20th OCW-SJAN Inter-Press Twenty20 Cricket (Day-4)
Bhaik’s
explosive 152 not out steers
TOI to record-breaking 198-run win
A
record-creating whirlwind knock by Rupesh Bhaik guided The Times of
India-Maharashtra Times (TOI-MT) to a huge 198-run win over Loksatta in a
league match of 20th OCW-SJAN Inter-Press Cricket Tournament at Vasant Nagar
ground here on Tuesday. The tournament is being organized by Sports Journalists’
Association of Nagpur in association with OCW and SBI.
The 198-run
victory by TOI-MT is the biggest in terms of runs in the 20-year-tournament
history.
Bhaik
slammed 15 sixes and ten boundaries to knock off 152 runs in just 42 balls to
help TOI-MT pile up 260 for 5 in 20 overs. The tall right-hand batsman also
became the first one in the 20-year history of the tournament to hit six sixes
in one over.
Bhaik
achieved the feat in the 19th over of the TOI-MT Innings. The over produced
whopping 47 runs as apart from the sixes, Bhaik knocked off two fours on the
no-balls bowled by the bowler.
Bhaik, the
batting mainstay of the TOI, walked to the crease with his team in a spot of
bother at 45 for 2 in 6.1 overs. Bhaik, with his powerful hitting over the next
13.5 overs, not only turned the game on its head but also created a new record.
After the
departure of opener Subodh Ratnaparkhi, who hit seven boundaries in his 29-ball
40, Bhaik stitched two big partnerships. He first added 73 runs in 33 balls in
company of Gaurav Borkar, who chipped in with 32 runs off 22 balls.
Later, Bhaik
with Suhas Nayse added 113 runs in just 34 balls. Nayse contributed 11 runs
from as many balls in the fifth wicket partnership while Bhaik carted the
bowlers all around to do the bulk of scoring. It was second 100-run partnership
between the two in as many matches.
Captain
Avishkar Deshmukh stood out among the Loksatta bowlers as he picked up a wicket
while giving away just 18 runs in four overs.
Afterwards,
TOI-MT new-ball bowler Prashant Nimbarte recorded a five-wicket haul as
Loksatta were bowled out for 63 in 16.1 overs. Nimbarte returned with
impressive figures of 5 for 11. Nayse picked up two wickets for 12 runs while
off spinners Faizul Qamar and Vinay Pande took one wicket each.
The other
match of the day turned out to be a low-scoring affair with Lokshahi Varta
defeating Deshonnati by 20 runs. Batting first, Lokshahi Varta posted 115 runs
with man of the match Anup Motghare top-scoring with 30 runs. Lokshahi bowlers
then wrapped up Deshonnati for just 85 runs.
BRIEF SCORES
TOI-MT: 260
for 5 in 20 overs (Rupesh Bhaik 152, Subodh Ratnaparkhi 40, Gaurav Borkar 32,
Suhas Nayse 11; Avishkar Deshmukh 1-18) beat Loksatta: 63 all out in 16.1 overs
(Prashant Kshirsagar 16; Prashant Nimbarte 5-11, Suhas Nayse 2-12, Faizul Qamar
1-13, Vinay Pande 1-0) by 198 runs.
Man of the
Match: Rupesh Bhai; Mughals Best Catch: Mahesh Bokade.
Lokshahi
Varta: 115 all out in 16.5 overs (Anup Motghare 30, Sandip Ganar 17, Swapnil
Nagpure 16, Piyush Patil 14, Manish Gadekar 11; Ishant Menghad 3-18, Sandeep
Dhamde 2-14) beat Deshonnati: 85 all out in 17.4 overs (Sandeep Dhamde 26, Atul
Kewrati 17, Atul Kharad 14; Manish Gadekar 2-12, Piyush Patil 2-14, Abhay Dubey
2-15) by 20 runs.
Man of the
Match: Anup Motghare; Mughals Best Catch: Sandeep Ganar.
Pics: S Sudarshan
