Chhattisgarh storms into Buchi Babu cricket tourney final

Raipur: Chhattisgarh has advanced to the final of the prestigious All India Buchi Babu Invitational Cricket Tournament, organised by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, after a draw with the hosts in the four-day semi-final match held from September 2 to 5. Chhattisgarh qualified on the basis of a first-innings lead.Winning the toss, Chhattisgarh opted to bat first and posted an impressive total of 467 runs in 150.5 overs, losing all 10 wickets. Prateek Yadav's outstanding century (109) anchored the innings, supported by captain Amandeep Khare's 97, Anuj Tiwari's 93, and Ayush Pandey's 82. Tamil Nadu bowlers Ajith Ram S and Lakshya Jain picked up 4 wickets each.In response, Tamil Nadu was bowled out for 194 runs in 64.4 overs. Ajithesh top-scored with 39, while Vaishna Kumar contributed 33 runs. Chhattisgarh's bowlers, led by Gagandeep Singh with 4 wickets, along with Shashank Tiwari and Md. Irfan, who took 2 wickets each, kept the hosts in check as they regularly took wickets and prevented any significant partnerships.By the end of the match, Chhattisgarh declared their second innings at 207 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 82 overs, with captain Amandeep Khare leading the charge again with 77 runs and Anuj Tiwari adding 40. Lakshya Jain from Tamil Nadu shone with the ball, taking 5 wickets.Despite the match ending in a draw, Chhattisgarh qualified for the final based on their first-innings lead. They will face Hyderabad in the final, scheduled from September 8 to 11.