RECAP
Follow UsMr. Gaida is in the house. That could mean only one thing: Chitwan Rhinos are in action. And what a start it was! They managed to brush Kathmandu Gurkhas aside to register a comfortable five-wicket victory.
Here's how things unfolded at the TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur, on December 2 (Monday):
Win toss, win match?
Chitwan Rhinos skipper Kushal Malla won the toss and had no hesitation to bowl first, given that there was a bit of nip in the air, aiding the fast bowlers. He certainly was proved right.
Old is gold
And what a start to the season for the Rhinos! This man, Sohail Tanvir, who is 10 days shy of turning 40, set up the match beautifully for them with his figures of 5/21 - the first-ever fifer in the NPL.
The lone fighter
Despite losing wickets at the other end, Kathmandu Gurkhas opener Michael Levitt kept the scoreboard ticking with his extravagant strokeplay that saw him hit four fours and a six on his way to a 16-ball 25.
Alam gives Gurkhas a chance
With wickets of Hassan Eisakhil (12), Deepak Bohora (7), and Ravi Bopara (11), left-arm spinner Shahab Alam gave the Gurkhas a chance. He finished with 3/20, but with just 111 on the board, his side were always going to be under the pump and in the end, fell short.
A mature partnership
The Rhinos were in a precarious position at 68/5 in the ninth over. Another wicket there could have proved to be disastrous for them. That's when the experienced Sharad Vesawkar walked in along with 21-year-old Santosh Karki and stitched together an unbeaten 46-run stand off 50 deliveries to take their side home.
It wasn't flashy, but it got the job done to get the Rhinos off the mark in NPL 2024.
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