From tennis ball to cricket ball, Himanshu guides Golden Hawks to DDCA Hot Weather final

New Delhi: Ghazipur village on the eastern fringes of the Capital comprises a flower and vegetable mandi, chicken and fish mandis and a locality where milk-yielding buffaloes can be seen tumbling out of houses. Cricket isn't much of a career option here.

Himanshu Singh, a 19-year-old pace bowler who uses a short run-up and generates some pace, would have in normal circumstances opted to join his elder brother in flower decoration business that his father left behind before death caught up with him. Himanshu was just five then.

But years spent playing tennis ball cricket began to yield results off the market and on the playing field. And soon he caught the eye of Kuldeep Rawat, a former Delhi player, who guides young cricketers at Golden Hawks Cricket Club.

"I used to play tennis ball cricket in Ghazipur but Kuldeep sir saw me and took me under his wings. Three years ago, I began playing with the regular leather cricket ball at the City Cricket Academy," said Himanshu on Wednesday evening as he picked 6/58 to secure a 42-run win over Kashmere Gate Colts in the semifinal of the DDCA Hot Weather Cricket Tournament at the SGTB Khalsa College Grounds.

Hawks had scored 305/7 in 40 overs with contributions from Raman Rangi (77 runs off 56 balls; 9x4s, 4x6s), Pranav Pant (50 off 26 balls, 10x4s), Monu Shukla (50 off 36 balls, 5x4s, 3x6s) and Ankit Kumar (49 off 42 balls; 6x4s, 1x6). Pranav Pant is fast developing a habit of providing blistering starts to his team at the top.

Himanshu Singh took 6/58

The 19-year-old Himanshu with a short run-up and deliveries at around 135 kmph then spat fire. He got one to move sharply and it took an edge off talented 16-year-old Abeer Sudan's bat and was snapped at slip. Then rattled the stumps as batsman Samarth Singh looked to leave it. He came back to have Vansh Mehra leaving KG Colts at 61/3. A partnership ensued but Kunal Sharma got two wickets in an over to leave them at 147/5. The match was well within Golden Hawks' grasp but then Ankur Kaushik (77 off 63 balls, 2x4s, 6x6s) and Mohammed Kaif (68 off 46 balls, 9x4s, 2x6s) added 88 for the sixth wicket. While they were at the crease, Kuldeep Rawat on the boundary rope and skipper Monu Shukla just inside it were losing cool.

But pace bowler Laxman, who has added pace variations in his arsenal this season, used a slower one to get rid of Kaushik and then it was the turn of Himanshu to return and pick three more scalps and decorate his spell further. There was a slight controversy when Harshit Sethi was declared out caught behind but KG Colts' star player Harsh Tyagi walked onto the field to talk to the umpire. The decision was upheld despite protestations.

Himanshu is unfortunate to not be in DPL Players' list as injury robbed him off five of the 11 T20 matches he was to play. He also couldn't play three of the 11 one-dayers. That cost him wickets and therefore the threshold to qualify for DPL auction.

Just before Golden Hawks had escaped with a closely-fought win at SGTB Khalsa College Ground, Madras Cricket Club had downed Indian Air Force at the St Stephen's College Ground at Mori Gate, escaping by 32 runs.

Ravi Chauhan scored 112 off 76 balls

When Madras were restricted to 292/8 in 40 overs batting first, there were talks that the total was less than enough. For the St Stephen's College Ground pitch is such that anything less than 350 is unsafe. Opener Sarthak Ranjan scored 84 off 67 balls (8x4s, 3x6s) and Vaibhav Kandpal (79 off 81 balls, 6x4s, 2x6s) added 126 for the second wicket while Naman Tiwari chipped in with 49 off 31 balls (5x4s, 2x6s).

But Madras CC skipper Keshav Dalal, who has already led the club to two titles in the Delhi summer cricket season, and is on the cusp of winning his third was confident. The score is enough, he said, shaking his head.

Players know what is happening inside. He surely knew that the ball was turning a wee bit. The pitch, which saw 624 runs scored by Bal Bhavan Academy in an innings of Laxman Das Chhabra Cricket, had been overused this entire season and perhaps the wear and tear had set in.

Madras CC pace bowler Shubham Dubey, a very fine, young bowler, took two early wickets before the mantle of responsibility fell on seniors Services pros Rajat Paliwal and Ravi Chauhan. The two added 73 for the third wicket. The partnership saw Madras CC coach Randhir Singh lose his temper for once as Dubey, after a good start, resorted to bowling short.

The introduction of spinners -- Pawan Negi (0/36 in six), Prikshit (3/29 in seven) and Vaibhav Kandpal (0/34 in seven) -- saw brakes on the scoring.

Ravi Chauhan, however, continued to play his shots even after the departure of Paliwal. He played big shots when getting an opportunity and then manoeuvred the ball when the spinners were on. Chauhan has been playing for Services in Ranji Trophy for 12 years and has been part of Duleep Trophy North Zone squad for a couple of seasons in recent times. He bowls leg-spin and was called up for Punjab Kings for the nets for IPL.

But once he fell as the fourth man with the score on 170 in the 24th over, Madras CC got a whiff. He was caught at deep mid-wicket off the impressive 17-year-old Prikshit who had also accounted for Paliwal. As he walked back, he threw his gloves in anger and annoyance with himself.

"This was a semifinal, a pressure, so someone had to take the pressure off and that is why I tried to dominate from the start. I wanted to unnerve them. I succeeded in the first half of the innings, but the second half didn't go as planned. My plan was to stay at the pitch for as long as possible to ensure that the win becomes easy for us. But my dismissal came at the crucial stage," said Chauhan after the innings.

Raj Bahadur Pal, an impressive left-arm pacer, dominated with the bat once again as he hit 31 not out off 24 balls (2x4s, 2x6s). But the Airmen had left it for far too late. Madras CC face Golden Hawks in the final on Friday (May 26) at the St Stephen's College Ground.

Tags : DDCA, Delhi, cricket, Pranav Pant, Sarthak Ranjan, Himanshu Singh, Vansh Mehra, Golden Hawks, Ravi Chauhan, Rajat Paliwal