Anish and Nag flummox IISc

1 July 2012, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: When IISc posted 270 runs on the board, they might have felt reasonably confident about defending it owing to the presence of all the senior bowlers in the team. But during the second half of the game, a combination of watchful batting in the beginning, a brutal attack on the spinners in the later stages assisted by some butter-fingered fielding by IISc made the job for the guest team a lot easier than it should have been.

Batting first, IISc suffered early loss of wickets and were down to 52/3 in twelve overs. Lalit (56 off 93 balls) continued his amazing form with the bat and went on to score yet another half-century in this season. The 101-run fourth wicket association between Lalit and Varun (55 off 56 balls) set the platform for the upcoming batsmen. Teja again played the finishers role to perfection with a flamboyant 61 off 49 balls. 

Sirur Park started cautiously but lost their first wicket at 21. Debajit, Varun and Sudheer bowled an accurate line and length to keep the run rate in check. But as soon as spin was brought into the attack, Anish (108 off 101 balls) and Nag (98 off 118 balls) unleashed themselves and the result was a flurry of boundaries comprising of some superlative drives and sweeps. Their alliance of 196 runs completely wrested the match from IISc’s grasp. With as many as five dropped catches, IISc could hardly expect to win the match.

Brief scores: (50 overs match)
IISc – 270/9 in 50 overs
(Lalit 56, Varun 55, Raviteja 61;
Vinod 9-0-62-3, Cyrus 10-1-45-2)
Sirur Park – 272/5 in 48.1 overs
(Nag 98, Anish 108, Cyrus 24;
Varun 8-2-45-1, Debajit 10-1-39-1, Alok 7-0-42-1, Raviteja 3-0-15-1)

Result: Sirur Park won by 5 wickets
Man of the match: Anish John

Last two matches against same opponents:

IISc beat Sirur Park in YSR opener 

IISc win Boxing Day bout

Mount Joy trump IISc again

24 June 2012, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: Team IISc put up a spirited fight against guests Mount Joy CC in a friendly match, after a dismal display on the previous occasion. This match was notable for the disciplined bowling display on IISc's part as well as the batting exhibition of the swashbuckling Raviteja in the middle-order. However the combined factors of bleak fielding, a lifeless pitch and the lack of experienced players conspired against IISc and allowed Mount Joy to trump the match.

The match started an hour late because of the blatant indiscipline showcased by the senior players of Mount Joy CC. After winning the toss, Mount Joy chose to bat first. Varun ripped off the opener Eshwar with an excellent bouncy delivery. However, Mount Joy quickly recovered with Shekar top scoring (76), followed by Sharath (52) and Abhilash (26). At the end of 40 overs, they were asked to relinquish their session (owing to the late start), having scored 223/6. Notable among the bowlers was the left-arm spinner, Alok (10 overs, 41/3) who troubled even the set batsmen. Syam, Arindam and Varun maintained good economy rates of under 5.0 per over. Fielding and catching in the deep are perennial issues that have to be worked on, especially with the inclusion of the new troops in the team

Team IISc had a tough task ahead since the relatively modest total of 223 ballooned into a mammoth ask of 280 in 50 overs (run rate extrapolation). The pressure told as opener Pranesh got out early. However, Lalit (43 off 62 balls) and Varun (30 off 49 balls) built up a sensible 80-run partnership to lend a semblance of stability to the batting display. However, they got out in quick succession to leave IISc tottering at 86/3 in 20.4 overs. The highlight of the batting was Raviteja who made a fluent 63 runs off 76 balls. However, even he was helpless as the other end lacked an anchoring innings. Team IISc crawled to a meagre 215 off 49.1 overs having lost all their wickets.

Brief scores: (50 overs match)

Mount Joy – 223/6 in 40 overs
(Shekar 76, Abhilash 26, Sharath 52;
Varun 6-0-25-1, Syam 7-0-37-0, Alok 10-0-41-3)
IISc – 215 all out in 49.1 overs
(Lalit 43, Varun 30, Raviteja 63;
Mohan 10-0-27-4, Abhilash 10-0-44-3)

Result: Mount Joy won by 64 runs

Man of the match: Shekar

IISc ascends to 3rd position in KSCA ranking

As per the latest ranking of IV division teams released by KSCA, the IISc cricket team is ranked three out of 48 teams. That is six spots above last year's ranking of nine. It's worth noting that in two seasons, team IISc as jumped a total of 21 spots in the ranking. The challenge now is to continue the good work this season as the KSCA IV division league commences from July 21. IISc is placed in pool-C which has the following teams:

1. Rajajinagar Cricketers (Rank-43)

2. Indiranagar Cricketers (Rank-38)

3. Malleswaram United Cricket Club (Rank-29)

4. Ace Cricketers (Rank-26)

5. Friends Cricket Club (Rank-14)

6. IISc Gymkhana (Rank-3)

Vikram CC thrash IISc

17 June 2012, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: After a record run chase against Indiranagar Cricketers last week, team IISc suffered the largest margin of defeat ever. Vikram Cricket Club, two-time consecutive semi-finalist (2010 and 2011) in the KSCA IV division league, proved too much for team IISc.

Put into bat, Vikram CC lost their openers in quick succession. An acrobatic catch by Nagaraju and a cracker of a delivery from Teja put team IISc in the driver’s seat. Vikram CC, however, recovered with a sensible half-century partnership between Sanjeeth (90) and Pandey (32). The century-stand that followed between Venkatesh (100) and Sanjeeth led them to post a mammoth target of 334 and took the game away from team IISc.

Team IISc never stood a chance after losing the in-form batsman Kiran early in the innings. Lalit (30) and Pranesh (29) tried to build a partnership but the ever increasing run-rate led to a disastrous run-out of Pranesh. Vikram (17) looked confident with a mighty six over mid-wicket but was soon deceived by the offie Ravi (3/28). Lalit remained a spectator at one end while Pradeep (4/34) and Ravi ran through the middle and lower order. IISc was bundled out for a meager 144.

Brief scores: (50-overs match)

Vikram CC - 333/8 in 50 overs

(Venkatesh 100, Sanjeeth 90, Pandey 32, Teja 2/44, Pranesh 2/47)

IISc - 144 allout in 34 overs

(Lalit 30, Pranesh 29, Vikram 17, Pradeep 4/34, Ravi 3/28)

Result: Vikram CC won by 189 runs

Man of the Match: Sanjeeth (90 runs, 1/11, 2 catches)

Kiran's ton flattens Indiranagar

10 June 2012, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore:  Team IISc compiled the highest chase in the last five years (could be more!) hunting down 274 in a mere 41.2 overs riding on a turbo-charged innings of 123 of 89 balls from Kiran Gangadharan - his fourth century in just over an year - studded with sixteen fours and two sixes.

Indiranagar Cricketers had every reason to think they had the match in their pocket when they posted a healthy 273/8 in 50 overs and got a wicket of the very first ball of the home team's innings. Pandey (65 of 84 balls) played the sheet anchor's role to perfection while forties from Karthik (42) and Guru (43*) helped Indiranagar reach an imposing total. Varun (2/62) and debutant Doney (2/34) shared the bowling spoils for IISc.

After Pranesh's wicket off the first ball, Kiran and Lalit stitched together a 62-run partnership before it was broken by an acrobatic catch by Rakesh at mid-on. The 167-run third-wicket association between Kiran and Varun (75 of 77) took the match completely away from the visitors in a perfect exhibition on how to chase a big total. The fact that the stiff target was scaled in the 42nd over speaks volumes of the dominance of the partnership. The only regret in the chase would be the fall of a few quick wickets towards the end with hardly a handful to get.

Brief scores: (50-overs match)
Indiranagar Cricketers - 273/8 in 50 overs
(Pandey 65, Karthik 42, Rakesh 24, Guru 43*, Varun 2/62, Doney 2/35)
IISc - 274/6 in 41.2 overs
(Kiran 123, Varun 75, Unni 3/14)

Result: IISc won by 4 wickets
Man of the Match: Kiran Gangadharan

Mount Joy CC beat IISc

3 June 2012, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: Mount Joy Cricket Club comprising a mixture of players from 1st division to 4th division proved too much of an ask for team IISc as they posted a mammoth 310/7 in 50 overs and then dismissed IISc for 243 in 45.1 overs.

Meaty contributions from several batsmen, notably Shekhar (61) and Abhilash (65), helped Mount Joy reach a 300-plus total. Left-arm seamer Manish Mandloi, playing only his third match for IISc, bowled a stirring spell of 9-0-28-2.

As many as six IISc batsmen got into the twenties only to throw it away - a perfect lesson on how not to build a chase. Tail-ender Manish (26) ended up being the highest scorer in IISc's innings that folded up 67 runs short of the target. Mohan picked up a four-wicket haul for the visitors.

Brief scores: (50-overs match)
Mount Joy CC - 310/7 in 50 overs
(Praveen 27, Shekhar 61, Abhilash 65, Sharath 40, Suchin 39, Manish 2/28, Naga Raju 2/61)
IISc - 243 all out in 45.1 overs
(Lalit 24, Kiran 22, Mayank 23, Ashith 24, Rajat 20, Manish 26, Magnet 2/29, Suchin 3/43, Mohan 4/44, Madhu 2/19)

Result: Mount Joy CC won by 67 runs
Man of the Match: Abhilash

Kings drub Royals in intra-IISc match

27 May 2012, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: With a growing pool of players, the IISc cricket club, after a really long time, had the luxury to have two teams playing leather-ball cricket. And so we had an intra-IISc match played between the IISc Kings XI led by Teja and the IISc Royals XI led by Lalit. Kiran Gangadharan scored a typically breezy half-century (53 off 34 balls) and then claimed a five-wicket haul (5/28) to single-handedly win the match for the Kings XI.

The Kings batted first and posted a par score of 198 as they were bundled out in 37.3 overs. Barring Kiran's innings and Pranesh's 29 there were hardly any meaningful contributions. Alok Pandey, coming back after an ACL surgery, bowled a mesmerizing spell of left-arm spin claiming four top-order wickets. His figures say it all - 8 overs, 2 maidens, 16 runs, 4 wickets.

The Royals messed up the chase completely and at one stage found themselves at 18/5. Varun (61 off 65 balls) and Arindam (22 off 19 balls) brought some respectability to the innings but in a losing cause. Teja's three-for and Kiran's five-for ultimately clinched the deal in favour of the Kings. Among the rookies, Vikas's spell of 5-0-14-1 was impressive.

Brief scores: (40-overs match)
IISc Kings XI - 198 all out in 37.3 overs
(Pranesh 29, Kiran 53, Mayank 2/34, Alok 4/16)
IISc Royals XI - 182 all out in 31.2 overs
(Varun 61, Teja 3/18, Kiran 5/28, Santhosh 2/41)

Result: IISc Kings XI won by 16 runs
Man of the Match: Kiran Gangadharan