Khare's magical 90 guide Chhattisgarh to victory

RAIPUR: Coaches of five Central Zone sides have been continuously speaking about playing proper cricketing shots.
There’s general tendency to go after the bowling right from the word go in the shortest format. However, it’s different here in Raipur. The weather here is cool, while the boundaries are big. The adaptability is the key. So far, those who have adapted better have scored runs here in the competition, whether it’s Faiz Fazal for Vidarbha or Rajat Patidar for Madhya Pradesh.
On Wednesday, it was Amandeep Khare’s turn. The 20-year-old—who was entrusted with responsibility of captaincy before this tournament—justified his promotion with a classy 90, which came off 57 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries and two well-timed glorious sixes.
The former India Under-19 batsman batted till the last over and anchored the innings as Chhattisgarh scored 175-5—the highest total of the competition so far—in their 20 overs. Chhattisgarh team management wanted him to bat till the end after they lost to Vidarbha in the first game. Khare did exactly that. He played risk free cricket throughout his 86-minute stay, except for the scoop off Chandepal Saini.
Khare’s counterpart Mahesh Rawat (61, 47b, 5x4, 1x6) played a valiant knock but he needed more support from others. Railways kept fighting but fell short by 26 runs as they managed 150-8 in their 20 overs.
Chhattisgarh had a slow start as Anureet Singh and Amit Mishra bowled good opening spells after they won the toss and elected to bat. Khare saw through their spells but his partner Sahil Gupta perished while stepping up the run rate. Southpaw Rishabh Tiwari too got out in the next over. Chhattisgarh looked in trouble with only 22 runs on the board in five overs.
Khare then showed some urgency but didn’t take undue risks. Instead, he chose to put balls in the gaps and ran hard. In Ashutosh Singh’s company, he added 31 for the third wicket. Shakeeb Ahmed’s useful cameo (16, 10b, 2x4) gave Chhattisgarh’s a much-needed momentum.
However, it was his 76-run association with wicketkeeper Manoj Singh (21, 15b, 2x4) that put Chhattisgarh on top. Khare shift gears at the right time. He hit glorious inside out six to spinner Abhishek Sharma. His 36 came in 30 balls and then he exploded and played only one dot ball after that. His next 55 came in just 27 balls as he hit five fours and two sixes. Vishal Kushwasha finished off the innings with two huge sixes off Amit Mishra.
When Railways came out to bat, openers Saurabh Wakaskar (12, 8b, 2x4) and Karan Sharma (32, 25b, 6x4) came out all guns blazing. Wakaskar yet again wasted his start. Akash Varma timed too well as the ball went straight to Rohit Dhruv at deep square leg.
Allrounder Ajay Mandal’s triple wicket over then swung the game towards Chhattisgarh. Mandal bowled Karan and Ashish Singh in successive balls, while Khare’s direct hit found Ashish Yadav short of crease. Railways had lost the way. Skipper Rawat tried hard in company of Anureet Singh but the asking rate kept climbing. Mandal, Ahmed and Kushwaha bowled good last three overs to seal the game.