Buchi Babu | Siddharth and Siddarth ensure TNCA President’s XI five-wicket win and semifinal berth

S. Prasanna Venkatesan reports on TNCA President’s XI's turnaround win with M. Siddharth's eight-for-21 against Gujarat.

Skipper and left-arm spinner M. Siddharth scripted a turnaround win for TNCA President’s XI. His eight for 21 helped his team bowl out Gujarat for 58 and chase down a 219-run target with five wickets to spare on day three of the Group-B match in the third round of the Buchi Babu cricket tournament at the Salem Cricket Foundation (SCF) ground here on Thursday.

By virtue of this win, TNCA President’s XI topped its group to qualify for the semifinals.

Siddharth picked up six wickets on the day. He finished with a match haul of 14 for 97.

The pitch initially seemed a spinner’s delight, with the ball turning, bouncing, and at times keeping low. The batters had to bat with the caution of navigating a minefield. Often, they seemed to genuinely but deludedly think that the front-foot block would block out all the discomfort in the world.

Thus, it allowed Siddharth and his fellow left-arm spinner P. Vignesh to use the arm-ball to trap three unsuspecting batters plumb in front.

Urvil Patel tried otherwise and looked to counter-attack, but missed his slog sweep on the second ball he faced to be bowled by Siddharth.

TNCA batters, seemingly having sensed that playing positively was the best approach on the wicket, attacked in the chase. Player-of-the-match C. Andre Siddarth, who’d hit an unbeaten 55 in TNCA’s first innings, slammed an unbeaten 115 (94b, 15x4, 4x6). He hit back-to-back sixes off Rinkesh Vaghela’s off-spin — a pull to deep midwicket, and a down-the-track hit to long off.