Sachin’s blistering ton helps TNCA XI pull off win against Mumbai

B. Sachin smashed a quickfire century (115, 110b, 7×4, 5×6) to help TNCA XI pull off a heist and beat Mumbai by two wickets in a close game that went down to the wire on the final day of the first round match of the Buchi Babu tournament here on Wednesday.

Mumbai resumed its second innings on the final day with an 87-run lead but succumbed against left-arm spinner M. Siddharth’s fine spell (five for 66) and was bundled out for 178, leaving TNCA XI a target of 266 in 45 overs.

Sachin and S.R. Athish then pulverised the Mumbai attack, leaving the visitors shell-shocked as the home team raced to 80 for one in 10 overs.

Sachin smashed left-arm pacer Irfan Umair for three boundaries in one over – a lofted shot over cover sandwiched between two flicks.

At the other end, Athish too kept the pressure on the bowlers, smashing seven fours and two sixes en route his second half-century of the match as the duo added 121 in just 91 balls for the second wicket partnership. 

Sachin mixed caution with aggression, tonking the spinners down the ground for maximums with clean strikes while also rotating the strike against a spread-out field. He got to his century in style, cutting Shreyas Gurav to the deep cover fence.

Once Sachin was dismissed with 53 still needed, R. Sonu Yadav (32 n.o.) held his nerve playing a sensible knock without many risks. When TN needed 17 off the last four overs with two wickets in hand, Siddharth smartly worked the field and hit a timely boundary in the penultimate over to get his side within three runs of the target. He then fittingly closed out the game with a boundary off the first ball of the final over.