Left-arm seamer Ashraf Makda came up with a superb final over to enable Gujarat earn a thrilling one-run victory over Orissa in a Group 'A' league match of the All India Inter State Twenty20 Tournament played in Mumbai .
Chasing Gujarat's modest total of 114 for 7, Orissa who needed seven runs off the final over were restricted to 113 for 7 with Makda (3 for 15) keeping things extremely tight, conceding just five runs and claiming two wickets in the process.
Gujarat, who came second in the West Zone leg, virtue of this result have opened their campaign on a bright note by claiming maximum four points from this low-scoring encounter played under lights at the Brabourne Stadium.
Batting first after winning the toss, Gujarat struggled against the disciplined Orissa attack as they never managed to get things going. Losing wickets at regular intervals never allowed them to gain even a modicum of fluency in their innings except for a brief period when skipper Niraj Patel (48) who top-scored, was at the crease. Niraj who struck four boundaries and one six in his 44-ball knock, added precious 42 runs for the fifth wicket with Jay Desai, as the duo managed to put the innings slightly back on track after being precariously placed at 64 for 4.
With set batsman Niranjan Behara (52) in the middle going into the final over with five wickets in hand, Orissa were expected to come through but controlled left-arm seam bowling by Makda turned things around for Gujarat.
Brief scores: Gujarat 114 for 7 in 20 overs (Niraj Patel 48, Paresh Patel 2 for 28) beat Orissa 113 for 7 in 20 overs (Niranjan Behara 52, Ashraf Makda 3 for 15, Hitesh Majmudar 2 for 19).
PUNJAB STRUGGLE
In the first match, Punjab, with an array of internationals in their ranks, struggled to chase the modest score put up by Railways before eking out a two-wicket victory with two balls to spare in their opening league match.
Chasing Railways' meagre score of 105 all out, Punjab were tottering at 44 for 5 in the tenth over, including the wickets of star batsmen Yuvraj Singh (0) and Dinesh Mongia (19), before the lower order pulled them home to 106 for 8 in 19.4 overs.
Punjab's man of the moment was Bipul Sharma (19 not out) who held one end up and saw his team through past the finish line in the company of VRV Singh (6 not out). The latter struck a four, through a misfield on the boundary line, off Kulamani Parida to end the match.
Among the top order batsmen, Mongia and Sunny Sohal (21) did their bit. But Punjab were in deep trouble after medium pacer Sanjeeb Sanyal rocked them with a three-wicket burst in his second and fourth overs and among his victims was Yuvraj, bowled in the second ball while trying to pull.
Brief scores: Railways 105 all out in 19.2 overs (Amit Pagnis 25; Love Abilish 3 for 17) lost to Punjab 106 for 8 in 19.4 overs (D Mongia 19, Sunny Sohal 21, Bipul Sharma 19 not out; S Sanyal 3 for 15).