An intenseful cricketing month of December where high profile tournaments like Giles Shield, Times Shield, Purshottam Shield, Cosmopolitan Shield and Harris Shield were played in full flow amongst other corporate tournaments. The month of December which is considered a very intense month for cricketers witnessed some spell binding knocks which included as many as 8 double tons in the whole month. Apart from the double tons too, there were numerous knocks which took our breath away and hence it was really difficult to shortlist the Top 5 Knocks of Mumbai.
After a grueling session of discussions and shortlisting, here are the Cricketgraph top 5 Knocks in Mumbai for the month of December 2017 in Mumbai Cricket.
Joint 5th– Rahul khicha–154 off 58balls, YCC Omtex Cup ‘17, RHB
Played at the Old Payyade Cricket Ground at Kandivali in Mumbai, a record was created on 9th of December. More than a record, a history in local cricket got created from the bat of Rahul Khicha. We have all seen Chris Gayle and Mccullum do this at the international level but we hardly come across such type of dangerous batsman at the local level. ECM who won the toss elected to put KCD to bat first were hardly aware on what was about to hit them. Opener Rahul demolished the bowlers with his 58ball 154 which included 15big sixes and 12fours which helped KCD post 326/8 in 32 overs. It was on the back of his knock his team won the match by 36runs and Rahul entered his name into the Payyade ground’s hall of fame!
5th-Sagar Shah- 100 off 42balls, GSC Champions Cup ’17, RHB
Just fresh from his batting histrionics in the last match where he took on the bowlers with a 28ball 68, Sagar is stamping his presence as an attacking opener now again with a brutal ton coming off mere 42balls. Played at the Aarey Bhaskar Cricket Ground between Knights and Mumbai Tigers A, Mumbai Tigers won the toss and elected to field first.
However, they were not aware about the zone in which Knight’s opener Sagar Shah was in. Sagar took on the bowlers from the word ‘go’ and continued his form from the last match. The hard hitting aggressive opener this time went on to make 101* off mere 42 deliveries smashing 9fours and as many as 7sixes to enthrall his team mates and the spectators alike. With the help of his knock, Knight were able to post a total of 200/3 in 90 overs which they defended successfully as they won the match by 94runs. Definately a perfect 31st December treat for Sagar and his mates!
4th-Bravish Shetty- 214 off 170balls, Times Cricket Shield ’17-18
Bravish has over the years proved his capabilities with the bat, he has the right amount of patience, aggression, power and resilience which are all crucial in the making of a world class batsman. In the match played between Reliance and A.G (L&R) at the MB Union cross maidan, A.G won the toss and elected to field first with an aim of restricting the opposition to a low total. However, Reliance were all out for 200 in the 1st innings and in reply, A.G (L&R) posted a big total of 641 where in right-handed Bravish scored a flashy 214 off just 170balls smashing 25fours and 6sixes to take on the bowlers. Bravish’s batting was a pure treat to the eyes as he played some amazing cricketing shots en-route his aggressive double ton. It was on the back of his ton which helped his team win the match handsomely on 1st innings lead.
3rd-Shashank Singh- 237 off 205balls, Times Cricket Shield ’17, RHB
This knock of 237 was his 3rd ton in his last 4 innings and his form continued even after that with a superlative average in the Times Shield Torunament. There are just so many batsmen doing good at the local level in India that the pool of cricketing talent in India is the richest amongst all the countries. Here, you will find hidden unpolished diamonds waiting to get explored on the smallest of opportunities and one of them is surely Shashank Singh who has displayed tremendous amount of capabilities with the bat. Shashank who had a wonderful season so far and has excelled in almost every match and tournament he has got to play. DY Patil who won the toss at the DY Patil ground & notched up 436/7 as opener Shashank smashed an opulent 237 off mere 205deliveries(22fours,12sixes) reminding us of Nathan Astle and Sehwag. MIG CC were in reply bundled out for 178runs as DY Patil were handed over a big win by 258runs on their home turf, thanks to Shashank’s terrific batting.
2nd– Ayush Jethwa- 242 off 202balls, Giles Shield ’17, RHB
This was a match where in Ayush’s team was already in trouble as they had to chase a big total of 373 on the back of Anish More’s fantastic ton of 211* from Parle Tilak. SVIS were at one stage struggling with their openers getting out early but they had their ever dependable trump card in Ayush who turned the tides of the match from nowhere. Ayush went on to score an attacking 242 off 202balls (36fours) which helped SVIS script a thriller of a win while chasing. Ayush on the other hand continued to stamp his class as one of the most promising players in the Mumbai Cricketing Circuit.
& Finally make way for the no.1-
1st Akash Anand- 277 off 379balls, Times Cricket Shield ’17, RHB
We hardly come across wicket-keeper batsmen who are equally consistent with the bat as wicket-keeping is itself a tough job. You need to be on your toes all the time, you have to jump, dive, stay flexible and alert throughout the duration of the match. Hence, a lot of physical and mental energy gets dedicated to these skills alone that you can’t expect a keeper to score big runs or play consistently at an average at which Dhoni plays which is a rarity for keepers. Hence, when you see a 22yr old keeper scoring a mammoth score of 277, there has to be some special talent!
DPC Matunga were all out for 168runs after winning the toss and batting first. Mumbai Port Trust on the other hand went on to make a gigantic total of 768/7 in 157 overs their right handed wicket-keeper batsman Akash Anand went on to score a marathon innings. Akash scored one of the most elegant knocks of 2017 in Mumbai and also the highest score in this year’s times shield scoring 277 off 379balls(25fours, 1six). Akash did a lot of hardwork as he did 171runs in running between the wickets while also stitched a giant partnership of 351runs with the talented no.4 bat Ninad Kadam who scored a fabulous 152 off 153balls.
Mumbai Port Trust won the match on 1st innings and it was definitely on the back of Akash’s 277 which stood out in the match. The amount of patience, resilience and consistency at which Akash played was simply impressive and this is not the 1st time he has impressed the cricketing community as a genuine wicket keeper batsman with such classy knocks. Facing 379deliveires like the old school cricket of Dravid & Laxman is itself an achievement and a difficult task to master in an era of modern day cricket where players just want to hit fours and sixes.
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Srinath Chavan has been one of the most impressive finds in the Ambedkar Tournament. He has a superb free flowing bowling action and bowls at really impressive line and length. What’s more left arm spin bowlers in India has been amongst the rare breeds and when we get to see such talented prodigies performing so well, these are just the positive indicators for Mumbai Cricket.
In the first match against AP College, Sathaye College won the toss and elected to field first as they have a solid bowling line up. Made to bat first, AP College were bundled out for mere 59runs as their left-arm off-spinner Srinath came up with mesmerizing bowling figures of 7/11 in 7 overs(3maidens). Srinath bowled some unplayable deliveries and was able to hit the right lengths on consistent basis which helped him reap rewards. It was on the back of his wonderful bowling spell that his team Sathaye College chased down the score in mere 9 overs winning the match by 7wkts.
In the 2nd match vs SIWS, SIWS won the toss and elected to bat first. However, SIWS were totally unaware of their in-form Srinath who is looking really good with the ball. Srinath once again came up with match winning bowling figures of 5/28 in 7 overs which restricted SIWS to just 79all out in 27 overs. Sathaye College once again chased down the score in mere 10.4 overs and won the match by 8wkts. Srinath was the standout performer in both the matches and he certainly looks promising to achieve bigger things in cricket if he keeps bowling like this.
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This year’s Purshottam has been nothing short of a thriller as we got to see amazing matches, some scintillating knocks and some breath-taking bowling perfomances. After fighting against numerous teams and a lot of hard work, it was the all important finals between DY Patil and New Hind SC where in DY Patil batted first after winning the toss at PJ Hindu Gymkhana.
Living up to their reputation of a strong batting line up, DY Patil once again notched up a mammoth 609runs for just 5wkts before they declared their innings after facing 100 overs. Opener Shoaib Shaikh who took 2stunning catches in the match once again gave a solid start with his 82(121balls, 13fours, 1six). No.3 bat Aman Khan who has been giving good starts throughout the tournament finally got a deserving ton scoring 107 off 101balls (17fours, 2sixes). Aman played his natural game as always while Shubham Ranjane who is now amongst the top run getters of the tournament continued his purple patch with the bat as he again notched up a match winning knock of 163 off 147balls(13fours,7sixes). Abhishek Nayar(84) and Yogesh Takawale(81) also contributed with crucial 80’s at the middle order taking their team total to a big one.
In reply, New Hind SC were bundled out for just 147 runs as spinner Pravin Tambe continues to shut the critics down that age hardly matters when you have talent. Tambe demolished the opposition’s batting line up with 6/28 in 10.3overs(4maidens) and that too at a crucial stage like finals. DY Patil won eventually won the match on 1st innings lead and Tambe’s bowling played a big role in it. Pravin Tambe was also declared the ‘best bowler of the tournament’ as he has been amongst the top wicket takers this season. Shashank Singh on the other hand was declared the ‘best batman’ in the tournament where he scored a lot of runs including 2 double centuries.
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This is a tournament where the players get to showcase their cricketing skills and resilience. This is also a tournament where a player is keenly watched by a lot of eyes from different corners. And talking about these two kids-Anish and Ronit, they are already making a name for themselves at a very young age since they have been performing well almost since last one year or so.
Played at the National CC between Team A & Team B, Team B won the toss and elected to bat first where in almost every batsman contributed with the bat. Talented Akash Singh who is another promising player was the highest scorer at the middle order scoring an unbeaten 94* off 212balls (12fours,1six) displaying really solid batting and some good shots. Moin Khan, Atharva Bhosale and Khush Jain were the pick of the bowlers taking 2wkts each. Team B eventually reached a very good total of 363/9dec in 112 overs with the help of Akash’s anchoring knock.
Chasing 364, Team A had solid openers at their disposal with Anish More and Roneet Thakkur both giving a good start. While Anish scored 45 off 112balls (8fours), Roneet on the other hand scored 103 off 142balls which included 20fours. Roneet looked solid and played some flamboyant shots as both the players amassed a 122run stand. Team B reached 248/7 in 80overs before the end of the game’s play where the match was declared drawn. Even though no results could be extracted but Akash’s rock solid batting and Roneet’s flamboyance with the bat were the shining sparks in the match.
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Played at the Cross Maidan, one of the most revered tournaments in Mumbai Cricket was in full flow between two promising teams namely Osians and Naval Docket where in Osians won the toss and elected to bowl first with an aim of restricting the opposition to a low total and get the upper hand.
Their decision to bowl first was majorly spot on as they restricted Naval to a chaseable total of 252/10 runs in 44 overs. Experienced Middle order bat Mangesh Vaity was the top scored with a stable half century (52) coming from his bat while the rest of the batsman failed to convert their starts. Right-arm fast bowler Siddarth Sharma from Osians with 4/54 in 9 overs was the most impressive of the lot bowling at nice line and length to trouble the opposition while Vishal Shah also chipped in with 2wkts.
Chasing a target of 253, opener Aryan Hemdev set the tone for the innings as he went on to score a timely 86 off 107balls filled with good cricketing shots which were pleasing to the eyes. Aryan left behind a good momentum in his team’s favor while Nirav Bheda at no.5 finished off the remaining job with his unbeaten 59* off 43ballswith Aditya (20*). Aryan almost completed half of the job while Nirav finished the pending work with his stoic 59*(7fours,1six). Osian’s win the match by 6wkts and it was definitely on the back of some good bowling by Siddarth and crucial half centuries by Aryan and Nirav.
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Played at the Bharat CC, Shivaji park, two talented teams namely N.G Acharya and Jai Hind College took on each other where in KG Acharya college won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim of making a big 1st innings total.
Batting first KG Acharya scored 103runs in 23 overs where in opener Nihar was the highest scorer with a gutsy 23. The rest of the batsmen struggled to score runs and kept on losing their wickets at regular intervals. The bowler who impressed one and all with his tight bowling was Nekh Karkal. Left-arm spinner Nekh came up with stunning bowling figures of 6/11 in 6 overs. Nekh kept on giving breakthroughs without allowing the batsmen to free his arms which reaped rewards for him as well as his team.
Jai Hind Chased down the target easily with Karan (31) and Omkar (27) being the top scorers. Jai Hind won the match by 5wkts and it was surely Nekh Karkal’s impressive show with the ball which stood out in the match.
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Played at the youth’s own union(cross maidan), two big teams not only in terms of reputation but also in terms of talented clashed against each namely Mithibai College and Anjuman Islam College where in Anjuman Islam won the toss and elected to field first in order to restrict them to a low total.
Mithibai batting first scored 204/8 where in opener Dhruv jawhar was the highest scorer with a timely 72. Dhruv batted with quite some confidence as he smashed some really good shots till his stay at the crease. Dhruv who scored 72 off 102balls smashed 10fours while all-rounder Dev also chipped in with 35runs with the bat. Apart from them, most of the batsman struggled to score runs but 200+ score is always defendable.
Anjuman on the other were skittled out for just 78runs. Thanks to their all-rounder Dev who took 3/12 in 5 overs with his off-break along with their fast bowler Vedant Sarkhot bagging 2wkts. The rest of the bowlers also did a commendable job as they troubled the opposition with their tight bowling. Mithibai college win the match by a big margin of 126runs where in Dev and Dhruv were definitely the standout performers.
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When two of the most mighty and powerful teams of Giles Shield and school level cricket clash with each other, a intense competition is bound to happen. It was a mini Aus vs Eng at the Parsee Gymkhana when IES VN Sule and Don Bosco clashed against each other for the all important semi finals. On a batting track, IES Vn Sule rightly elected to bat first as they have a solid batting line up including the in-form Harsh Salunkhe.
Batting first, IES declared their innings at 289/3 in 104.5 overs where in opener Yash Rajan smashed one of the solid tons you can come across. Yash scored 104* off 245 deliveries (14fours) showing a high level of patience and calm which many cricketers of today’s generation lack. On the other hand Harsh Salunkhe who needs no introduction by now scored his 3rd ton of Giles Shield this time amassing a 224 run stand with opener Yash. Harsh as always looked class apart smashing bowlers with will as he remained unbeaten scoring 148* off 210 balls smashing 24fours in his knock. IES declared their innings on 289/3 with Aaryaraj Nikam being the pick of the bowlers with 2/33.
290 is definitely not an easy task to surpass and especially when your both the openers are out for 0 & 1 as the momentum completely changes and shifts towards the bowling side. However, Sahil Jadhav stamped his class with an effortless 135 off 175balls(17fours) coming at no.4. Sahil also got good support from no.5 bat Shubham Shinde as he got involved in a 161 run stand with Sahil scoring 71 off 102balls (12 fours) while Nayan Goyal remained unbeaten on 34* taking Don Bosco to 300/6 dec in 63 overs surpassing IES VN Sule’s core. Don Bosco won the match on 1st innings lead and also win the crucial semi-finals on the back of Sahil Jadhav’s 135 & his 161 run stand with Shubham. On the other hand we can’t ignore the wonderful batting of IES opener Yash Rajan and Harsh Salunkhe’s elegance with the bat.
Harsh Salunkhe in Giles Shield So Far-
Matches-7
50’s-2
100’s-2
Average-67.50
Runs- 540
Best-154
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Played at the Police Gymkhana, it was the all important finals between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh where in both the teams have fought their way hard to reach the finals. Winning the toss, Delhi decided to bat first with an aim of making a big score and putting the opposition under pressure.
Batting first, Delhi were all out for 215runs in 34.4 overs where in the bowlers did a good job of restricting the batsman. Left-handed opener Suryansh Sharma was the only one who looked solid at the crease as batsmen from the other hand were not able to sustain their wickets. Suryansh made 89 off just 67balls smashing 12 fours and 2sixes which played a big role in taking his team total to cross the 200 run mark. Suryansh counter attacked the bowlers and kept the scorecard ticking. From U.P, all the bowlers chipped in with a wicket or two with Shivansh, Rahul and Prince being the pick of the bowlers with 2wkts each.
Defending a total of 214, U.P felt the pressure of chasing in high octane finals as they were skittled out for just 118runs in 29.1 overs. Right arm fast bower Ikshit Nishal was the pick of the bowlers taking 4/27 in 7 overs which did the maximum damage. Delhi win the all important finals and it was definitely Suryansh and Ikshit who played a big role to steer their team to a win.
Prize Distribution Ceremony- Under the presence of respected Dilip Vengsarkar and Vinod Tawde among other dignitaries
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Played at the JK Raymond’s ground between two talented teams namely Century Rayon and Bhise Associates, Century Rayon won the toss and elected to bat first considering the fact that the wicket looked favorable for the batsman.
Batting first, Century Rayon notched up a more than defendable total of 293/6 in just 35 overs putting Bhise Associates under pressure. Opener Sachin (31) gave a good start while Anand Bhalera at no.3 scored an aggressive 59 off 44 deliveries (7fours, 1six) developing the positive momentum. However, it was the experienced Vinay Kene at no.5 who did the maximum damage with his sparkling ton. Vinay scored 107* off mere 83balls (8fours, 2sixes) and kept the scorecard ticking. Not only did he smashed some good shots bisecting the fielders but also did excellent running between the wickets. It was his onslaught down the order which pushed the team total to a very healthy 293runs.
Chasing a total of 294runs, Bhise Associates were bundled out for mere 107runs in a whitewash defeat. The bowler who won the hearts of his team mates was definitely Pradeep Pandey coming up with stunning & match winning bowling figures of 5/9 in 5 overs with 2 maidens. Pradeep bowled at amazing line and length and was nothing short of impressive while Vinay Kene took 2/11 in 2.4 overs making it a perfect all-round perfomance. Century Rayon won the match by 186 runs and Vinay Kene was declared ‘man of the match’. Pradeep’s bowling was equally commendable in the match.
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