Vinoo Mankad Trophy: Randeep Singh's 122 helps Punjab knock out Mumbai

Punjab beat Mumbai by three wickets in the quarterfinal of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy (for Under-19) at the St Xavier’s Cricket Ground in Trivandrum on Wednesday. Chasing 310, Punjab looked down and out when they were reduced to 90 for five in the 21st over, before Randeep Singh, batting at No 7, and Bhatia completely changed the complexion of the match with their epic alliance. “Randeep’s knock was fabulous.

It seems he only hit fours and sixes today. Their partnership reminded me of the famous stand between Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif at Lord’s in the final of the NatWest Trophy in 2002. On that occasion too, India seemed to be losing before Yuvraj and Kaif put on their match-winning act.

It was a great win for us,” Punjab Under-19 team coach Sulakshan Kulkarni, who is a former Mumbai wicketkeeper and Ranji Trophy-winning coach, told TOI from Trivandrum. Earlier, skipper Musheer Khan, who is making a solid case for being picked in India’s Under-19 team, and also the Mumbai senior side, slammed 123 (109b, 12x4, 4x6), to help Mumbai score 309 in 49.4 overs. With 341 runs in four games at an incredible average of 113.67, and a strike rate of 93.42, in a tally which includes one hundred and two fifties, Musheer is currently the highest run-getter in the tournament.