Nail-biting final match, Karnataka beat Tamil Nadu by one run to defend Syed Mushtaq Ali title
Surat, Dec 1: Skipper Manish Pandey led from the front with a sublime half-century before the bowlers produced a team effort to help Karnataka defend their title, beating Tamil Nadu by one run in a thrilling final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament here on Sunday.
Sent into bat, Karnataka made a challenging 180 for five, riding on skipper Manish Pandey's 45-ball unbeaten 60 and useful contribution from Rohan Kadam (35), Devdutt Padikkal (32) and KL Rahul (22).
Karun Nair also made a fine 8-ball 17 to help his side's cause.
And then Karnataka bowlers dished out a fine death over bowling display to restrict Tamil Nadu to 179 for six in their 20 overs.
All Tamil Nadu batsmen got starts but failed to capitalise on them. All-rounder Vijay Shankar top-scored with a 44 off 27 balls while Baba Aparajith made 40 off 25 balls. The duo shared 71 runs for the fifth wicket to give Tamil Nadu a glimmer of a hope.
After Aparajith's dismissal, Shankar and Ravichandran Ashwin (16 not out) kept Tamil Nadu in the hunt but they fell short of chasing down the target in the end.
Needing 13 runs from the last over, Ashwin struck two consecutive boundaries off Krishnappa Gowtham to reduce the margin but Shankar's run out two balls later cost Tamil Nadu dearly.
Needing three off the last ball, Murugan Ashwin could only manage one as Karnataka captured the title for the second consecutive time.
In the Karnataka innings, Tamil Nadu leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin (2/33) and offie Ravichandran Ashwin (2/34) scalped two wickets apiece.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Terrorists target non-local labourer in Tral
Srinagar (PTI): Terrorists shot at and injured a labourer from Uttar Pradesh in the Tral area of Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir Thursday morning, officials said.
Shubam Kumar, a resident of Bijnore, received a gunshot injury in the arm when the terrorists fired at him at Batagund village, the officials said.
They said Kumar has been rushed to a hospital for treatment.
This is a third attack on non-local labourers in Kashmir in the past one week.
Six non-local labourers and a local doctor were killed in a terror attack on a construction site in Ganderbal district on Sunday, while a labourer from Bihar was shot dead by terrorists in Shopian district on October 18.
