Vijay CC bags VAP Trophy for the third successive time

Choosing to bat after winningthe toss, the star-studded Vijay put on a decent total of 252 for eight, thanks to half-centuries from Pradosh Ranjan Paul (85) and Dinesh Karthik (53). Chasing 253 for victory, Alwarpet was on course to finish first but suffered a batting collapse at the end to get bowled out for 247.

Batting first, Vijay was in a spot of bother at 29 for three, losing its top order – comprising Abhinav Mukund (5), L Suryap Prakash (18) and N Jagadeesan (1) – in a short span of time. Youngster Pradosh and the experienced Karthik came to the side’s rescue, putting on 109 runs for the fourth wicket.

Pradosh’s match-winning knock included ten shots to the fence, with wicketkeeper-batsman Karthik disturbing the advertising cushions six times. Apart from the duo, none of the other batters managed to even cross the 30-run mark and hence Vijay had to settle for 252 for eight in its stipulated overs. Four bowlers got two wickets each for Alwarpet.

With a not-so-daunting task ahead of it, Alwarpet got off to a good start as B Sai Sudharsan (52) and K Vishal Vaidhya (71) shared a 93-run partnership for the second wicket. The former hit six boundaries during his 73-ball stay in the middle, while the latter smashed six fours and a maximum.

Once the combination departed, the wheels started to come off, with Alwarpet losing its last five wickets for just 27 runs. The runner-up required six runs off the final over with a solitary wicket in hand but could not cross the line. Mystery spinner CV Varun (3/45) and Pradosh (2/44) came good with the ball for Vijay.

Pradosh (Vijay) was named the Man of the Final for his all-round performance and R Kavin (Alwarpet) was handed the Player of the Tournament award. TNCA vice-president TJ Srinivasa Raj presented the trophies and awards in a brief function right after the match.

Brief scores: India Cements – Vijay CC 252 for 8 in 50 overs (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 85, Dinesh Karthik 53, KB Arun Karthick 26, R Suthesh 2/18, D Rahul 2/63, RS Jaganath Sinivas 2/56, U Mukilesh 2/27) beat Sanmar – Alwarpet CC 247 all-out in 49.2 overs (B Sai Sudharsan 52, K Vishal Vaidhya 71, R Sanjay Yadav 28, U Mukilesh 33, CV Varun 3/45, Pradosh Ranjan Paul 2/44).