After the absolute thriller of a semifinal where HS15 emerged forth and onwards to their first final ever, it was time for the second semifinal to commence, between the second years and the final years. The script of the match was almost decided from the performances of the teams in their last group stage games. HS14 whipped the PhD scholars into submission by a massive margin of 90+ runs, Biyas and Nityanshu having forged one of the highest partnerships in tournament history. HS17’s last game was a polar opposite however. Against Ashwin from HS15, the hapless lot looked frazzled, giving him 6 wickets and a top score of 43 runs against a measly total of just 63. It is perhaps unfair to deny probability its due, but the odds were stacked just too high against HS17 to hope for anything else.
HS17 won the toss and decided to bowl first. Out strode Nityanshu and Biyas. The batting began with gusto, Biyas leading with good strokeplay. The score raced to 50 by the 4th over. It was only then that the first wicket fell. Nityanshu was bowled clean by John, a well deserved wicket. The quiet youngster, currently the toast of the Institute Football Team, may also be his batch’s best cricketing prospect with his discipline, pace and line. He was also responsible for the only other wicket of Monish in the last over, but sadly, the score was an immense 172 by then. Biyas and Monish made merry with individual tallies of 72* and 59 respectively. Save John, the rest of the bowling was pretty ineffectual, with economy rates above 15. The outcome of this match was obvious now, all that HS17 could do was try.
The HS17 opening duo comprised of Manjith and Sankar. A daunting task at hand, the only option they had was to go all out. But then, the HS14 bowling was always a step ahead. Manjith departed in the 4th over, with a quickfire 24. Sankar followed in the 5th over, being bowled by Biyas. Sooraj slapped four sixes, but lost his wicket in the 6th over to Sukruth, with Adithya capably pouching a skier. Under consistent pressure, the batting order kept crumbling, wicket after wicket. This should have been smooth sailing for HS14, except for two things: the arrival of John onto the scene and the off pitch sledging. John played gallantly with a top score of 47 off 20 balls. As nimble as he is lanky, John got under the ball quite often, thrashing it to the leg side regions. As devoted as this lad may be to the beautiful game, he is an engaging sight on the cricket pitch as well. We do hope to see more performances from him in the coming years.
Now, let’s talk about the sledging. I’ll admit, banter is fun and provides a vivacity to the game. But for reasons we may or may not agree on and shall not discuss, the banter organized off pitch rubbed off the HS14 team the wrong way, with ruffled tempers even among usually calm players. And as a baiting tactic, it worked well. There were unnecessary fielding slip ups and other mistakes, fueling the banter even more. The net result was that there was undue acrimony in the field, even after the match had ended. Let us hope for future games with clement moods among one and all.
After John’s ousting in the 11th over, there wasn’t much of a match to speak of. The remaining batters came and went in a flurry of run-outs. HS17 finally closed their account with a score of 133, far more than anyone had expected against a team like HS14. The final years had assumed their rightful place in the finals, even if the road had become a little too bumpy at the end. And as for HS17, there lies promise in John, so there’s that. If they can cohere into a unit and perform as such, better things may lie in store for them.
Report by Rahul Jose
Article 19 