Rizvi Springfield all-rounder’s 132 followed by a fifer helps defending champions beat Balmohan Vidyamandir to seal a place in final
Rizvi Springfield’s Yashasvi Jaiswal in full cry against Balmohan Vidyamandir. Pic/SHADAB KHAN
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Riding on an all-round performance by Yashasvi Jaiswal, defending champions Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) comfortably made it to the Mumbai Schools Sports Association-organised under-16 Harris Shield Elite Group final yesterday. They defeated Balmohan Vidyamandir (Marathi) by virtue of a first innings lead of 391 runs at Bombay Gymkhana.
Yashsvi, who scored 132 on the opening day, claimed a fifer in a seven-over spell, going for just 11 runs.
Resuming on their overnight score of 459-4, Rizvi lost skipper Shreyas Mandlik (115) without adding a run to his previous day's tally. Ayaz Khan remained unbeaten on 86, but missed an opportunity to score a ton as Rizvi declared immediately after Shreyas' wicket.
Balmohan all out for 69
Later, Balmohan were bundled out for 69 in 27.2 overs. Sanket Gawari (25 not out) was the only batsman who could resist the Rizvi bowling attack. Other than leg-spinner Yashasvi, left-arm spinner Farhan Shaikh (2-18) found himself in the wickets column. Balmohan refused to bat after following on and accepted defeat. “Our batting strength really depended on three to four batsmen, but they didn't click, so the others didn't want to bat again.
Yes, it's an opportunity for some individuals to score, but their body language suggested something else, so we decided to accept defeat. But yes, to play in a semi-final is in itself an achievement for us,” Balmohan's coach Nilesh Raut told mid-day yesterday.
Hansraj Morarji in final
Hansraj Morarji Public School (Andheri) fought their way to victory against last year's finalists Al-Barkaat MMI English School (Kurla) by a first innings lead to seal a place in the final for the first time yesterday. Finishing Day One on 69-7, Al-Barkaat went on to score 119 in 48.3 overs on Day Two yesterday at Parsee Gymkhana. Shadab Khan and Aasim Shaikh top scored with 37 and 35 respectively. Hansraj Morarji's off-spinner Ayush Sharma scalped four and was well supported by left-arm spinner Aaryan Sen, who picked up three wickets.
Hansraj Morarji School players celebrate their semi-final win over Al-Barkaat yesterday. Pic/Binaisha M Surti
Hansraj Morarji were bundled out for 113 in 58.4 overs in the second innings. Arya Jadhav scored 31. Al-Barkaat's off-spinner Meer Rizvi was the pick of the bowlers, snapping three wickets in his 18-over spell.
Bowling out the opposition for a paltry score, Al-Barkaat gave themselves a fair chance to get back into the game. The Kurla team started their second innings with great confidence. Swapnil Chavan and skipper Faiz Rathod top-scored with 33 runs each. Hansraj Morarji, on the other hand, did not lose hope and fought till the last ball.
Turning point
The turning point in the game was Faiz's wicket when he was caught by Aaryan Sen. After his departure, pressure started building up in the Al-Barkaat camp. Rocky Raj, Meer Rizvi and Akshat Jain followed their teammate in quick succession. Al-Barkaat ended the day with 117-6 in 14 available overs.
Hansraj Morarji's gutsy performance paid off. They now face Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) in the final, whose date is yet to be announced.
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