The disappointment was writ large on the faces of Tamil Nadu’s players at the Holkar Stadium on Tuesday after suffering a fourth straight defeat in Group B of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Saurashtra, on the other hand, was brimming with joy. Justifiably so, as a 58-run victory over Tamil Nadu takes the Jaydev Unadkat-led side to 20 points after six rounds. With Baroda and Gujarat also winning their matches on Tuesday, there is a three-way battle for qualification to the knockouts that will only be settled after the final round.
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Sent in by Tamil Nadu skipper M. Shahrukh Khan, Saurashtra racked up 235 for five on the back of explosive half-centuries by Harvik Desai, Ruchit Ahir and Sammar Gajjar. Barring M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar’s knock of 65, Tamil Nadu’s reply of 177 for nine was tepid.
Desai and Prerak Mankad made their ambitions clear very early in the game by helping Saurashtra race to 75 for one at the end of the Powerplay. They were particularly harsh on left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore, taking 24 runs off his opening over. Desai pounced on anything short, twice peppering the midwicket region for a six and four. Overcompensating with a full ball didn’t work either, as Desai cleared mid-on for another maximum.
The breakthrough was eventually provided by Shahrukh’s part-time off-spin. He brought himself on in the tenth over and managed to get Mankad caught at long-on. With Desai dismissed by Sai Kishore in the following over, Tamil Nadu would have hoped to pull things back.
Even more carnage followed, however, as Ahir and Gajjar added 113 runs for the fourth wicket. The onslaught included a 29-run 16th over, comprising four sixes, where all-rounder S. Mohamed Ali’s off-spin was severely punished.
If Tamil Nadu had to get past the target, both N. Jagadeesan and Shahrukh ideally had to come good. Jagadeesan departed for 24 when his cut-off left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja found Gajjar at point. Shahrukh was dismissed for a second-ball duck.
“We haven’t seized the key moments in this tournament. It is about small margins,” Shahrukh lamented.
The scores:
Saurashtra 235/5 in 20 overs (Ruchit Ahir 56, Harvik Desai 55, Sammar Gajjar 55, Prerak Mankad 43; Gurjapneet Singh 3/53) beat Tamil Nadu 177/9 in 20 overs (M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar 65; Chirag Jani 3/38); Toss: Tamil Nadu; Points: Saurashtra 4 (20), Tamil Nadu 0 (8).