Lucknow, Nov 4 (Cricket news) Tamil Nadu began their title defence in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament with a 12-run win over Maharashtra in a Elite Group 'A' match here on Thursday.
Maharashtra fell short despite a blistering knock by skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who hammered 51 off 30 balls with eight fours and a six to finish at 155 for six in 20 overs in reply to Tamil Nadu's 167 for four.
The stylish right-hander, who was in prime form for Chennai Super Kings in their recent IPL triumph, continued in the same vein before his departure pegged the team back.
Gaikwad made the Tamil Nadu attack look pedestrian and smacked the usually economical R Sai Kishore for three straight boundaries in his first over. Along with Yash Nahar, he powered Maharashtra to 55 at the end of the sixth over.
Leggie M Ashwin (2/18) broke the partnership by dismissing Nahar, caught behind by N Jagadeesan for 17.
Veteran Kedar Jadhav helped Gaikwad add 24 runs for the second wicket and Maharashtra looked set to challenge the stiff target.
But Ashwin trapped Gaikwad leg-before to peg the opposition back before Sai Kishore sent back Jadhav for 13 and dented Maharashtra's progress.
Maharashtra remained in the hunt, thanks to some gutsy efforts by N S Shaik (22), R R Nikam (20, 17 balls, 1X6) but could not get across the line as TN bowlers held firm with Sandeep Warrier conceding only seven runs in the final over.
Medium-pacer T Natarajan, returning to action after an injury, finished with one for 38 from his four overs.
Earlier sent into bat, Tamil Nadu got off to a good start with the openers C Hari Nishaanth (27, 3X4s, 1X6) and N Jagadeesan (30, 2X4s, 1X6) putting on 50 for the first wicket.
However, it was young B Sai Sudarshan (35, 19 balls, 5X4s), who provided the much-needed thrust with an aggressive knock before skipper Vijay Shankar ensured a strong finish with a powerful 21-ball 42 (5X4s, 1X6).
Tamil Nadu coach M Venkataramana said it was a good win and the batsmen managed well after being sent in to bat.
"In the second half, Ruturaj was taking match away from us. Good comeback in the field by our bowlers. M Ashwin bowled well to get two wickets and got us the breakthrough," he told PTI reflecting the team's performance.
Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 167 for 4 in 20 overs (Vijay Shankar 42, B Sai Sudarshan 35, N Jagadeesan 30, SS Bachhav 2/35) beat Maharasthra 155 for 6 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 51, N S Shaikh 33, M Ashwin 2/18) by 12 runs. TN: 4 points, Maharashtra: 0.
Pondicherry 106 all out in 19.5 overs (Sagar Trivedi 44, Marimuthu 25, Siddarth Kaul 3/6, Abhishek Sharma 3/7) lost to Punjab 107 for 2 in 12.5 overs (Abhishek Sharma 54 not out, Gurkeerat Singh Mann 24 not out) by eight wickets. Punjab: 4 points, Puducherry: 0.
Goa 104 for 8 in 20 overs (Shubam Ranjane 32, Jayanta Behera 3/14, Bikash Rout 3/27) lost to Odisha 107 for 6 in 19.5 overs (Anshy Rath 29, Govinda Poddar 24, Lakshay Garg 2/11) by four wickets. Odisha: 4 points, Goa: 0.
Also Read : Gujarat thrash Kerala, MP beat Assam in Group D
News Source : PTI
