DINDIGUL: Just like all the other IPL franchises, the Instagram account of Kolkata Knight Riders was busy over the last two days, either applauding or commiserating with players who’ve donned their gold and purple. Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill. The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) may not be on their radar, but if it had been, what one of their men did a few thousand kilometres away from Eden Gardens would have definitely made them churn out a picture of his.
It was at NPR College ground in Natham that R Sanjay Yadav — one among the alumni of Kolkata’s class of 2017 — showed why the Riders had invested `10 lakh in him that year. Decked in the red and yellow of Kanchi Veerans, the southpaw fell agonisingly short of becoming the sixth TNPL centurion, ratcheting up a 60-ball, 95-run blitzkrieg against Karaikudi Kaalai. It was as if fate wanted him to shine on Wednesday night in the same tournament that took him to the IPL.
The pitch had enough green in it to make the dry patches in the outfield envious. Kanchi opener U Mukilesh was already back in the dugout by the fourth ball. The penchant of Sunil Sam and Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh for outswingers prompted the opposition’s think-tank to put two left-handers in the middle, with Sanjay walking in instead of S Lokeshwar.
It was his big-hitting during the 2017 edition that had brought the southpaw to Kolkata’s notice, and that’s exactly the approach Sanjay opted for against Karaikudi. With a moremeasured K Vishal Vaidya at the end, the southpaw bludgeoned Kanchi out of trouble in the powerplay.
Three of his howitzer-like sixes came in the period; one brutal swipe over deep midwicket can safely be counted among the top-five biggest hits this tournament has seen since inception.
Three more missiles were launched, with one prompting a change of balls after being blasted into oblivion. It wasn’t as if there was no beauty in the beast of an innings that Sanjay unfurled. A gentle push down the ground in the 17th had enough miles in it to bisect finely-stationed fielders at long-off and longon. When he wasn’t beating leather out of shape, the youngster kept his strike rate going. His 95 was an amalgam of both brute force and cricketing nous. Coupled with a typical last-minute take-off by R Sathish — an unbeaten 31 off 14 — Kanchi amassed an imposing 177/4 in their quota.
And Baba Aparajith’s pacers hammered in the nails on Karaikuidi’s coffin so quickly that they were left stranded by a massive 110-runs. Two years ago, a tale of three cities saw this son of a daily wager literally make his way to the stars. A few such more days and Sanjay can start dreaming in gold and purple once again. Brief scores: Kanchi Veerans 177/4 in 20 ovs (R Sanjay Yadav 95, R Sathish 31 n.o) bt Karaikudi Kaalai 67 in 14.4 ovs (R Sathish 4/17).