Tamil Nadu pip Madhya Pradesh to stay alive in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023
In a low scoring encounter played at Thane’s Dadoji Konddev Stadium, Tamil Nadu spun their way to a 17-run win over Madhya Pradesh on Sunday during their Vijay Hazare Trophy clash.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first on the pitch that was just adjacent to the one that produced 383 runs a couple of days back, Tamil Nadu had a tough day with the bat as they were bowled out for 195 in 49.5 overs. Baba Indrajith was the lone warrior in the fight as he scored a masterclass 92 off 115 balls. Madhya Pradesh bowlers were on top of their game as they did not allow the star studded Tamil Nadu batting line up to score freely. Rahul Batham, Saransh Jain, and Shubham Sharma claimed two wickets apiece.
In reply, Madhya Pradesh, having been bowled out for 61 at the same venue in their last outing, started the run chase with caution. However they lost four wickets for just 27. If it was not for Rajat Patidar and Venkatesh Iyer’s (27 runs off 56 balls) 77- run partnership for the fifth wicket Madhya Pradesh would have suffered another huge loss here. Patidar was the knight in the shining armour as he scored 103-ball 73. Sai Kishore and Varun Chakravarthy were at their supreme best. Dinesh Karthik with tons of international experience led Tamil Nadu with his impeccable bowling changes and field placements. It was heartening to see the veteran appealing for every possible chance created by his bowlers as if his life depended on it.
After the match, Tamil Nadu’s happy coach Sulakshan Kulkarni, who is a Thanekar, told Thanevaibhav, “During the innings break I told the team that 195 is more than a fighting score on this pitch. We were playing with four spinners and just one seamer. We were confident that our spinners would have a huge role to play. I am happy with the way we bowled. Besides we made a tactical change for today’s match. We brought in left handed batter Pradosh instead of Shahrukh Khan. That move worked well as he scored a useful 31 under pressure.”
Reflecting on his batting and team’s performance, Baba Indrajith said, “On this ground teams batting first have won the previous five matches played in this tournament. So after winning the toss we decided to bat first. It was a bit damp in the morning. The conditions were challenging. However I was focused on building a partnership. When I was in the middle I was communicating with DK (Dinesh Karthik), who was inside, whether I was doing well. I batted with a lot of clarity. Also I was promoted to number three in this match, so I had to bat responsibly.”
The nail biting thriller went through plenty of ebbs and flows giving the crowd much to cheer about. Indrajith said, “The game was swinging like a see-saw. Sometimes we were on top and sometimes they were. Rajat and Venkatesh’s partnership put us under pressure but DK kept telling us that if we get them out 50 runs short of the target, we can win the match. We played with a lot of intensity today.”
At the Dadoji Konddeo Stadium, the next and the last match will be played on December 5 between Bengal and Punjab. Bengal boasts of players like Ishan Porel, Abishek Porel, and Akash Deep, while Punjab has the likes of Anmolpreet Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh, Mandeep Singh, Nehal Wadhera, and Mayank Markande in their ranks.