COLUMBUS CRICKET CLUB
CCC overcomes
early trouble to coast to a 5th Successive Win.
CCC was slated to play OSU Students (OSU II) team at OSU Cricket Grounds for our fifth encounter in this year’s MCT.
OSU teams have always been very strong on their home ground, so we were expecting a close game. To outplay OSUII at their ground would require resolve, teamwork and individuals showing great character in tough situations. We got all of that and more.
CCC
captain won the toss and elected to bat. Amit Atrey was CCC 12th man
for the game.
This
pitch & the ground have always been an even bet for us. Playing against OSU
teams in the past three years, however, we do not have a great record. Despite
CCC boasting a superb bowling line up and their eagerness to take on OSU
batsmen, we elected to bat to try and put pressure on the opponents in this
important encounter.
OSU
bowlers, though not spectacular, struck a good line right from the word GO.
Sandeep, with his left arm seamers, delivered a twin strike, dismissing
Ravindran and Abhijeet in successive overs. Hari was unlucky to go feathering a
catch down the leg side on a bad ball. Vindy was rotating the strike on the
other end watching the procession. Next man in Ravindhar Uddavolu displayed
awesome timing and great batting to pull CCC out of the early trouble they got
into. Vindy kept the innings together on one end while Ravi U, after getting a
couple of lucky breaks, struck beautiful blows to reach his fifty in quick
time.
After
Vindy retired (cramps), Ravi Darbha gave good support to Ravi U, who kept on
bludgeoning OSUII bowlers with towering sixers to the midwicket area. Ravi
Darbha walked back next, disappointed after getting stumped by Mohit Belani off
Sandeep (who picked his third of the game). Bharat & Ravi U had a good
partnership next….
Ravi
U finally got out, top-edging an attempted shot over midwicket to be caught at
long on. He departed, exhausted, but by that time, he spearheaded a great
turnaround by CCC Batting, after the early hiccups. Great Job Ravindhar!
Five overs remaining - Ravi Patel to bowl three of those - Sekhar joins Srinath at the fall of Bharat’s wicket. By that time Ravi Patel was looking menacing, getting the ball to swing late and pitching it on Yorker length. Rest of the OSU bowling was not threatening at that stage. Srinath continues his good work with well-run singles and occasional ‘hoik’ towards leg side. Sekhar starts off cautiously, plays straight and protects the wicket and rotates the strike – a perfect example of what to do when you’re the new batsman walking in at #9 – ‘play like you’re the last wicket’!
They see off Ravi Patel’s next over with a few cheeky leg
byes and singles, before freeing their arms slowly. Srinath cracks his first
boundary in the 34 over and finally in the last over, Sekhar punishes the
bowler for a four and ends our innings with a huge sixer of the last ball. CCC
223/8, after being 173/8 ends the innings with a flourish – an unbeaten 50 run
partnership by Srinath and Sekhar. Outstanding
batting Srinath and Sekhar!
CCC Bowling
Sekhar starts CCC bowling with a loosener – shot ball outside offstump. OSU dangerman Mohit Belani obliges with a square-cut - Four Runs! Next up, a Wide ball. The very next ball, Sekhar gets back his line, bowls a beauty on the middle and off which swings late. Mohit, determined to attack, with the required target towering in front of him, goes for a cover drive. Thick edge and Vinod Kosike completes an easy catch at short third man.
Srinath, bowling for the first time in MCT, starts off bang on target. He hits the seam, got the ball to jump and put OSU II batsmen in severe trouble. Srinath, the pick of the CCC pace bowlers, picks up three – well supported by Hari behind the stumps, holding two brilliant catches. After losing 5 quick wickets, OSU batsmen decide to slow down and grind us for the remaining overs. On flat pitches, it’s a challenge to dismiss batsmen who are not going for runs. CCC spinner’s took on the challenge to dismiss the rest of the batsmen. Abhi took two wickets and two catches. Ravi U bowled good with his dipping spinners but was unlucky not to get a wicket. Bharat picked up two wickets and a runout to run through the tail to end OSUII’s innings on 128/10.
Except for a powerful knock from Ravi U, a composed innings from Vindy and a great finish by Srinath and Sekhar, rest of the batting was unspectacular. Several catches dropped in no-man’s land, mis-hits, heaves and misses marked the CCC middle order batting. But, despite all this, its incredible to see that we managed a solid 223 runs off 35 over (almost 6.5 runs per over).
The
keys to CCC’s batting performance:
Bharat Jataprolu
Abhijeet Deshpande
Wilson Fernando
Ravi Mangipudi