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So, that will be it from the first game of the Tirunelveli-leg of the TNPL. Do switch tabs and join our next pair of commentators for the second game starting in just a few minutes. This is the pair of Bidipto and Abhishek taking your leave. Keep following Sportskeeda!
It is time for the post-match presentation!
Sunny Sandhu has been adjudged the Player of the Match! Here is what he has to say.
Sunny Sandhu: My idea was to play a long innings and bat responsibly. I'm glad that I could do that. I thought that a target of 140 to 150 was a good total on this pitch. In the final over of the match, I went for slower balls into the wicket and they worked well for me.
NS Chaturved (IDream Tiruppur Tamizhans captain): I think we did not deserve to win this game. We let them off the hook from 57/4. With the bat too, we did not build partnerships which would have done the job. We will have to plane better and execute in the next game if we have to entertain thoughts of making the next round.
Abhishek Tanwar (Salem Spartans captain): Feeling quite relaxed now! We lost four games on the trot, so, winning this one was perhaps a matter of time! Sunny Sandhu was batting well, so, we wanted to try him higher up the order today. Both out left-arm spinners and Mokit Hariharan bowled really well. Sunny was having a good day, so, wanted him to carry his momentum in the last over and hence, I didn't bowl it.
Salem win by 8 runs!
R Sai Kishore - 26 (10b) | Sachin Rathi - 3/21 Tushar Raheja - 22 (16b) | N Selva Kumaran - 3/32
Salem snatch a win out of nowhere. Tiruppur started the second innings strongly, completing their half-century inside the powerplay. Sachin Rathi took the wicket of R Sai Kishore and the match started to spiral downwards from then for Tiruppur.
Vijay Shankar set himself up nicely but played his stroke into the wind to score 12 at a strike rate of 100. A bit of miscommunication ran out NS Chaturved as the required run rate continued to mount. Balchander Anirudh was Tiruppur's last hope but he played a loose shot and conceded his wicket at 22. The impact player N Selva Kumaran showed no mercy as he struck thrice in the same over.
Tiruppur were down to only one wicket and the tail-enders Gohulmoorthi S and Alliraj Karuppusamy struck a four and a six in the next over. With 14 runs needed to win the match, Tiruppur failed to get past the line in the final over.
20
overs
147/9score
0
1
1
1
1
1
runs
Gohulmoorthi S*
11(11)
Alliraj Karuppusamy
12(10)
Sunny Sandhu
0/21
19.6 Sunny Sandhu to Gohulmoorthi S, SALEM SPARTANS COMPLETE A FINE WIN! Full toss on middle-stump. Gohulmoorthi makes a bit of room and tries to drive it firmly. All he does is get it down to long-off for a single!
19.5 Sunny Sandhu to Alliraj Karuppusamy, hard-length ball on off-stump. This gets spliced to long-off from the back foot with the attempted pull shot for one run!
Salem will have to be cautious to not bowl a no ball or wide.
19.4 Sunny Sandhu to Gohulmoorthi S, good length ball on middle-and-leg. Slower ball again. Bunted to short fine-leg off the inside edge for only a single! 11 runs to get off 2 balls now.
19.3 Sunny Sandhu to Alliraj Karuppusamy, full and slow on off-and-middle. A big swing through the line by backing away but it goes to short third man for a single only off the bottom edge!
19.2 Sunny Sandhu to Gohulmoorthi S, good length slower ball on off-stump. Whacked off the back foot to deep square-leg from the inside edge for a single only.
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Indian Cement Company Ground, Tirunelveli
Gohulmoorthi S
*
Sunny Sandhu
Video
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