricting the batsman while also taking wickets at the right time. Rizvi won the match by 69runs and Abhinav’s counter attacking batting was the highlight perfomance of the match. Cricketgraph congratulates Abhinav while wishes all the boys luck for their upcoming matches.
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Played at the Parsee Cyclists, Azad Maidan in Mumbai, it was a match between two promising young teams namely SVM and Shardashram school where in SVM won the toss and elected to bat first.
Batting first, SVM did a good job of scoring 97runs in 15 overs. The batsman kept on chipping in with runs to keep the run rate above 6runs per over though a target of 100+ could have further given them a psychological edge. In reply, the promising batting line up of Shardashram School was given a tough fight by the SVM boys as they restricted them to just 61runs/all out to win the match comfortably. Right-arm leg-spinner Hrishikesh Gaikwad was the wrecker in chief as he came up with match winning bowling figures of 4/15 in 3 overs which actually changed the game.
SVM won the match by 36runs and young prodigy Hrishikesh was the most impressive of the lot. Cricketgraph congratulates Hrishikesh while wishes all the boys luck for a great season ahead.
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Held at the Police Gymkhana at Marine Lines, two really strong teams namely MIG and Rizvi SC clashed against each other where in MIG won the toss and elected to bat first which is a rather brave decision considering most of the teams have been bowling first.
The strong batting line up of MIG were reduced to just 90runs in the 1st innings in 50.4 overs with Sumit mishra’s 22* being the highest score. From the bowling side, it was off-spinner Umar Khan who came up with impressive bowling figures taking a 5wkt haul. Umar’s bowling figures ended at an envious 5/22 in 15overs which also included 5maidens while pacer Abhishek also gave important breakthroughs at the top taking 3wkts.
In reply, Rizvi SC scored the one of the highest team totals of this year’s tournament as they scored 291/7 declare in 65.2 overs. Even though the top order failed, it was Owais Shaikh at no.5 who scored a supremely elegant 127* off 139balls. Right-handed Owais hardly wasted any time at the crease and kept the scoreboard ticking as he smashed 10fours and 6sixes en-route his 127* while Abhinav Singh also gave a solid support with a 54ball 57. Umar Khan who took 5wkts also contributed with the bat as he scored 48*off just 39balls at no.9. MIG were again all out for 100 in their 2nd innings while Umar and Mohit Tanwar took 3wkts each. Rizvi SC won the match outright in a dominating fashion while Umar with 8wkts & 48* and Owais with 127* were the standout performers in the match. Cricketgraph congratulates both the boys while wishes luck to all the players for a great cricketing season ahead.
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