IISc Surrender to Dolphin CC

31 August, 2014, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: IISc's KSCA IV Division 2014 campaign was severely jolted as they succumbed to Dolphin CC by 5 wickets. In a rain affected game,  IISc put up a shoddy performance with the bat and couldn't even last the full quota of 50 overs. Dolphin CC skipper won the toss and promptly chose to field given that rain was predicted later in the afternoon.

IISc was off to a rollicking start with the first 3 overs producing 28 runs. Mohammed paid the price for bowling a shortish length to Kiran and bled 19 runs in his first 2 overs. Dolphin's skipper Sachin, then turned to the left arm spin of Nakul. The move paid rich dividends almost immediately as Kiran, in a bid to assert his dominance on the spinners, inside edged one onto his stumps. Ashith & Gaurav then played cautiously and tried to build a partnership but the run rate plummeted as the next 22 overs produced just 66 runs. With the pressure mounting on both the batsmen to up the ante at the halfway stage,  Ashith was bowled playing a loose shot.  Varun soon followed edging a wide one behind the stumps. Vikram batted with a sense of purpose as he looked to try and get IISc towards a good total. But, Gaurav at the other end continued his struggle to pick up the pace as he labored towards his 50 in the 40th over.  The game was in the balance and IISc still looked set for at least 220. However, Girish then struck thrice in two overs  to send the IISc middle order packing. Vikram's promising innings was cut short by Girish, as he lured him out of his crease and got him stumped. Raviteja and Gaurav immediately followed playing tame shots off Girish. The lower order was blown away by Mohammed's yorkers and IISc's batting came to a grinding halt at 202 in the 47th over.

IISc  took the field charged up and wanting to prove a point. IISc's opening bowlers displayed a lot of discipline and intent.  Ankit built pressure from one end with his nagging line. Varun quickly removed Mohammed and Adhkosh  reducing Dolphin CC to 7 for 2 in 5 overs. Vikram soon followed in the 13th over, playing all over a yorker from Raviteja. Dolphin CC were tottering at 30 for 3 in 12.1 overs when the rain arrived. Once the rain subsided, Dolphin CC needed to score a revised target of 180 in 45 overs.  The wet outfield nullified the swing and seam that the seamers were able to extract which prompted IISc to turn to spin. Arindam removed Samith almost immediately in the 16th over (49 for 4 ). Sachin and Pawan then went about the repair job for Dolphin CC with minimum fuss.  The pair effortlessly picked the singles and put away the loose balls to the boundary. The pair put on 127 runs in just 21.3 overs virtually sealing the match in their favor.  IISc's fielding was yet again found wanting as they failed to grab the few chances that were offered. A few comical errors by fielders in the deep hastened the end for IISc.

With one win and one loss in two games IISc need to win all their remaining matches to entertain any thoughts of making it to the next round.  The remaining league matches will be held in October on completion of the YSR tournament.  IISc gets a welcome break as they have sufficient time to regroup and approach the remaining games with a fresh mind. 

Brief Scores:

IISc Gymkhana: 200 All out in 47.5 Overs

Gaurav 62, Ashith 41, Vikram 31

Mohammed 10.5-1-35-4, Girish 10-0-46-3, Adhkosh 10-0-35-1

Dolphin Cricket Club: 184 for 5 in 38.2 Overs (Revised Target 181 in 45 Overs)

Sachin 75, Pawan 56

Varun 10-0-43-3, Ankit 7-1-22-0, Raviteja 5-0-20-1

Result: Dolphin CC won by 5 wickets

Man of the match: Sachin Bhat

In the newspapers

IISc Rout Sangam Cricketers

Kiran played some delightful cover drives and lofted drives on his way to 94

24th August, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: IISc kick started their KSCA IV Division 2014 campaign with an emphatic seven wicket win over Sangam Cricketers. IISc won the toss and promptly elected to field given that rain was predicted to play a part in the game later in the afternoon. Sangam openers were off to a steady start before Varun nicked out Vinod for 18 in the 9th over. Mithun then joined Sidharth and continued to play in a steady fashion.  Just when it seemed that Sangam had laid down a solid foundation to reach a respectable total, IISc's spinners struck three crucial blows on either side of the drinks break.  The first to go was Sidharth, who holed out to long off trying to force the pace.  The second wicket partnership of 69 came in 18 overs. Mithun soon followed top edging a paddle sweep towards forward short leg. The edge stayed up long enough for the wicket keeper (Kiran) to run across and dive full stretch to gobble it. Sagar barely got set before he tried to slog one out of the park but only managed to find Ankit at long on. The quick strikes dented Sangam's innings, reducing them to 119/4 in the 32 over. Ranjith tried to grab the momentum back by finding the boundary regularly with his unorthodox strokeplay. But, Arindam towards the end of his marathon spell that spanned 12 overs, picked two crucial wickets to ensure that Sangam entered the death overs with no momentum whatsoever. Sangam's lower batting order had no answers to Ankit's tantalising line and Ashit's cleverly disguised slower ones as they ended up getting all out for 202 in the 50th over.

IISc's openers began the chase positively, striking some boundaries early in the innings off Dayanand. Captain Raghu brought himself on early to hold one end up with his nagging line. Nikhil was in the midst of an impressive spell at the other end, troubling both openers with sharp in duckers. Both openers dug deep and fought off the difficult period to ensure IISc came unscathed in the first 10 overs. Kiran then shifted gears and took charge of the proceedings by playing some delightful cover drives and lofted drives off the spinners to bring up his half century in 54 balls. Kiran looked like he was in a hurry to finish things as the next 30 balls he faced produced 44 runs. IISc went into the drinks break at 123 for no loss at the end of the 24th over.  Kiran looked all set to get to his first century this season as the bowlers hardly produced anything that troubled him. However, in a bid to get to his century quickly, he miscued a flighted delivery off Sidharth to long off to go for 94 off just 84 balls. The 135 run first wicket partnership came off 160 balls. Gaurav fell the next over trying to force the pace for a steady 40 of 80 balls. Vikram (39* off 43 balls) completed the formalities by ending the chase in the 39th over. IISc now face Dolphin Cricket Club in their next encounter on 31st August. IISc will not be taking them lightly as they beat Unique Cricket Club in their first game.

 Brief Scores:

Sangam Cricket Club: 202 All out in 49.4 Overs

Sidharth 44, Mithun 40, Ranjit 43

Arindam 12-0-49-3, Ashit 10-2-34-1, Roy 6-0-36-2

IISc Gymkhana: 203 for 3 in 38.0 Overs

Kiran 94, Gaurav 40, Vikram 39*

Raghu 11-0-63-2, Sidharth 2-0-10-1

Result: IISc Gymkhana won by 7 wickets

Man of the match: Kiran KG

Detailed Scorecard: IISC Vs Sangam KSCA IV Division 2014 Scorecard

In the newspapers: 

Kiran and Varun Power IISc to Massive Win

Whirlwind CC Vs IISc Gymkhana (Practice Match)

3rd August, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: IISc registered a thumping 6 wicket victory over Whirlwind CC. Going into this game, there was some concern about IISc's ability to close out games as they struggled to chase down small targets in the previous two games. However, Kiran's return to form in this game ensured that all such talk was put to rest as IISc overcame a stiff target of 223 with more than 20 overs to spare. With the KSCA IV Division League 2014 around the corner these are ominous signs as the team seems to be peaking just at the right time.

Whirlwind won the toss and elected to bat first under slightly overcast conditions. Vishnu got Whirlwind off to a good start by cutting and driving both Varun and Ankit. Whirlwind lost Mitesh for 5 in the 10th over, LBW to a ball from Teju that cut in sharply off the pitch. But, Mohit and Vishnu continued to attack IISc's bowlers, bringing up the 50 in 11th over.  The introduction of spin from both ends saw instant results. Ankit & Alok delivered some quick killer blows to knock the wind out of the Whirlwind middle order, reducing them to 95 for 5 by the 20th over. Nachiketh and Lavneet then helped Whirlwind recover by stitching together a 59 run partnership for the 6th wicket in 15 overs. Lavneet in particular, was impressive, regularly using his feet and sweeping the spinners to ensure the score board kept ticking. Lavneet perished for 41 in the 41st over with the score at 178 for 7. The lower order continued to play their shots and managed to set IISc a competitive target of 223. Ankit was the pick of the bowlers with terrific figures of 10-2-37-3.

 IISc were off to a terrible start when they were quickly reduced to 26 for 2 by the 6th over. Both wickets fell to the lanky left arm medium pacer Vignesh. Vikram was the first to go, trapped in front for 4. Tikkas went for 2, nicking one behind. Kiran and Varun then stitched together a 112 run partnership for the 3rd wicket in just 14.4 overs. They both started cautiously ensuring that there was no further damage done by the pacers. Kiran shelved his natural attacking instincts and looked determined to get a big score. When spin was introduced in the 15th over,  the game was still in the balance with the score at 75 for 2. Whirlwind were only a wicket or two away from regaining control over the game. Both batsmen still had a lot of work to do and IISc was not out of the hole just as yet. But, Kiran then launched a brilliant counter attack to shift the pressure back on to the bowlers. He was particularly, severe on the young leggie Prithvi. He used his feet and swept him regularly to completely turn the tide in IISc's favour. Kushal wrested back some sense of control for the visitors by picking up two quick wickets. First inducing a false stroke from Kiran, ending his innings at 89, short of a well deserved hundred. He then had Teju trapped in front with a slider for 7. However, the Whirlwind bowlers could not exert any real pressure as they continued to bleed runs. Varun (84*) continued the onslaught on the Whirlwind spinners and ensured that the game was finished as early as the 30th over.

Brief Scores:

Whirlwind CC: 222 All Out in 48.2 overs

Vishnu  47*,  Lavneet 41, Bishnu 20*

Ankit 3/37, Teju 2/40, Alok 1/38

IISc Gymkhana: 223 for 4 in 29.5 overs

Kiran 89, Varun 84*

Vignesh 2/22, Kushal 2/42

Result: IISc Gymkhana Won by 6 Wickets

Man of the Match: Kiran KG