ONGC crash out

Defending 222 in 40 overs,the ONGC opening bowlers Vikramjeet Malik and Parvinder Awana could not prevent ITC from getting off to a flier. Brought on by skipper Ajay Ratra in an attempt to stop the run flow in the middle overs,Singh did his job brilliantly,ably assisted by left-arm spinner Manan Sharma.

Bowling in tandem,the pair conceded just 76 runs in 16 overs between them,with Sharma also picking up important wickets of opener Michael Vishal (53) and Deepak Sharma (27).

Ratra ran the risk of bowling out his effective spinning duo before the death overs and he paid the price,as ITC struck back with vengeance once the spinners were taken off. Pankaj Joshi (44 n.o.) and Man of the Match Pradeep Chawla (55 n.o.) snatched the game in the last over from the defending champions.

Earlier,a star-studded ONGC team was put in to bat. Despite an abundance of current and former India cricketers,ONGC were bowled out for 222,with only Virat Kohli (44) standing out.

Speaking to Sportline,Sarandeep acknowledged the importance of domestic tournaments. “I am always motivated. It does not matter how big or small a tournament is. I like to give my best every time,whether it is India,HP or ONGC. It goes a long way in assisting players like me to improve our fitness levels,” he said.

Singh has also begun working on his batting. “I’m taking my batting seriously now. The game cannot accommodate specialists anymore,” the 29-year-old said,referring to his 75 against Mumbai last season. Not too worried about being named in the suspect-action list by the BCCI,Singh claims he has already begun taking corrective measures.

Brief scores: ONGC: 222 in 38.3 overs (Virat Kohli 44,Gagan Khoda 37; Tushar Pant 3/44,Manu Kapoor 3/46); ITC 225/3 in 39.1 overs (Pradeep Chawla 55 n.o.,Michael Vishal 53; Manan Sharma 2/37)