CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu narrowly missed making the Vijay Hazare quarterfinals despite registering a five-wicket win over Vidarbha in their final league clash at Indore on Sunday. TN, Andhra, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh finished on 12 points each in Group B after the conclusion of the league phase. It boiled down to NRR (Net Run Rate). Andhra (0.73) had the best NRR among the four teams and qualified for the next stage of the competition. TN, with an NRR of 0.65, finished a close second. Jharkhand (0.295) and Madhya Pradesh (-0.466) ended third and fourth respectively.
“It is very disappointing to have not made the quarterfinal. As a team, it’s been a good learning experience for our boys. We will definitely come back stronger next season,” coach D Vasu told TOI. TN delivered a clinical performance to get the better of Vidarbha. After inserting their opposition in, TN bowlers were on the money as they dismissed their opposition for a below-par score of 150 in 41 overs. Medium-pacers J Kousik (3 for 22), M Mohammed (3 for 33) and R Silambarasan (1-38) accounted for the first seven wickets. B Aparajith (3 for 10) then cleaned up Vidarbha’s tail. Akshay Wadkar (31), who led the batting charts, was the only Vidarbha batsman to offer any resistance.
In reply, N Jagadeesan (48) took little time to get going and smashed the Vidarbha bowlers to all parts of the ground. Jagadeesan’s 18-ball blitz set the platform for the chase, while M Mohammed (37 n.o.) continued the onslaught as TN chased down the target in just 11.2 overs. However, TN’s efforts failed to better Andhra’s performance who trounced Jharkhand by 7 wickets. Andhra dismissed Jharkhand for 139 and needed only 9.5 overs to cross the finish line — an effort which helped top the group and secure a last-eight berth.
Brief scores: Vidarbha 150 in 41 overs (Akshay Wadkar 31; J Kousik 3-22, M Mohammed 3-33, B Aparajith 3-10). Tamil Nadu 152-5 in 11.2 overs (N Jagadeesan 48, M Mohammed 37 n.o.). Tamil Nadu won by 5 wickets.
“It is very disappointing to have not made the quarterfinal. As a team, it’s been a good learning experience for our boys. We will definitely come back stronger next season,” coach D Vasu told TOI. TN delivered a clinical performance to get the better of Vidarbha. After inserting their opposition in, TN bowlers were on the money as they dismissed their opposition for a below-par score of 150 in 41 overs. Medium-pacers J Kousik (3 for 22), M Mohammed (3 for 33) and R Silambarasan (1-38) accounted for the first seven wickets. B Aparajith (3 for 10) then cleaned up Vidarbha’s tail. Akshay Wadkar (31), who led the batting charts, was the only Vidarbha batsman to offer any resistance.
In reply, N Jagadeesan (48) took little time to get going and smashed the Vidarbha bowlers to all parts of the ground. Jagadeesan’s 18-ball blitz set the platform for the chase, while M Mohammed (37 n.o.) continued the onslaught as TN chased down the target in just 11.2 overs. However, TN’s efforts failed to better Andhra’s performance who trounced Jharkhand by 7 wickets. Andhra dismissed Jharkhand for 139 and needed only 9.5 overs to cross the finish line — an effort which helped top the group and secure a last-eight berth.
Brief scores: Vidarbha 150 in 41 overs (Akshay Wadkar 31; J Kousik 3-22, M Mohammed 3-33, B Aparajith 3-10). Tamil Nadu 152-5 in 11.2 overs (N Jagadeesan 48, M Mohammed 37 n.o.). Tamil Nadu won by 5 wickets.