Hat-trick hero Sai Kishore stars in Tamil Nadu’s victory

Left-arm spinner Sai Kishore, who turned 25 on Saturday, picked up three wickets off consecutive deliveries in the 20th over to help Tamil Nadu restrict Pondicherry to 129 for eight. Fabid Ahmed (27), Iqlas Naha (0) and Subodh Bhati (0) were sent back to the pavilion off the second, third and fourth balls respectively.

Sai Kishore had earlier accounted for opening batter Ragu, who found B Sai Sudharsan after accumulating 32 runs off 35 deliveries (3 fours, 1 six). Captain Rohit Damodaren (25), Pavan Deshpande (25) and Fabid made 20+ contributions, but it was the Tamil Nadu bowlers who stayed on top of the contest in the first essay.

Pacers M Mohammed (2/18), Sandeep Warrier (1/17) and Thangarasu Natarajan (1/21) shared the remaining wickets, while off-spinner Baba Aparajith (0/14 off 4 overs) was economical throughout his spell. Chasing 130 for its third victory in the competition, Tamil Nadu reached its target with 23 balls to spare.

Left-handed opening batter C Hari Nishaanth (75 not out off 49 balls, 2 fours, 6 sixes) returned to form with an aggressive half-century and remained at the crease with Sai Sudharsan (15 not out off 17 balls) when Tamil Nadu hit the winning runs.

Hari Nishaanth did not have the best of outings in the team’s first two matches, but took the attack to the Pondicherry bowling attack with his brilliant strokeplay. Aparajith, in at No.3, chipped in with a useful 28 off 24 deliveries, an innings that included a six and a four. Regular skipper Vijay Shankar sat out for a second consecutive game due to a niggle, with Narayan Jagadeesan leading the defending champion.

Sai Kishore, the star of the day, was delighted with his hat-trick effort. “Yes, it is a special feeling. I always like to bowl the tough overs. We have two good fast bowlers in Natarajan and Sandeep who bowl at the death. Skipper Jagadeesan has a lot of confidence in me and has been handing me a few overs at the end,” Sai Kishore, who has been trusted at both the front and back end of an innings, told DT Next after the match.

“It was a good win, but we need to improve on our play. We had set the bar high last season. We are not there yet. Hopefully, we reach our best level by the time the group stage gets over,” added the lanky Sai Kishore.

BRIEF SCORES: Round 3: Pondicherry 129/8 in 20 overs (Ragu 32, R Sai Kishore 4/28, M Mohammed 2/18) lost to Tamil Nadu 130/2 in 16.1 overs (C Hari Nishaanth 75*)