Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Aparajith stars in Tamil Nadu’s win over Odisha

Elite Group E: Defending champion Tamil Nadu picks up its first win of the competition as Baba Aparajith’s unbeaten 63 helps the team defeat Odisha by five wickets in Lucknow.

Published : Oct 12, 2022 17:59 IST

Baba Aparajith steadied the ship after Tamil Nadu had been reduced to 76 for 4 during the run chase, promptly guiding the side home.
Baba Aparajith steadied the ship after Tamil Nadu had been reduced to 76 for 4 during the run chase, promptly guiding the side home. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji
infoIcon

Baba Aparajith steadied the ship after Tamil Nadu had been reduced to 76 for 4 during the run chase, promptly guiding the side home. | Photo Credit: Vijay Soneji

Tamil Nadu captain B. Aparajith scored an unbeaten 63 (42b, 7x4) to help Tamil Nadu pick up its first win of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this season. Odisha lost by five wickets in an Elite Group E contest on Wednesday.

Chasing 142 for victory, Tamil Nadu got off to a good start with opener N. Jagadeesan making a quick 35 (29b, 3x4, 1x6). He added 48 runs for the second wicket with Aparajith.

Tamil Nadu was cruising at 74 for one when Jagadeesan was dismissed in the ninth over. Sameer Mohanty then got Odisha back in the game taking two wickets in the next over as Tamil Nadu slumped to 76 for four at the halfway stage. Aparjith then took control of the innings and ensured that his team did not crumble as it did on Tuesday against Chhattisgarh.

The skipper, along with M. Shahrukh Khan, added 46 runs for the fifth wicket and got his side home with seven balls to spare.

Earlier, electing to bat first, Odisha posted 141 for three riding on half-centuries from opener Anshuman Rath (51, 40b, 6x4, 1x6) and Subhransu Senapati (65, 53b, 4x4, 3x6).  Washington Sundar struck early in the second over of the match to remove opener Aashirwad Swain before Rath and Senapati stitched a 97-run stand for the second wicket to help set a good platform for Odisha.

The Tamil Nadu bowlers, however, did well to pull things back in the final phase of the innings, conceding only 40 runs in the last six overs to restrict Odisha to a modest total. Speaking to Sportstar , Aparajith said, “It was good, we played a match immediately after losing yesterday and got this win. It was crucial for us. We did well as a bowling unit to restrict them (Odisha) and then played with intent at the start of our chase.”

“In the first match, we couldn’t get the big hits going during the middle overs but today we managed to run hard because the outfield is heavy and it is a big ground. So you can’t just rely on boundaries,” he added.

Brief scores
Odisha 141 for 3 in 20 overs (Senapati 65, Rath 51) lost to Tamil Nadu 143 for 5 in 18.5 overs (Aparajith 63 n.o., Jagadeesan 35) by five wickets.
Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment