Indiranagar Terminated

Ashith accepts the applause from his team-mates after 

reaching his first century in KSCA league.

 Varun raises his bat as he walks back after scoring his maiden ton.

12th August, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: Playing their third match of the KSCA Metro Shield 2012, team IISc ousted Indiranagar Cricketers to record yet another monstrous win. An unprecedented pair of tons in one innings - Ashith's marathon unbeaten 149 and Varun's blistering 125 - helped IISc post a staggering total of 386/3 in 50 overs. It's the highest ever in IISc cricket history. Tight bowling, some safe catching and couple of direct-hits served to collapse the hapless guests for a paltry total of 201 in 42.4 overs.

Indiranagar won the toss and put IISc to bat anticipating rain at noon. Salil as usual provided a rock solid start as he played his way on to an unflustered 52 off 54 balls. However, the flashy Kiran was bowled out early for 13 off 16 balls by an unplayable out-swinger from Nihal. Ashith (149 off 141 balls) came in at one down and had a busy 76-run partnership with Salil until the latter was trapped in front by the left-arm spinner, Vikram. This wicket ushered the brilliant Varun (125 off 89 balls) onto the crease. Soon, Ashith's superlative drives and Varun's unrelenting running between the wickets brought the bowling to the knees and took the fight out of the opposition. The duo put on a resplendent 222-run partnership that has set the bench mark in the annals of IISc cricket.

The butter-fingered Indiranagar fielders managed to drop as many as six catches before Bhagwan came to their rescue by taking Varun's catch at long-on. The cherry on the cake was provided by Vikram Chaturvedi, who blasted an unbeaten 23 off 8 balls to give IISc a strong finish. Indiranagar set off chasing the mammoth total in the only way possible, by going hard at each and every ball. However, Arindam drew first blood, when he made the opener Ramkrishna play in the air and Roy took a well judged catch at mid on. The loss of three quick wickets within a space of 35 runs left the guests reeling at 70/4 in the eleventh over. Opener Prabhu's 56 off 64 balls and Sudarshan's 61 off 80 balls were the only signs of resistance as Indiranagar put up a semblance of a fight. However, a combination of inspired bowling from the experienced Arindam and Debajit and a couple of run outs wiped out the guests for 201.

The gorgeous display of cricket in all three departments of the game in the previous three matches makes IISc Gymkhana the team to beat this season, barring complacency.

Brief scores: (50 overs match)
IISc - 386/3 in 50 overs
(Ashith Shyam 149*, Varun Raturi 125, Salil 52, Vikram Chaturvedi 23*; Nihal 8-0-66-2)
Indiranagar Cricketers - 201 allout in 42.4 overs
(Sudarshan 61, Prabhu Karthik 56, Amreesh Singh 28;
Debajit 6.4-0-26-2, Arindam 10-1-43-3, Kiran 7-1-31-2)

Result: IISc won by 185 runs
Man of the match: Ashith Shyam

In the newspapers:

"Deccan Herald" - URL, jpg

"The Hindu" - URL, jpg
"Times of India" - jpg

Upcoming Match: Sunday, 12 August 2012

IISc Gymkhana vs Indiranagar Cricketers
50-overs KSCA Group-I, IV-Division League Match
9:30AM, Sunday, 12 August 2012
IISc Gymkhana Ground

IISc go into this match with two wins in as many matches while Indiranagar have a win and a loss in their first two games. See scores and reports of previous matches between IISc and Indiranagar Cricketers here.

Roy poaches four as IISc hunt down Friends CC

Off-spinner Roy spun a web around the Friends CC 
batting returning with impressive figures of 10-1-42-4.

4th August, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: IISc registered their second win in as many matches in the KSCA Metroshield 2012 IV Division league beating Friends Cricket Club (FCC) by five wickets. Put into bat under overcast conditions, the FCC openers found it hard to contend with the extra swing on offer as Debajit (6-1-24-1) and Varun (7-0-22-1) picked up from where they left off in the previous game. Ashok Kumar tried to cut loose by launching Debajit over square leg for a six but was soon snapped up at second slip by Ashith off the bowling of Varun. Debajit then had Pradeep caught driving to mid-off where Ashith took a fantastic diving catch launching himself forward taking it inches off the ground. Teja (5-0-15-0) and Vikram (5-0-17-0) produced some tight overs before the drinks break as the opposition crawled to 86 for the loss of two wickets at the halfway stage.

Manjunath tried to break the shackles by smacking a couple of boundaries, but with Srinivas unable to rotate the strike at the other end, FCC were struggling to lift the tempo. The introduction of spin triggered a batting collapse as Manjunath (31 off 56 balls) skied one to cover off Roy. Kiran (4-0-27-1) soon put Srinivas (28 off 86) out of his misery by gladly accepting a return catch (in the process picking up his maiden wicket in the league). Syed Ali (30 off 31 balls) briefly resisted picking up the odd boundary but soon perished as Roy spun a web around the FCC batting and brought it to its knees returning with impressive figures of 10-1-42-4. Jagadeesh (26 off 17 balls) smacked some lusty blows at the end trying to lend some respectability to the total but the damage was already done. Ashith (5.5-1-25-2) ensured there would be no rearguard action from the FCC batting as he cleaned up the lower order setting IISc a chase of 180.

Kiran (33 off 41 balls) and Salil (27 off 26 balls) went about the chase with minimum fuss stitching together yet another steady half-century partnership (57 off 57 balls). FCC hit back with two quick wickets sending both openers back to the hut with IISc still needing another 123 runs. Ashith (44 off 56 balls) and Varun (30 off 50 balls) eased the nerves in the IISc dressing room with a crucial third wicket partnership of 79 runs off 111 balls which brought IISc within touching distance. However, some reckless shot selection by IISc’s batsmen delayed the inevitable victory for them as they eclipsed the target in the 39^th over losing five wickets in the process. It was a big win nonetheless but IISc would agree that they lost a couple of wickets too many. IISc now face Indiranagar Cricketers on Sunday, a crucial game for both sides.

Brief scores: (50 overs match)

Friends CC - 179 allout in 42.5 overs 

(Srinivas 28, Manjunath 31, Syed Ali 30, Jagadeesh 26*;

Roy 10-1-42-4, Ashith 5.5-1-25-2)

IISc - 181/5 in 38.5 overs

(Salil 27, Kiran 33, Ashith 44, Varun 30;

Naveen 4.5-1-15-2)

Result: IISc won by 5 wickets

Man of the match: Aniruddha Datta-Roy

In the newspapers: 

"Deccan Herald" - URL, png

Emphatic start to league

Debajit turned in a sterling exhibition of swing bowling. 
His figures say it all: 10-2-27-3.

29th July, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: Team IISc started off their KSCA Metro Shield 2012 campaign with an emphatic victory over Malleswaram United Cricket Club by a resounding eight wicket margin. IISc stamped their dominance in every department of the game hardly letting MUCC a foot in the door taking all of sixty overs to finish off the match.

Varun and Debajit opened the bowling for IISc troubling both the openers. Debajit's first over, in particular, set the tone for the match when he beat Rahul on all six balls moving it both ways. He finally put Rahul out of his misery by inducing a miscue that swirled over Ashith at mid-off before he pouched it running backwards. Soon Debajit also had Bharath caught behind sparking off an uncharacteristically animated celebration from the bowler. Varun (29 off 36 balls) and Suhas (32 off 53 balls) tried to steady the innings with a watchful partnership of 38 runs that was broken by Vikram's golden arm when he had Varun plumb in front. 

Rest of the batting collapsed like a pack of cards though Basavaraj (23) and Prashanth (14) showed brief resistance. IISc fielders were also right on the money saving crucial runs and effecting two runouts although there were also a few missed chances. MUCC - having scored 338/9 in their previous match - were bundled out for a meagre 147 in 40 overs.

Salil (50* off 49 balls) and Kiran (76 off 56 balls) gave IISc a dream start in a 124-run opening stand that completely wiped out any chances of a miracle for the visitors. Both batsmen stamped their class matching each other shot for shot - Salil struck eight boundaries while Kiran spanked fourteen to the fence. In the closing stages of the chase MUCC managed to claim a couple of consolation wickets. IISc cantered home with eight wickets and 30 overs to spare, their biggest win in a league match in recent history.

Brief scores: (50 overs match)
MUCC - 147 allout in 40 overs
(Varun Bharadwaj 29, Suhas 32, Basavaraj 23;
Varun Raturi 10-0-34-2, Debajit 10-2-27-3, Vikram 7-1-30-3)
IISc - 148/2 in 20 overs
(Salil 50, Kiran 76;
Gurudutt 4-0-28-1)

Result: IISc won by 8 wickets
Man of the match: Debajit Sarma

In the newspapers:
"Deccan Herald" - URL, jpg

"The Hindu" - URL, png
"Times of India" - jpg

Kiran special downs Vikram CC

8 July 2012, IISc Gymkhana Ground, Bangalore: IISc humbled Vikram CC by 100 runs in a practice match here spurred by a Kiran special (90 off 62 balls) knock. The hosts were bowled out for 305 in 47.5 with contributions from Arindam (23 off 30 balls), Varun (37 off 40 balls), Raviteja (47 off 48 balls) and Pranesh (25 off 41 balls) apart from Kiran's heriocs at the top of he order.

Needing 306, the visitors were dismissed for 205 with Raviteja, Arindam, Alok and Roy taking two wickets each. Sanjeeth's innings of 81 was the only saving grace for Vikram CC. Despite a large margin of victory, IISc's fielding was found wanting on several occasions - something that needs to be addressed soon with the KSCA league knocking on the door.

Brief scores: (50 overs match)
IISc – 305 allout in 47.5 overs
(Kiran 90, Arindam 23, Varun 37, Raviteja 47;
Deepak 5-0-39-3, Sanjeeth 8.5-0-39-2, Sujay 5-0-31-2)
Vikram CC – 205 allout in 44.1 overs
(Pandiyan 27, Sanjeeth 81;
Raviteja 5-0-29-2, Arindam 10-1-28-2, Alok 6-0-17-2, Roy 2.1-0-11-2)

Result: IISc won by 100 runs
Man of the match: Kiran Gangadharan

Previous matches against same opponents:

Vikram CC thrash IISc

Vikram CC, rain prevail over IISc

IISc post record total, thrash Vikram CC 

IISc starts off with a thumping victory
 

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