In the second Qualifier of the ongoing TNPL 2023, Nellai Royal Kings‘ batters, Guruswamy Ajitesh and Rithik Easwaran did the unthinkable. At the start of the 19th over, they needed an improbable 37 runs to win the virtual semifinal. The over was bowled by G Kishoor. Even though he conceded 17 runs in his first two overs, he surely wasn’t expected to leak 33 runs.
However, as it turned, the right-arm medium-fast bowler did so. Wicketkeeper batter Rithik Easwaran was on strike batting on seven off four balls. He hit three sixes in a row to start the proceedings. The first two sixes were toward long off and long on respectively. The third one was hit over the deep cover fence. Ajitesh hit a six between long on and deep midwicket on the fifth ball.
However, thanks to Kishoor overstepping, both batters changed ends. On the last ball of the over, Rithik hit a six over deep fine leg on a free hit to bring the equation down to four needed off the last over.
Watch the video here
One of the craziest striking! 37 needed in 12 balls – 6,6,6,1,6,N1,6.
33 runs from the penultimate over, insane striking from Rithik Easwaran and Ajitesh Guruswamy in TNPL Qualifier. pic.twitter.com/jhToGDKkM1
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 10, 2023
Nellai Royal Kings to play final against Lyca Kovai Kings
Talking about the game, the Royal Kings won the toss and elected to bowl first. Batting first, the Kovai Kings laid a great foundation as Shivam Singh (76) and Boopathi Kumar (41) provided a great start. In the end, skipper Baba Indrajith (13*) played a cameo and helped the team reach 185/5.
In reply, despite losing the openers inside nine overs, the likes of Ajitesh and Nidhish Rajagopal kept the scoring going although the latter struggled with the bat. During the 17th over, Rajagopal was retired and it proved to be a blessing in disguise as discussed above. In the last over, the winning team needed only four runs but was made to struggle by Suboth Bhati. In the first five balls, they scored three runs to level the game. On the last ball, Easwaran scored a six to seal a spot in the final against Lyca Kovai Kings on July 12.
This is how Twitter reacted
No Yorker
No Bouncer
No Slower BowlBowling half volleys at death overs is a crime #TNPL2023
— Nadeem Bagwan 🇮🇳 (@786_nadz) July 10, 2023
This man still holds the highest run in an over record pic.twitter.com/nECTsWNYir
— Mukesh Gandhi❤️ (@The_word_play) July 10, 2023
And This is what we call Scripting
Ipl writers will never match these levels
— Anish🙇 (@Anish_Utd) July 10, 2023
That's not crazy striking, that is shitty bowling. All the balls gone for six were in same length and line
— Umesh Ahuja (@imumesh01) July 10, 2023
Rithik Easwaran is looking like pooran while playing those shots
— Ritesh (@Riteshsh108) July 11, 2023
A Guruswamy is a 20yrs wk batter…. future of India….he also leading run scorer of this season
— Biswajit Cricketer (@BiswajitCric718) July 11, 2023
Have some Shame Kishoor destroyed all the hard work done by Varun😡
— Arka (@ARKA0432) July 10, 2023
Saari bowl slot me di..isse acha corporate cricket me bowler hote hai
— NIT (@neilbroom) July 10, 2023
Future indian bowling 😥
We are doomed— BLooDLusT (@BLooD____LusT) July 11, 2023
Minnows Leagues 😒
— 𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐇𝐀𝐕⁴⁵ (@Iamraghav264) July 10, 2023
