Kunal Karamchandani’s(163) massive ton helps Western Railway win while Nikhil Patil Sr. shuts down critics with a fluent 130 in the Times Shield ‘18

Played at the DPC Matunga, it was the all important clash between Western Railway ‘B’ and AG(L&R) where in AG(L&R) won the toss and elected to field first with an aim of restricting the opposition to a very low total.

Their decision to field first seemed to have fallen flat as Western Railway made a very big total of 387/10 in 76.2 overs. The top order chipped in with 30’s and 40’s with opener Harmesh Somaiya giving a solid start with 42runs but it was Kunal Karamchandani at no.5 who changed the script of the game with his solid 163runs of 178balls. Kunal coming at middle order brought his team back into the game smashing 22fours and 2sixes while also accelerating the team total to a very respectable one. Kunal kept on rotating the strike while also smashed some amazing shots as he took on the bowlers with impressive confidence. Sunil Yadav at no.7 also gave a helping hand with a gritty 51. From the bowlers, Imtiaz Ahmed fought like a lone warrior taking a brilliant 5/54 in 16.2 overs. Imtiaz bowled at impressive line and lengths and was the only bowler who looked dangerous enough to trouble the Western Railway batsman.

AG(L&R) batting were all out for 311runs. Their openers Srujan Athawale(36) and M.Acharya(42) gave a good start but it was the experienced Nikhil Patil sr. who silently showcased his class with an aggressive 130 off 109balls at no.3. Left-handed Nikhil smashed 18fours and 4sixes dismantling almost every bowler on’the way as he time and again proves how valuable batsman he can be for any team he plays for. Nikhil who has been playing consistently for years while has always been the crisis man scoring in crunch situations was given a snub in many tournaments including the recently concluded Mumbai T20 Premier league ’18 despite being a class batsman.

Western Railway were 41 for no loss before the game ended and they won the match on 1^st innings. While Kunal impressed one and all with his match winning massive ton, on the other hand Nikhil keeps on doing what he does best and that is to score runs!

CRICKETGRAPH