Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) recruit, the 21-year-old all-rounder Aneeshwar Gautam on August 26 smashed an unbeaten 95 for Manish Pandey-led Hubli Tigers in the Maharaja Trophy 2024. Gautam who was released by RCB without giving him a single game went ballistic against Mangalore Dragons at RCB’s homeground M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Gautam, Shrijith hit fifties
Mangalore Dragons skipper Shreyas Gopal won the toss and opted to bowl first. Tigers lost two early wickets. Opener Karthikeya KP got out for a single-digit score to Gopal whereas Abhilash Shetty dismissed Mohamamad Taha for a golden duck. Gautam hit the first six of his innings in the sixth over. He reached his fifty in 32 balls. In the same over, he hit Dheeraj J Gowda for three fours and a six.
On the other end, Krishnan Shrijith attacked too and reached his half-century from 36 balls with a six. Shrijith fell to Advith Shetty for a 44-ball 77 in the 16th over. Gautam hit just one six in the last three overs and missed his century. Meanwhile, Pandey hit Paras Gurbaz Arya for two sixes and a four in the penultimate over. Gautam's unbeaten 58-ball 95 helped Tigers post a daunting total of 209/3. The 21-year-old's knock was studded with eight fours and five sixes.
Dragons lose by big margin
In reply, Dragons crumbled under scoreboard pressure. Nischith Pai and Rishi Bopanna bagged three wickets each as Dragons were bowled out for 167 with four balls left in the innings. Tigers won the game by 42 runs. For Dragons, Krishnamurthy Siddharth, Lochan Gowda and captain Gopal scored in 30s. This was Tigers' sixth win of the season and helped them qualify for the semifinals. On the other hand, Dragons got eliminated after suffering their sixth loss of the tournament.
Gautam’s numbers in Maharaja T20 Trophy
This was former Under-19 World Cup 2022-winning team member's first half-century of the season. From six innings, he has scored 185 runs at an average of 61.67. He has scored at a strike rate of 150.41. He will be seen in action when Tigers take on Mysore Warriors on August 27.
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