Captain Ansh Tandon led from the front with a fine all-round display as Gulf Asian Challengers got their campaign up and running in the ADIB NSL.
The Challengers bounced back from their opening defeat with a comprehensive 105-run triumph over NIMS Rising Stars in their Under-15 encounter, thanks to Tandon’s half-century and four wickets.
His match-winning efforts put the Sharjah outfit in third position with three points, behind Our Own Zenith who maintained their perfect record with a four-wicket defeat of PAK Hawks Sharjah.
Tandon’s decision to bat first proved to be a good one. He and Thasin Rahman put on 74 for the first wicket before the latter fell to Sharik Shuaib.
Already dangerous at the crease, Tandon upped his tempo, hitting boundaries all around the park. New batsman Rohan Adyanthaya (35) was also in form, and the pair added 73.
Tandon’s 56-run knock off 40 balls came to an end following some smart fielding from Rising Stars’ Mohammad Samy. Adyanthaya was dismissed and Rising Stars later took two quick wickets but the Challengers reached 175-4.
Tandon then showed his potential with the ball. The 14-year-old led the way with a lethal spell, finishing with figures of 4-14 as Rising Stars were out for 70. Only Divyank K (10) reached double figures for his team. It was no surprise that Tandon was named the man of the match.
“It’s a great feeling and I can’t really express it,” he said. “I just kept calm at the crease and punished any loose balls. I’ve been practicing hard so it was good to get a big total and take four wickets.
“We did very well but I still feel we should have scored 200. But we got a good target and that gave us the platform. I thought we could have reduced them to 40 but we conceded some extras. We still need to improve our fielding.”
In the U-13 category, DPS Sharjah showed why they will be strong contenders as they sealed their third straight victory. Harish Pai and Rishabh Mathur took three scalps each as Ryanites were restricted to 58-9.
Nathan Abraham Shibu led the way with an unbeaten 25 as DPS reached their target in the eighth over with eight wickets remaining. It was an impressive performance by last season’s semi-finalists and Mathur feels his team have the strength to go all the way.
“It’s a great victory for us,” said the 12-year-old. “It’s now important to carry this momentum with us. We are confident and I feel we can win the tournament, but it’s crucial that we do not underestimate any opponents. There will be more difficult games in the future and we must perform.”
DPS coach Ayub Iqbal was pleased with the performance but insists it is crucial that they perform as a team. He said: “Cricket is a team game and it’s important that they play as one. It’s nice that people can score a half-century or take a couple of wickets. But even a couple of runs and wickets are crucial when things are tight.”
A superb four-wicket haul from Aryan Saxena saw Our Own Zenith climb to the top of the standings after an eight-wicket victory over Rising Stars.
The bowler took 4-13 as Rising Stars were restricted to 77-8. Our Own Zenith eased to their target in 10.2 overs with Shoun Roger top-scoring with an unbeaten 32.
Meanwhile, in the capital, there was no stopping Jonathan Figy as the all-rounder scored an unbeaten 98 which helped Abu Dhabi Indian School book their place in the U-15 quarter-finals.
Figy, already with two centuries this season, was on fire, hitting 11 boundaries in his 58-ball knock as ADIS scored 192. That knock was the difference as Merryland Kings were all out for 133. In the other encounter, Tayyeb Ali’s 91 led Al Yasmina to a comfortable 71-run victory over Al Bateen SS.
In the U-13s, Bright Riders celebrated a double victory to keep their qualifying hopes on track. Nikhil Menon (2-7) sealed his team’s first win against Merryland Kings, before taking three wickets against The Model School.
