Vidarbha’s ambidextrous finger-spinner achieved what no bowler could do in the history of T20 cricket whether it is T20Is, franchise cricket or domestic cricket. Akshay Karnewar did not give a single run in his four over spell to deliver the most economical figures in the format. Along with 24 consecutive dot balls, Karnewar also took two wickets in the clash against Manipur in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021.
Chasing a daunting total of 223, Manipur was struggling in the middle overs to even post a respectable total. Karnewar created more problems for them by stemming the flow of runs and taking the wickets of middle-order batters Sanatombaroy Laiphangbam and Johnson Singh.
As a result, Manipur were bundled out for a total of 55 in Vijayawada with nine balls left in the innings. Only two Manipur batters were able to register double-digit scores while three batters bagged ducks. Manipur lost the game by a huge margin of 167 runs which is the second-largest margin of defeat in the history of the tournament.
Earlier Vidarbha posted a huge total on the board with the help of the 105-run partnership from just 35 balls for the fifth wicket. Jitesh Sharma remained unbeaten for 71 from 31 deliveries including five fours and five sixes. Jitesh was accompanied by Apoorv Wankhade who scored 49 runs from just 19 deliveries including one four and six sixes. Thokchom Kishan was the most expensive bowler for Manipur as he conceded 60 runs from his three overs.
