T20 cricket has gained immense popularity due to its thrilling and entertaining nature, with fans particularly enjoying the display of powerful hitting and unorthodox shots by batsmen. Players like AB de Villiers and Rishabh Pant have revolutionized stroke-making, even in longer formats of the game.
During a thrilling match in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), a remarkable shot played by a batsman caught everyone’s attention. It reminded fans of the stylish batting of Indian star Suryakumar Yadav. The incident took place when Dindigul Dragons (DD) faced off against Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG) at NPR College Ground, Dindigul on Wednesday (June 21).
C Sarath Kumar, representing the Dragons, played a shot in the 12th over that left spectators in awe and reminded them of Suryakumar’s innovative stroke-making. The bowler, Rocky Bhaskar from CSG, delivered a ball outside the off-stump that was almost wide. In a display of exceptional skill and audacity, Sarath Kumar cleverly moved outside the off stump and elegantly flicked the ball to the fine leg region, sending it soaring over the boundary.
Here’s the video:
Guarding your stumps is too mainstream in T20 cricket 😂#TNPLonFanCode #TNPL2023 pic.twitter.com/9CfbipOJkh
— FanCode (@FanCode) June 21, 2023
Sarath Kumar contributed 25 runs off 21 balls, including three boundaries, and formed a crucial 61-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Adithya Ganesh (44 off 30). In the end, Suboth Bhati‘s (31 off 13) quickfire cameo further bolstered Dindigul’s score to 170/9.
In the gripping chase of a challenging target, CSG displayed commendable resilience, particularly through a formidable 72-run partnership for the third wicket between Baba Aparajith and skipper Narayan Jagadeesan. Aparajith showcased his batting prowess with a brilliant knock of 74 runs off just 40 deliveries, while Jagadeesan contributed a valuable 37 runs off 36 balls.
However, the game took a dramatic turn as soon as the partnership was broken, leading to CSG losing their momentum. Despite their best efforts, they fell agonizingly short of victory, finishing at 169/9 in their chase, just one run shy of the target set by Dragons.
The climax of the match was filled with nail-biting tension as Chepauk required 12 runs off the final over to secure a win. Unfortunately, they could only manage 10 runs, losing three crucial wickets in the process.
Aparajith’s impressive knock for Chepauk couldn’t take them home. For Dragons, Varun Chakravarthy took three wickets, and Saravana Kumar picked two scalps.
Notably, this thrilling encounter marked the first instance of a team winning by a solitary run in the history of the TNPL, adding to the excitement and drama of the league.
