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Nitish Kumar Reddy makes an all-round splash as India seal the series

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Nitish Kumar Reddy smashed seven sixes during his 34-ball stay [BCCI]

India pounced on poor bowling from the Bangladesh spinners to get out of jail on a Delhi surface that started off as tacky but kept on improving for batting as the night progressed. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh took India from 41 for 3 in the sixth over to 221, with a finishing kick provided by Hardik Pandya.  In better batting conditions, the India bowling still proved too good for Bangladesh, sealing the series win.

The Bangladesh spinners suffered on both comparisons. Their fast bowlers bowled 12 overs for 102 runs, but the spinners conceded 116 in their eight. And then the India spinners rubbed it in for them with nine overs for just 49 runs and five wickets.

After a toss that didn’t seem to matter – Bangladesh said they wanted to use the dew coming in later to their advantage and chase, India said they wanted to bat first to test their bowlers in dew – Bangladesh opened the bowling with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, whose arm balls were either too full or short and taken apart by Sanju Samson. On a tacky surface, the fast bowlers managed to draw misbehaviour though. Samson and Suryakumar Yadav fell to checked shots because of the slowness of the pitch, and Abhishek Sharma played on trying to slog Tanzim Hasan.

Rinku was the only one able to play smoothly from the start. Reddy got away twice in the early phase of his innings. When Litton Das dropped him down the leg side of Tanzim, Reddy moved to 6 off 4, and he was 19 off 14 when he survived an extremely close lbw – umpire’s call on impact on a reverse-sweep. That 19 included a six off a free-hit thanks to a no-ball by Mahmudullah.

Rishad Hossain is a legspinner full of promise, especially in T20 cricket. However, against a Rinku intent on all kinds of sweeps, he bowled his fifth ball too full and was slog-swept for six. And then Mahmudulllah offered the free-hit. In his second over, Rishad erred on length on both sides. Reddy took him for two sixes down the ground before Rinku pulled him for one. That 24-run over took India past 100 in 10 overs.

After that, only Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman managed an over without a boundary. Mehidy suffered the worst punishment as he couldn’t get Reddy off strike and kept bowling in his wheelhouse for 26 runs in the 13th over. A hundred in just his second match looked on but a slower ball from Mustafizur got the better of him to dismiss him for 74 off 34.

This was the right time for Bangladesh to squeeze in an over of spin but Hardik Pandya offered no concessions to Rishad’s errors in length. Rinku might have looked like the silent partner in the carnage but he got to his fifty at almost two a ball.

As India kept losing wickets looking for quick runs, Rishad managed some respite and got to bowl the last over for just eight runs. Bangladesh were still being asked to score their highest T20I total to stay alive in the series.

There’s a reason Bangladesh have never scored more than 215 in T20Is’  their batters don’t seem to have the game for it. Looking for the unprecedented, the batters took too many risks and got off to a quick start but it was a matter of time before the risks caught up with them. Parvez Hossain played Arshdeep on, Washington Sundar got Najmul Hossain Shanto twice in two games, Litton Das was all at sea against Varun Chakravarthy, Towhid Hridoy was done in by an Abhishek Sharma arm ball, and the game was all but done at 46 for 4 in the seventh over.

The rest was mere formalities, which involved a wicket for Riyan Parag, a stunning catch by Pandya, and a wicket at least for each of the seven bowlers India tried.

Brief scores:
India 221 for 9 in 20 overs (Nitish Kumar Reddy 74, Rinku Singh 53, Hardik Pandya 32; Taskin Ahmed  2-16, Tanzim Hasan Sakib 2-50, Mustafizur Rahman 2-36, Rishad Hossain 3-55) beat Bangladesh 135 for 9 in 20 overs  (Mahmudullah 41; Arshdeep Singh 1-26,  Varun Chakrawarthy 2-19, Nitish Kumar Reddy 2-23, Washington Sundar 1-04, Abhishek Sharma 1-10, Mayank Yadav 1-30, Riyan Parag 1-16 ) by 86 runs

[Cricinfo]



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Lions ready to roar against Kiwis in Dambulla showdown

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New Zealand cricket team visited Minneriya National Park yesterday. They are in Dambulla ahead of the two-match T20 series starting Saturday.

Rex Clementine  at Dambulla

The New Zealand cricket team took a breather, immersing themselves in the natural splendor of Minneriya, where they witnessed the breathtaking ‘Gathering’ — a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle where elephants congregate around the Minneriya Reservoir during the dry season. It’s a sight to behold, one of the world’s most captivating wildlife events, and a must-see for nature lovers.

But today, the Kiwis will shift their focus back to the pitch, preparing to face Sri Lanka in a two-match T20 series kicking off at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

Riding high on a stunning Test series triumph over India, where they handed the hosts a 3-0 whitewash, the Kiwis have shaken the foundations of Indian cricket. The loss has sent shockwaves through Indian cricket circles, with many demanding the heads of captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir, and even the illustrious Virat Kohli hasn’t escaped criticism.

Despite New Zealand’s momentum, Sri Lanka will step onto the field as the firm favorites. The islanders blanked the Kiwis 2-0 in last month’s Test series, and with several top New Zealand players focused on their upcoming home Test series against England, this white-ball squad looks somewhat underpowered. The Kiwis’ World Test Championship hopes were dashed after the drubbing in Sri Lanka, but cricket has a way of flipping the script, as they showed by turning the tables on India in their own backyard. No wonder reputed cricket writer Rajan Bala called cricket the game of glorious uncertainties.

In the absence of regulars, New Zealand will be under the leadership of left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, one of their standout players in the series against India.

Since taking charge, Sanath Jayasuriya has set his sights on two goals: lifting Sri Lanka’s rankings from the bottom rungs and clinching overseas victories. With a laser-like focus, he’s making strides on both fronts. Sri Lanka recently downed the third-ranked West Indies in a T20 series, coming from behind to seal the win. Given that T20 is Sri Lanka’s lowest-ranked format, Jayasuriya is eager to propel the team upward. If eighth-ranked Sri Lanka can topple fifth-ranked New Zealand, they’ll surely gain ground.

Both T20 matches will be held at Dambulla, with the venue also hosting the first ODI. The series will then move to Kandy for the remaining two ODIs.

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Maliyadeva Balika win three out of four individual awards at Milo Schools Netball Championship

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Milo Schools Netball Championship concluded with Maliyadeva Balika Kurunegala winning the overall title of the annual event at Matara on Wednesday. Displaying their trophies here are the most outstanding players of the four age categories. Incidentally, the most outstanding player titles in the Under 13, 15 and 19 age groups were won by players from Maliyadeva Balika.

From left Sheyara Dahamdi Wijesuriya (U13), Senumi Vimansa (U15), Ayodya Alawattegama (U17) of Mahamaya B.V. Kandy and Bhashini Udagedara (U19) pose with the presentation party.

(Pic by Nishan S Priyantha)

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Damsath, Yudheerya, Annaya to compete for singles titles

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Damsath Peiris and Yudheerya Atapattu are set to compete for the Under 14 boys’ title today after they secured victories in the semi-finals of the ATF Under 14 week two tournament at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association courts yesterday.

In the girls’ final Annaya Norbet will meet Diya Ravikumar after the Sri Lankan edged out India’s Sanvi Reddy 6-4, 7-5 in the semi-final. In the other semi-final Ravikumar (India) beat Mithravinda  Sathis of USA) 6-3, 6-0.

In the boys’ semi-finals Peiris beat Dexter Yu of Hong Kong 6-3, 6-0 and  Yudheerya Atapattu beat  Thuvakar Sathiees.

The tournament which commenced on November 4 will conclude on November 10.

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