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Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir’s India Maharajas have suffered two consecutive losses in the ongoing Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2023. Gambhir who is known for his no-nonsense behaviour on the field and off the field was in no mood to joke when World Giants tailender sneaked a non-existent single in front of Yusuf Pathan.
The incident took place in the penultimate over of the innings. West Indies Tino Best defended the ball on the front foot. Pathan who turned back to take his cap from the umpire was surprised when Best and Zimbabwe’s Chris Mpofu sneaked a quick single.
However, the umpire did not allow the single as he had already called an over and the ball was considered dead. The run was not counted and Mpofu took the strike against Ashoke Dinda in the final over.
The disqualified single amused Pathan as he shared a laugh with Best. It was not the case with Gambhir who just picked up the ball and went about his business. Gambhir was not happy with the boundaries conceded in the penultimate over. 18 runs were scored off the 19th over. He even stared at wicketkeeper Robin Uthappa who conceded four byes.
In the run chase of 165, Gambhir played the anchor role. Gambhir scored 68 runs from 42 deliveries but got bowled by West Indies' Ricardo Powell in the 16th over. The run chase got derailed and Maharajas lost the match by two runs despite Mohammad Kaif and Irfan Pathan in the middle as Brett Lee bowled a brilliant last over.
Earlier, Giants' skipper Aaron Finch and Shane Watson's half-centuries helped the side post 166/8. Harbhajan was at his best as he picked up four wickets for just 13 runs. He stunned self-proclaimed 'Universe Boss' as he got bowled around the stumps.
In the previous game, Gambhir's half-century went in vain as Shahid Afridi-led Asia Lions beat Maharajas by nine runs. After two consecutive losses, Maharajas face an uphill task to get a direct entry into the final. They will face Lions in the next encounter on March 14.
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