Into the 3rd league match of the Milan Corporate Tournament, Welspun were required to perform well after two losses in the first two matches. After winning the toss, Welspun elected to bowl first since they had a good bowling line up. IB-Tech team were not looking confident against the tight bowling of Welspun. It was quite evident as they managed to score only 108 runs in 20 overs with the last wicket getting run out in the last ball of their innings.
The bowlers did a great job maintaining discipline & not allowing IBTech to settle. Vishal Shinde, Nikhil Kotian & Manish Ambavane took 2 wickets each in their spell of 4 overs. Chasing a target at below 6 runs per over in a T20 match is always a formality. Coming in, Welspun skipper Manish (28 off 15 balls) gave an electrifying start smashing the first ball of the match for a six boosting the morale of his team. They lost a few wickets in between but in came Lucky Singh at 3 down. Lucky who is a hard hitting aggressive batsman played a counter attacking knock for his side scoring 45* off just 25 balls. It was pure entertainment by lucky who smashed 4 fours & 3 sixes in his quick 45. His favorite shot was a six towards the covers against the pace bowler of IBTech.
The cross maidan witnessed an entertaining knock from Lucky who is already a popular name in the cricketing circles. Lucky certainly proved to be lucky for Welspun as they won the match by 5 wickets & more than 5 overs to spare. Lucky who was adjudged “man of the match” for his match winning 45* dedicated his innings to fellow team mate Vijay(who came 2 down) who not only gave him a lot of strike but also gave him support & motivation at the crease. The whole team was relieved after winning the match after 2 losses & will step ahead in the tournament with a lot of confidence.
After winning the toss & electing to bat first, Digital Broadcasting team came in with an intention of making a big target. Things took a roll as it somehow did not go according to their way as Digital Broadcasting Team managed only 125 runs in 20 overs. Though they lost only one wicket but it was because of the un-oppressive batting by the openers & some tight bowling which restricted the opposition to a low total.
Rehman Siddique who is a specialist opener for his side perfectly played the openers role to full sublimity. Their strategy was to play normal cricket & chase the score instead of playing reckless shots. The openers gave a very strong start where in skipper Pravin Singh(41 off 31 balls) was really playing well & smashing boundaries with ease. Rehman was giving more strike to his skipper till the time he was at the crease. It was after Pravin singh’s wicket, siddique decided to stay till the end & chase the target for his team. Rehman Siddique scored a sublime 48* off 56 balls which helped his side win the match by 8 wickets and 2.4 overs to spare. Rehman’s blemish-free knock included two sixes over the bowler’s head which were his personal favorites.
Right handed Siddique kept his calm till the end & was just two runs short of what could have been a well-deserved half century. Siddique’s efforts helped his side win the first match of the Milan T20 Tournament & they will certainly move ahead in the competition with poise & confidence.
Rehman Siddique who was adjudged ‘man of the match’ dedicated this innings to his team & wishes to continue his good form in the coming matches.
17 year old Saurav Nautiyal displayed his fine talent with the bat as well as with the ball against Hyderabad in Nagpur. His coach, Sultan, had advised him to just stick to the crease & not to be worried if the wickets tumble from the other side. Saurav followed his coach’s advice to perfection as he remained unbeaten on 107* till the end of the innings. His knock was a perfect mixture of controlled aggression and practical approach towards batting.
Though he brought up his century in just 82 balls & was unbeaten on 107*(85 balls) never once did he appeared to struggle against any bowlers. Saurav smashed 5 brilliant sixes in his knock of 107 out of which 4 sixes were towards the mid on & mid off & all his boundaries came towards the cover region. It was also exciting to see the battle between the opposition bowler Afridi & Saurav. Afridi had taken a wicket & also bowled a maiden over, he was trying to test Saurav to the hilt. Saurav who is not the one to bog down came with an aggressive reply in his next over where he smashed afridi for 4 consecutive boundaries. The left handed Saurav scored more than 60% of his team’s total of 175 in 30 overs.
It was a great day for Saurav as he also bowled really well. Saurav took 2 wickets for just 25 runs. He was not only economical but also troubled the batsman with his line & length. Saurav also dismissed the opposition captain which was a big wicket. At the age of 17, Saurav is already touching 130 kmph with the ball & it appears to be quite promising. If he manages to keep his fitness levels & form steady on a consistent basis, Saurav can become a genuine fast bowler too apart from being a great batsman in the coming days.
Though his team lost a close match against Hyderabad, but the heroics of this boy caught everyone’s attention.
Final matches are always nail biting & they come with a lot of pressure. Sachivalaya Gymkhana Oval Ground witnessed one such similar encounter between Future Stars and Bhosale Cricket Academy. Both the teams had performed well in the tournament to clash in the finals. Winning the toss, Bhosale Academy put Future stars to bat first with an aim of restricting them to a low target in 10 overs.
However, that was not the case as Future Stars played exceedingly well scoring 110 runs in 10 overs. Major credit must go to the talented right handed batsman Ravi Chaudhary who has been promising & consistent in this tournament. Fresh from a man of the match award in his last match, Ravi carried on from where he left with a refreshing quick fire half century. Opening the innings, Ravi smashed 5 fours & 2 big sixes en-route his glorious knock of 58 which came off just 37 balls. Ravi also got able support from Shivam who scored a 17 ball 23(1 six). Their coach Abdul Ahad wanted aggressive batsman to come up the order & he had shuffled the batting line up a bit which reaped great dividends.
Chasing 112 meant Bhosle Academy were put in a do or die situation. They needed to score at over 11 runs per over & eventually Future Stars got the better of them restricting them to just 52 in 10 overs. The fast bowlers of Future stars bowled well & spinners succeeded in retaining them. They won the tournament & the boys were elated to lift the trophy. Ravi Chaudhary who has been a star performer both with the bat & the ball in this tournament has made his team proud.
Their coach Abdul Ahad who has worked really hard to train the boys & motivate them must be proud of his boys and his team’s success in the tournament.
What’s more, the icing on the cake to finish the tournament on a happy note, Adidas gave 3000/-Rs vouchers to the players of the winning team. The runner-ups also got vouchers ranging from 1 to 2k from Adidas to cheer up the boys.
Yashasvi Jaiswal is ringing the right bells in cricket at such an early age displaying oodles of confidence & unparalleled talent in the Vijay Merchant Under 16 Tournament. Winning the toss & electing to bat first, Mumbai were off to a good start from the openers. Jaiswal who came in at no.4 also played a crucial hand in his 117 ball 57 to take Mumbai to an acceptable total of 234.
Maharashtra were all out for 155 in reply to Mumbai’s 234. Yashaswi bowled his heart out for a superb bowling spell picking up 5 for 54 in 20 overs. Jaiswal was so effective with his leg spin, majority of the batsman were not able to figure out his bowling. It was tough decoding his spin & he helped his side to get a lead of 79 runs. Already with a lead of 79 runs Mumbai were in full confidence in the 2 innings as they again batted well to make 238. Once again left handed Yashasvi scored a match winning knock at the middle order smashing 65 off just 73 balls. Opener Varun Lavande also played well for his 82 but it was Jaiswal’s knock which helped his team cross 200+ or else they would have been bundled out for a low score.
Maharashtra were given a target of 317 & the pressure was quite evident on their faces. Jaiswal again rattled the entire batting line up of Maharashtra & exhibited excellent leg spin scalping 6 wickets for just 86 runs and reducing Maharashtra to just 161 all out in 74.2 overs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal who has time & again shocked the world with his precious talent both with the bat & the ball once again showed what he is capable of & how he holds the ability to single handedly win a match. Young Jaiswal is surely an asset for the sport of cricket & he certainly has a bright future & a long way to go.
It was a great day for Dena bank after a comfortable victory against Mumbai Port Trusts in the Times Shield. Winning the toss and batting first, Dena Bank scored 251. The batsman fought hard but it was also some good bowling displayed by Mumbai Port trusts & especially their skipper Yogesh.
If Mumbai Port Trusts had Yogesh Dicholkar with the ball, Dena bank had Amit Kadam as their answer to the opposition. The left arm off spinner confused the batsman and did not allow a single batsman to settle at the crease. Mumbai Port Trust were all out for 201 & it was hugely because of the bowling efforts put by Amit Kadam. Amit took six wickets in the first innings to help his side get a lead of 51 runs. Amit was so effective with the ball that he took the wicket of the opener in the 2nd over itself. In fact he clean bowled the opener in both the innings. Though he took heaps of wickets but his personal favorite was taking the wicket of a big fish Aishwarya Surve who was caught at mid off. In the second innings Dena bank did not manage to score big getting all out for 140 & giving a target of just 191 runs to the opposition.
But it was again the flawless brilliance of this left arm spinner Amit who stunned the batsman & took as many as 8 wickets to restrict the opposition to 118/all out & helping his side win the match by 74 runs.
The cross maidan witnessed magical spin bowling from Amit Kadam who took 14 wickets in the match. He was adjudged man of the match for putting up a great show with the ball. After two defeats in the first two matches, their team has not qualified for the quarter finals but this guy has surely earned the respect of his fellow team mates & cricket enthusiasts. Amit Kadam who comes from an academic background did not have much of a support from his family when he started playing cricket at the age of 12 in 2006. He has practicing at Nerul Gymkhana their his coach Jalal Shaikh (Nerul Gymkhana) who always supported him and motivated him in every capacity to reach where he is today in cricket.
Considering his ultimate goal to play for State Level, the way he is performing, it does not look far-fetched for sure!
Into the 3rd league match of the Times Shield Tournament, Yogesh exhibited an extravagant performance with the ball against Dena bank. Winning the toss & electing to bat first, Dena Bank were unaware of the trouble which they were going to face through this left arm spinner who is also the skipper of the Mumbai port trust.
The strong batting line up of Dena Bank was all out for 251 & it was all because of the heroics of their skipper Yogesh Dicholkar. Yogesh picked up as many as 7 wickets in the first innings. He was responsible for removing the entire top order in the first innings & returned with great bowling figures of 7/82. In the 2nd Innings it was again the same case as Yogesh again damaged the batting line up of Dena bank picking up six wickets for just 40 runs. The way he was bowling, Yogesh reminded us of iconic Sri Lankan left arm spinner Rangana Herath who took 7/48 vs India in 1st innings in 2015. Yogesh’s personal favorite was the wicket of Nilesh Masurkar where he broke a strong partnership immediately after the tea session.
Dicholkar took 13 wickets in the match but there was one ball which stumped everybody including the batsman. It was the “ball of the match” & Yogesh’s “best bowl of the career” so far where he clean bowled Shivam with a gem of a delivery. The ball completely took a turn from leg to off stump breaking Shivam’s defence & surprising him with a clean bowled. Such was his confidence that the skipper himself opened the bowling in the 2nd innings though he usually comes in late.
The National cross maidan witnessed amazing spin bowling from this bowler who has been topping the charts since many years. Even this year he is at the top of the highest ‘wicket-takers’ table with 29 wickets in 3 matches. His effect with the ball & his wicket taking ability can be measured by the fact that the 2nd highest wicket-taker of the tournament is behind by a huge margin with 20 wickets to his name.
Though his team has not qualified for the further rounds of the tournament but Yogesh has made people notice his bowling prowess & has won the hearts of cricket fanatics all over.
Prashant Karia is a MCA (Mumbai Cricket Association) Level O Coach and represents Jolly Gymkhana, Mumbai. He has the head coach of Base Cricket Academy, jolly gymkhana mumbai. Though he is not a veteran when it comes to cricket coaching, he has oodles of experience which he has gathered over all these years. Born on 5th July 1976, Prashant is just one year old in coaching.
Karia is known for his batting and winning the Best Batsman award in Kanga League for three years; 2005. 2009 and 2013 is a commendable feat. Also he has been the Best Batsman for his club for 14 years. He is a dominating batsman and can give a tough time to most of the bowlers. The southpaw has played for Jolly Gymkhana for close to two decades. An opening batsman and a left arm spinner, Prashant adds great value to any team he plays for. Under his captaincy, Jolly Gymkhana got promoted from being a Knock Out club to C division in Kanga League. “We have won the D division one day tournament and have won the inter club T20 tournament organised by Jolly Gymkhana four out of five times”, exclaims Prashant .He has represented Wellington Cricket Club , BRD Cricket Club, Friends Union Cricket Club and R.A.Podar College.
Prashant adds, “We give the best possible facility in terms of ground, nets, equipment and modern equipment and technology in tie up with Ghatkopar Jolly Gymkhana”.
Viraj Gamare is certainly raising his stakes as an opener & making the openers position his own. Viraj who is a fast bowling all-rounder was given the new responsibility to open the innings & he did his duties with perfection. Just into his 2nd match as an opener Viraj is already making waves as an opener. In his first match as an opener he scored a half century in the Kanga league and second time which was in this match, right-handed Viraj came in & scored a match winning century.
Worli Sports Club who elected to bat first after winning the toss had plans in mind to post a big target since the pitch was quite decent for the batsman. The captain had advised the batsman to play their natural game & stick to their instincts. Worli openers did a fantastic job as Viraj and Sandesh Paralkar(51 off 47 balls) led Worli to a great start. While sandesh was out after his fifty, Viraj continued playing his natural game & went on to score 111 off just 150 balls. That knock consisted 14 boundaries & a magnificent six to enthrall the spectators with his effortless batting. Along with Viraj, Manoj Yadav also scored a quickfire 78* off just 75 balls which helped their side reach 353/6 in 70 overs. There was a left arm spinner who gave a tough time after tea but Worli team fought & surpassed difficulties to make a good score.
Apollo CC which is a good side too played well & fought with a lot of vigor but it was not enough against the worli bowlers. Left arm orthodox Dhaval Patel flummoxed the batsman with five wickets while conceding just 79 runs in 23 overs. Sairaj Sangle (91 off 84 balls) & Pranay Pawar (52 off 84 balls) played extremely well but their team collapsed & were all out for 290 in 63.2 overs.
Viraj Gamare was adjudged “man of the match” for his magnificent century & he wishes to continue his good form in the coming matches & help his side clinch more victories.
PARAG KHANAPURKAR displayed a gem of a performance for Mumbai customs both with the bat as well as with the ball. It was a matter of pride for the skipper to perform well since they had not performed nicely in their first two league games. Mumbai customs were not qualified for the further round of matches but performing well was important for them as a matter of pride. Hence, the skipper took the entire burden of his team on his shoulders & presented a one man show to the opposition.
Batting first, Mumbai customs were off to a normal start. In fact we can’t say normal as they were around 200/6. It was during that time Parag the skipper entered the crease & completely went all guns over the opposition. Left-handed Parag khanapurkar coming in at no.6 scored a 150 ball double century which helped his side reach a formidable total of 466/8 declare. The knock was laced with 20 boundaries. His six against the fast bowler over long of was his personal favorite. As Parag himself mentioned, the RCF ground was big with a slow outfield & they just wanted to play the whole day. The boundaries were somewhat tough to come & required a lot of running. Quite evident from the fact that he took 3’s 10 times in his innings. It was a well fought & a hard working knock indeed by the captain. Parag also got healthy support from Prathamesh Pawar who scored 71 & created a great partnership with the skipper.
Parag’s show was not over as he also exhibited a stunning bowling performance for his team. The major reason why RCF was all out for 100 in their first innings was because of Parag’s stunning fifer where he confused the batsman with his leg spin. It was because of his Vice Captain’s suggestion he came in after 10-15 overs & took complete control with the ball too. RCF was made to follow on & to add insult to the injury, the team was further dismantled by the same bowler as Parag took 4 wickets for just 10 runs in 2nd innings. RCF were all out for 60 runs & Mumbai customs won the match by an innings & 306 runs.
Parag apart from an unbeaten double century also took nine wickets & the cherry on the cake was his favorite wicket which included removing the opposition skipper Yogesh Patil off the first delivery. Parag was adjudged man of the match & he heartily showered appreciation towards the hard work put by his coach Umesh Patwal & his father Baba Khanapurkar. All thanks to Parag’s Heroics, RCF team were defeated in their own backyard.
