Pune: Riding on skipper Anand Thenge's stellar all-round performance, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar secured a 4-wicket victory over Deccan Gymkhana in the quarterfinal match of the MCA Senior Maha T20 Invitation cricket tournament in Pune on Wednesday.
Chasing a challenging target of 161 for victory, CSN lost wickets at regular intervals, keeping the match tightly contested. With six wickets down and needing to score at a rate of 12 runs per over in the last four overs, southpaw Yogesh Choudhari (50 not out, 28 balls) and Anand Thenge (45 not out off just 16 balls) displayed composure with their sensible hitting, steering CSN to victory.
Thenge's exceptional performance was highlighted by his devastating batting display, particularly against pacer Vaibhav, whom he hammered for 25 runs in one over, including three sixes, tilting the match in favour of the visitors.
The day truly belonged to Thenge, who not only excelled with the ball, taking three wickets, but also led by example with his dynamic batting, ensuring CSN's triumph with 9 balls to spare.
CSN has had an outstanding tournament thus far, winning five consecutive league matches in home conditions before clinching today's crucial away victory.
Brief scores: Deccan Gymkhana 161/8 (Yash Kshirsagar 45, Ajay Borude 28, Yash Boramani 25, Anand Thenge 3 wickets, Yogesh Chavan 2 wickets) lost to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar 165/6 in 18.3 overs (Yogesh Choudhari 50 not out, Anand Thenge 45 not out, Adarsh Jain 26).