PDCA A-Reserve 2022-23 – Match Summary – Day 2 – KSSCI Vs Hills Barbarians at Balmoral Road Reserve (Home) on 24/09/2022

Dear Team,

On a day when the rain was playing hide and seek, we were happy to have a game in the end due to persistence of the players from both teams. Thanks to Murugs and Subbu who got some sawdust to cover the run-up areas without which it would have been difficult for the bowlers.

As the game was about to start on time, there were few lightning and thunderstorms hence the umpire decided to delay the start by 30 minutes. During that break, there was a burst of heavy rain with the weather looking very gloomy. At one stage, we even thought the game may not happen but thankfully the weather cleared up and sun was peeping through the clouds. As I mentioned earlier, thanks to Murugs and Subbu, we managed to fix the bowler’s run-up area and the opponents also did their bit to clean and dry the pitch. Both the outfield and the Astro turf were in excellent condition in general and the game finally started at 2:50pm. There was no reduction of overs so the play will continue until the scheduled close of play at 5:45pm (if there was a possibility of a result then until 6:15pm) if the weather holds good. Definitely it will be impossible to bowl 59 overs (the number of overs we batted) within the timeframe so if we take 10 wickets before the stipulated time frame or if the opponents scores 187 then there will be a result if not it will be a draw.

Naren and Bala started the proceedings with exceptional control of line and length and troubled both the batsmen. There were hardly any scoring opportunities given by them which exerted a lot of pressure on the batsmen. Bala got the first break-through for the team by clean bowling the batsman with a beautiful in-swinger. It was a sight to see when the batsman was deceived by the swinging ball. Great work Bala and you got the season’s first wicket for the team.

With the score being 9 for 1 in 6 overs, the incoming batsman wanted to up the tempo and was playing aggressively. He almost paid the price of hitting it on the up when he drove the ball in air through covers where Kannan intercepted the ball and almost took a brilliant catch. Unfortunately the ball was travelling too fast for him to hold on to. Nevertheless a brilliant effort by Kannan and hard luck to Naren.

Both the batsmen settled down slowly and started to score quickly at the same time. Yuvi came in as first change but was unable to provide much needed control on the game. With the left and right batting combination, it was a struggle to get his line right every time. The Captain brought himself at the other end replacing Naren and brought in Rakesh as well making double bowling changes. Wickets were hard to come by and the scoring rate started to go up during this middle period and at the first break after 22 overs the score line read 70 for 1. We as a team must regroup and come back strong in the next session else, we may lose control of the game.

The second session didn’t start very well for us with the opponents scoring 10 runs in the first over after the break. Finally the big partnership was broken by Rakesh when the batsman was caught at square-leg by Yuvi. It was a much-needed wicket for the team, and everyone was pumped up after this wicket. Good work Rakesh!

Kannan brought in Shrawan to bowl which was a surprise move. Oh boy, what an inspired change it was! Watching Shrawan bowl with good rhythm is a delight as he got into groove straight-away. Bowling with great control on a good line and length, he induced a caught-behind and got the 3^rd wicket for the team. It was an under edge from the batsman and Ashwath did very well to take the catch.  He almost got the second wicket in the very next ball but a low catch at gully just eluded Subbu and went for a boundary. Shrawan continued his great work by bowling a tight spell and was deservingly rewarded with another wicket. Great spell Shrawan, the bowling figures doesn’t justify the spell you bowled today. So nice to see you bowling with great pace and bounce and making the batsman hop. Well done!

Kannan made another brilliant bowling change by bringing Bala, the day’s best bowler in the team to get the wicket of the opener who has been batting very well. Bala bowled brilliantly to him right from the start and managed to deceive him in the end to get his wicket to a wonderful catch by Prashanth at long-on. Prash kept his cool, judged the catch very well and stayed composed before taking the important catch of the match. Well bowled Bala and a great catch Prash!

From 83 for 1 in 24 overs, suddenly the score card became 96 for 6 in 32 overs. Within a span of 8 overs, the team bounced back very well which made the opponents change their approach and play defensively for the draw. Bala, Shrawan and Yuvi were among the wickets, and we were racing against time and the weather as another burst of rain was threatening the game. The opponents shut the shop and blocked every ball and even though we rushed through the overs, finally the weather won and the match ended in a tame draw with the final score reading 105 for 6 in 39 overs.

Fielding effort(s) of the day

We witnessed two brilliant pieces of fielding effort today and both ended up being catches that just eluded us. First one was the great effort by Kannan at covers trying to intercept the fast-travelling cover drive and almost caught the ball. Awesome effort Kannan, a great example of being alert and giving your best.

The second effort was from Dilip at point where he timed his jump to perfection, intercepted the ball which was going over his head and almost had it in his hand, only to lose it when we dived in the end with the momentum. It was a marvellous effort to attempt that catch and really loved the intent of going for that catch. Great stuff Dilip!

Really wished both catches were taken but nevertheless amazing efforts from Kannan and Dilip!

Bowler of the day

Hands down it goes to Bala for his control on line and length and the way he troubled the batsman throughout his spell. He should have ended up with few more wickets for the way he bowled but 2 for 12 in 9 overs with 3 maidens to show was a brilliant effort. Very well-done Bala and hope to see more of this in the coming matches!

Overall it was a good effort in a rain-truncated match though there are a lot of areas that we can improve. Bowlers did their best but can do much better than this knowing what we have done in the past. Overall a good game for the team being the first game of the season. Hopefully we will build on this, show good improvement in the next game, and move forward confidently in the season.

Thanks Roshit for coming in whites and fielded in the game. Your efforts are appreciated because it allows us to rest and recover during the game. Always love to have you around in the field for the energy you bring in. For this game especially, you brought-in some luck as well because only after you came, we started getting wickets 😊.

Final Score Card

KSSCI

186 for 9 in 59 overs (Rakesh 37*, Subbu 32, Murugs 26, Vinod Reddy 25 and Kannan 23)

Hills Barbarians

105 for 6 in 40 overs (Bala 2 for 12 in 9 overs, Shrawan 2 for 14 in 5 overs, Rakesh and Yuvi 1 wicket each)

As always, please feel free to add to this commentary and share your thoughts.

Good job everyone. Remember there is no game next weekend (long weekend) so rest well, if possible, practice a bit more and come prepared for our next challenge against our favourite Winston Hills on 8^th October which will be a 2-day game.

Enjoy this little break and look forward to seeing you all soon.

Take care!