Shivam Singh’s 51-ball 78 (6x4, 5x6) helped Dindigul Dragons beat Trichy Grand Cholas by 16 runs in the eighth season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) at the Salem Cricket Foundation (SCF) ground here on Saturday.
Shivam was an absolute joy to watch as a freed-up well-connecting batter in a T20 match always is. He was as confident as a superhero, especially when he took on the pacers. Whenever he hit a six off them, it was with the intent of smashing a colliding meteor to smithereens.
At least, it seemed so when he charged at Athisayaraj Davidson to dismiss him over the long-off boundary, imperiously pulled K. Easwaran over the deep square-leg boundary, and opened the face of the bat for a bunt over the deep cover boundary, mustered a heave to the long-on boundary for back-to-back sixes off Saravana Kumar.
But Easwaran, who’d claimed two early wickets, helped Trichy drag Dindigul down to 160 for eight. The ball held on at times, and it cost Shivam as he toed a catch to long-on in the 17th over.
A ball later, S. Dinesh Raj and C. Sarath Kumar mistimed to be caught at long-on and cover in the last two balls of the same over. Easwaran finished with the best bowling figures in TNPL history (six for 32), as he returned to complete a hat-trick on the first delivery of his final over - G. Kishoor top-edged a back-of-the-hand slower ball to long-on.
READ | B. Sachin shines as Lyca Kovai Kings beats Chepauk Super Gillies in opening match
In the second match of the day, Siechem Madurai Panthers’ plight was even worse than Trichy’s, as R. Kavin (70, 45b, 5x4, 5x6) for SKM Salem Spartans was in a better hitting form than Shivam and it had no one to do what Easwaran did to mitigate the damage.
Standing tall, he lifted a full delivery outside off over the cover boundary for a six-off medium-pacer S. Shankar Ganesh. In all its glory, it was the shot of the match that also defined his innings.
Left-hander Vishal Vaidhya also chipped in with an unbeaten 56 (33b, 6x4, 1x6) for Salem to post 180 for seven.
For Madurai, S. Lokeshwar paid back with a ruthless and relentless 38-ball 69 (8x4, 3x6). He was involved in a 79-run second-wicket partnership with J. Kousik (57, 46b, 4x4, 2x6).
When the chase had been brought down to 14 off six balls from 33 off three overs, Murugan Ashwin (20, 5b, 3x6) smashed three successive sixes off medium-pacer Sunny Sandhu for Madurai to get home by four wickets.
Comments
SHARE