280 run mayhem on Gandhi Jayanti

 Guest column by Hari the magician 

*MAYHEM AT THE MAIDAAN - Oct 2, 2023*

Even though we haven't been playing official games, the intensity over the past 3 days has been quite phenomenal. Three fantastic games with top-tier performances in each.

And we capped it off with probably the best game of the lot today.

In my memory, the maidaan hasn't witnessed a game with 280+ runs scored in a day. And it went down to the last 2 balls with the last wicket standing!

Satya won the toss and chose to bat in perfect conditions. It was a clear day, the field as dry as a bone, and a nice strong gust of wind blowing along the line of the wicket that allowed even mishits to comfortably clear the fence. Susmit's band of bowlers had its task cut out. It was a brisk start, and although Ayush got Vedant, HK was looking silken smooth as ever, starting with a 6 and 4. But the young champ switched to bowling over the wicket, and with smart lines and lengths, he pulled the rate back. Shiten at the other end was also looking threatening. He got HK to mistime a drive but dropped a dolly caught-and-bowled chance. Shoulders dropped - an early life for HK was usually a deathknell, and this time was no different. Vicky and HK went along steadily to 30-odd in 5 overs. And then the floodgates opened - both in full flow as they tonked Dhruv, Shiten, and Susmit to all corners - sixes and fours rained. The revelation of course was Vicky the batsman - nothing worked against him as he effortlessly cleared the fence, smashing a hat-trick of boundaries against Susmit. Kingsly bowled a decent over, but the runs kept flowing at the other end. HK got out to a dodgy near-waist-high ball, and Harsha entered with the score reading 95-odd with 4 overs to go. The writing was on the wall. Luckily for the bowling team, some mad running led to a few runouts, Harsha again having his runner get him out for the 3rd or 4th time this season. Just when it seemed like the total could stay within 120, Susmit and Samir made a strategic blunder of getting part-timer Hari to bowl. THe result was a disaster - full tosses and no-balls that Kishore feasted on to amass 18 runs in the final over. The target - 142.

If the chase was supposed to be daunting, nobody sent Kings the memo. As Vicky lined up to bowl the first over, Kings was in a murderous mood - plundering 22 off the first over. Sanity returned in the next couple of overs, but CP was also looking good and the chase was on with 50 after 4 overs. Vedant pulled off a blinder off Kings at short-third, with the ball plunging ahead of him (Bipin added tragicomic scenes by trying to incite a riot, claiming the ball hit the mesh). The wicket brough Samir Mishra to the crease. Samir has been in terrific form of late - almost pulling off a blinder of a chase on Saturday, and top-scoring on Sunday. Today was no different - he dispatched bowlers to all corners with sixes and fours and kept the rate chugging. Raghu the bowler - who has had a lean run of form of late - finally showed up when it mattered and mixed up his sliders and spinners to get things back under control. The score stood at 71 after 8 overs, with 71 more to get in the last 7. Samir soon departed to a blinder from Vicky at short midwicket, which brought Hari to the crease. Hari has hit rich vein of form of late, but Arjun's words kept ringing in his ears - a good-looking 10-15 runs and he will depart. But this time he was determined - sixes and fours started raining again as the bowlers kept the ball in his arc - the highlight being a six off a full delivery outside off from HK. With 35 to get off 5 overs or so, it appeared to be game over. HK and Satya had one over remaining each, but they threw the dice to get Raghu on. The man showed his class and his skills, mixing up his length with an around-the-wicket line, and foxed Hari into hitting the ball in Bajpai's direction. The game was alive again. Dhruv, Susmit, Ayush and Ahaan to bat. Could they do it? Conventional wisdom had it that the strike needed to be with Susmit. But Dhruv landed with his best innings so far. Striking the ball fluently, Dhruv scored 3 boundaries to get the run rate under control. 23 off 3 overs. And Dhruv kept going!! Raghu's 13th over was not as successful and the chase was down to 12 in 12. Enter HK for his last over - and he did the job with the key wicket of Susmit, and Dhruv runout as well - 8 now needed in 6 balls with Ahaan and Ayush at the crease. Vicky to bowl the last over.

We've seen our boys become men this season, and today was the icing on the cake. As Vicky bowled a low full toss, Ayush effortlessly tonked it for 4 - now 4 off 5 balls! Some mad fielding and running got more runs, with 2 off 3. As the boys tried to finish running 2 off a misfield, Ahaan got run-out, and Ayush was the last man standing with 1 off 2 balls. No problem. Ice-cool nerves, a clean drive to mid-on and done - what a memorable victory it was!

It might have been the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi - the apostle of peace. But there was no peace for the bowlers at Maidaan today - just sheer mayhem.

But what fun we had!