The season opener (what happens in Rome stays in Rome) couldn’t have had a better start. The weather couldn’t have been more ideal for cricket – sunny with a gentle breeze, lifting spirits as a couple of fresh faces join the team. After a long hibernation and plenty of beers during winter, everyone seemed eager to be back on the field for this 40-over friendly between SVL and MCC.
Despite the team’s wish, we were asked to bat second, leading to some friendly banter directed at Joy, for losing the toss. Hrishikesh, playing his first game with MCC, started off nervously with the new ball alongside the experienced Mucca. Once the nerves settled, Hrishikesh claimed his first wicket for the club in his second over, with Mucca following suit soon after. With both openers back in the dugout, the bowling that ensued from Anirudh and another debutant Saurav displayed impeccable discipline.
While the scoreboard mostly remained stagnant, a partnership started to take place. As one of the batsman started to find form and another looking solid on his defense, Joy brought the spinners into action. From one end, Mayank showcased his impeccable left-arm spin, keeping a tight leash on the batsmen, Rahul from the other end took some time to find his rhythm but once there, in his 2nd over back he sent both batsmen back to pavilion. After that it was only a matter of time as Joy came in with his swinging deliveries and he with Mayank wrapped up the SVL inning. SVL managed to put up a modest total of 122 in 40 overs.
The second innings saw the openers Anirudh and Jasi off to a perfect start, with Anirudh displaying his elegant cover-drives and Jasi holding strong in his defense. After adding solid 33 for the 1st wicket partnership, Ani departed and Priyansh didn’t stay on the crease too long either. With two wickets down, Hrishi, eager to finish the innings quickly ( or eager to showoff as his girlfriend showed up ;-D), added a fiery inning of 40 off 29 with some nicely hit boundaries. After he departed, Mucca and Saurav with Jasi comfortably brought the match home and chased down 122 in 21 overs with 6 wickets to spare (and leaving no chance for Joy to get a lead in the race), setting a positive tone for the remainder of the season.
It’s also important to mention that Haseeb, when asked to play for SVL (as they only had 9 players), showed real commitment, as well as Priyansh, Ani, and Amol, who took turns to field for them.
While the beers were missed at the end, it wasn’t for too long, as the next week’s Intraclub match at our lovely Hirsh approaches.
Match scorecard: https://www.crichq.com/matches/1141130/1st_innings
