Pravin Lokhande (C) returns after scoring an
unbeaten century against Indian Express-Loksatta
Hitavada’s Lokhande flogs Indian Express-Loksatta
Lokhande slams unbeaten ton as reigning champ record facile win; Punyanagari pip Tarun Bharat in thriller
AS PRAVIN Lokhande whacked one for another six on the last ball of The Hitavada’s innings, Indian Express (IE)-Loksatta players helplessly watched the ball sail over the fence while the batsman started his stroll towards the dug out. The moment epitomised dominance of The Hitavada’s one-man army. Lokhande’s blitzkrieg 55-ball 107 powered The Hitavada to an emphatic 103-run win over IE-Loksatta in the opening match of the 13th inter-press invitational Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by Sports Journalists’ Association of Nagpur (SJAN) and Orange City Hospital and Research Institute (OCHRI) at Dr Ambedkar College ground, Deekshabhoomi on Tuesday.
Opting to bat first, The Hitavada got early jitters when they lost seasoned opener Rahul Dixit cheaply. However, Lokhande along with Kamlesh Waghire took the attack to the opposition striking some fierce strokes. While Waghire fell after cracking a 14-ball 22, Lokhande continued his onslaught in the company of Nikhil Dixit (18; 17b, 3x4).
Wickets kept falling around him but Lokhande stood tall among the ruins to single-handedly bat IE-Loksatta out of the match. The well-build swashbuckler completed a well deserved century on the penultimate ball of the innings and provided the icing on the cake slamming a six on the last ball as The Hitavada amassed 207 for six in 20 overs. Amol Sultane and Bhaskar Chaudhary grabbed two wickets apiece for IE-Loksatta while Piyush Patil took one.
With a mammoth job on hand, Loksatta batsmen kept losing wickets at regular intervals which also hampered their run flow. Patil and Sultane did try to stabilise the innings with a 36-run stand between them, but tight bowling by The Hitavada bowlers did not let them get off the hook. IE-Loksatta could only manage 104 for eight in 20 overs. Seamer Salim Sheikh pocketed two wickets while Susheem Kolay, Pawan Sawade, Avinash Kahu, Nikhil Dixit and Rammurti Nerlay got one each.
In the other match of the day played at Vasant Nagar ground, Punyanagari stunned former champions Tarun Bharat by two wickets in a high scoring thriller.
Put into bat, Tarun Bharat rode on Nitin Baitule’s half century to post 178 for four in 20 overs. Baitule hit five boundaries and one six in his 28-ball 53 runs innings. Roshan Tamboli (28) and Vikas Barokar (25) chipped in with useful contributions. Ravi Daff (2-22) was the pick of the Punyanagari bowlers.
Punyanagari batsmen Sunil Thaokar (55) and Pankaj Pande (47) stitched a century stand between them. Needing 13 runs off the last over with three wickets in hand, Punyanagari batsmen kept their cool to romp home on the last ball.
Earlier, the tournament was inaugurated at the hands of Udaybhaskar Nair, Chairman, Nairsons. Dr Anup Marar, Director, OCHRI, and Amol Dhake, CEO, Satvik Group, were the special guests on the occasion. Dr Ram Thakur, President, SJAN, Rahul Dixit, Secretary and members of all the participating teams were also present on the occasion.
Wednesday’s fixtures: Dainik Bhaskar vs Sakal at Dr Ambedkar College ground; Lokmat vs Lokshahi Varta at Vasant Nagar ground. Both the matches will begin at 9 am.
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