Asked if Saturday was the best day of his career after his whirlwind 121 off 47 balls against the VIDA Kovai Kings in the TNPL at the NPR College ground here, Madurai Panthers’ N.S. Chaturved did not hesitate.
Key Factors
I felt like everything struck the sweet spot,” said the 35-year-old, who reached his maiden TNPL hundred in just 40 balls, the fastest century in the league’s history. Vida Kovai Kings ruled the roost in its first step towards recapturing the Tamil Nadu Premier League crown while the SKM Salem side fought like anything but the Spartans in the 34-run loss at the NPR College Ground here on Thursday. His 85-run second-wicket partnership with Abhinav Kannan put Kovai on course for what was a winning score.
Kavin was in no position and edged one to slip, Abishiek picked out the backward-point fielder with precision and Hari Nishaanth looked lost. “Definitely. Without a doubt. “The plan was simple. I wanted to go all out for every ball. “Yes, a little bit. Feel like I’m playing with a bit more freedom. That’s what captain Anirudh Sita Ram and the team management want me to do – play freely. Deeban rocked the top-order as the first three batters – R. Kavin, skipper S. Abishiek and C. Hari Nishaanth (dismissed in that order) – were guilty of being tentative with their shot-making. Once Salem was reeling at eight for four in the fourth over, there was no way back. The southpaw, who had smashed a century in his previous outing against Spartans, once again disrupted the bowlers’ plans with an array of delightful strokes.
His approach, he said, was uncomplicated. Chaturved, who captained the side last season, said not having the burden of captaincy had given him greater freedom this year.
Earlier, Sachin sent another reminder of his growing potential in white-ball cricket. I think I did that today and I hope to carry on,” he said.
What It Means
The scores: Vida Kovai Kings 194/8 in 20 overs (Abhinav Kannan 32, B. Sachin 77, M. Udaya Kumar 3/37, S. Ajith Ram 2/36, M. Poiyamozhi 3/35) bt SKM Salem Spartans 160 in 19.4 overs (Nidhish Rajagopal 69, M. Mohammed 30, Deeban Lingesh 3/14, M. Siddharth 2/18, G. Kishoor (Impact Player) 3/18)
