On the rampage: Shivam’s knock was laced with six fours and 10 sixes.
| Photo Credit: KARTHIKEYAN G
Shivam Singh’s cyclonic innings (106 n.o., 57b, 6×4, 10×6) — it formed slowly, got speedy and steady — shook and sunk Siechem Madurai Panthers as it lost by 30 runs to Dindigul Dragons in the eighth season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League at the NPR College cricket ground here on Friday.
The Dindigul outfit has qualified for the playoffs, while Panthers have been knocked out.
Shivam’s knock evoked the innings (78, 51b, 6×4, 5×6) he played in Dragons’ first match of the season against Trichy Grand Cholas. If his six-hitting off the pacers was a highlight in that innings, it was his six-hitting against the spinners that was the highlight on Friday. Seven off his 10 sixes came off the tweakers.
After opener R. Vimal Khumar (23) and skipper B. Indrajith (29) played cameos, Shivam combusted. He played an ungainly, unconnected slog sweep versus leg-spinner M. Ashwin in the ninth over.
Undeterred, as if taming the ball that dared to elude him, he hit the next delivery for a maximum over deep mid-wicket off a slog sweep again.
From there, his innings turned frenetic, like a rocket tearing itself to pieces, trapped on the launchpad. He hooked medium-pacer Ajay Krishnan for a six over the deep fine-leg boundary, and followed it up with an gorgeous inside-out for maximum over deep cover for the shot of the match to bring up his fifty off just 29 balls.
He hit three consecutive sixes off leg-spinner V.S. Karthick Manikandan in the 15th over — two over deep midwicket and one behind deep square-leg.
In the chase thereafter, only opener S. Lokeshwar threatened Dragons with a 37-ball 55 (3×4, 4×6).
The scores: Dindigul Dragons 201/5 in 20 overs (Shivam 106 n.o., Karthick 2/42) bt Siechem Madurai Panthers 171/8 in 20 overs (S. Lokeshwar 55, Sandeep 2/30, R. Ashwin 2/35).