U-16 captain's double ton saves the day for his team

VADODARA: Baroda's Under-16 cricketer Hardik Pandya played a captain's knock on Thursday as he scored a double century against Mumbai in the U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy at Reliance Stadium. Pandya not only saved his team from a certain defeat but also ensured that Baroda got a first innings lead.
The 16-year-old lad batted for over eight hours and scored 228 runs off 391 balls that included 29 fours and one six.What made the knock all the more significant was that Baroda was four down for just 24 runs while chasing Mumbai's 306 runs on Wednesday. Pandya single-handedly fought back and bailed out his team from the crisis.
"I was just playing my natural game and hadn't thought of any particular target. When I went in I was confident that I can stay at the crease and build a good innings. I just waited for poor deliveries and sent them to boundary. I am very happy that I saved the day for my team," Pandya told TOI.
Shubham Agrawal (28 runs, 170 balls) and Kartik Kakade (8 runs, 40 balls) gave the much-needed support to Pandya for beating Mumbai by first innings lead. Coming in at number four, Pandya first gauged the wicket and then built important partnerships. He is also a decent leg-spinner who gets important breaks for his team in crucial moments. "I had played three Under-19 matches this year that give me lot of confidence. In the first U-19 match, I scored 46 runs," said Pandya who studies in ninth standard in M K High School, Alkapuri.
The right-handed batsman, who is being coached by Darshan Mulherkar, had scored 101 runs in this season's very first U-16 match against Gujarat. "It was one of the best knocks I have ever seen. I give the players full credit for this match as they played like a team. Pandya is a terrific all-rounder and I am sure he will go a long way," said Nayan Mongia, in-charge of BCA junior cricket development.
"We are trying to make a strong base and it takes time for building quality teams. Such knocks will only help us in performing better in future," Mongia added. Baroda, however, doesn't have much chance to qualify for the further round in the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy as it couldn't perform well in its last two matches.