Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019: Upendra Yadav helps UP beat TN with one ball to spare

Wicket-keeper and batsman Upendra Singh Yadav smashed a 41-ball 70 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali clash for Uttar Pradesh against Tamil Nadu to help his team over the line with five wickets in hand in the Group B encounter at Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. Sent in to bat, Tamil Nadu scored a competitive 168 for 7 in their 20 overs, but it was not enough as a blinder from Yadav, who hit four fours and five sixes in his innings took the game away from the Dinesh Karthik-led side.

Tamil Nadu got off to the worst possible start after opener N Jagadeeshan fell for just 2, but the experienced duo of Karthik and Murali Vijay then got together to share a 75-run stand for the second wicket. While Karthik struck 61 with the help of five fours and four big sixes, Vijay too got to his half-century. He got off to a brisk start but preferred to play the role of an anchor as skipper Karthik went for his shots at the other end.

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However, once the duo were sent back, the rest of the batting line-up failed to get going. Sans Vijay Shankar, who scored 28 in just 14 balls with the help of two fours and two sixes, the other Tamil Nadu cricketers were unable to pitch in, as the side fell below the 170-run mark.

In reply, UP got off to a steady start with captain Samarth Singh and Akshdeep Nath surviving a tough opening spell from T Natarajan and G Periyaswamy. Samarth was sent back for 21, which brought Yadav out into the crease. He upped the scoring rate with his aggressive hits around the park, with the Tamil Nadu players finding it tough to bowl to the talented star.

The batter stayed put at the crease till the end and handed Tamil Nadu their first loss in the edition after two wins.

Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 168 for 7 in 20 overs (Dinesh Karthik 61, Murali Vijay 51, Vijay Shankar 28, Moshin Khan 2/13, Ankit Rajpoot 2/35, Kuldeep Yadav 2/37) lost to Uttar Pradesh 174 for 5 in 19.5 overs (Upendra Singh Yadav 70 not out, Shubham Sanjay Chaubey 35, Akshdeep Nath 25, G Periyaswamy 2/35).