Off-spinner Lakshay Jain’s remarkable performance propelled Chhattisgarh to a tame draw against TNCA XI in the Buchi Babu semifinal at the NPR College cricket ground in Natham. Jain’s five-wicket haul in the second innings, coupled with his five-wicket haul in the first innings, gave him a match haul of ten for 216.
Chhattisgarh, having secured the first-innings lead, opted not to enforce the follow-on. However, TNCA XI’s batting lineup struggled against Jain’s guile. Mohammad Irfan was dismissed leg before wicket, while Amandeep Khare’s expansive cover drive was thwarted by the spinning ball.
Khare, who had earlier struck two sixes, shared a 60-run seventh-wicket stand with left-hander Gagandeep Singh (30). However, Jain’s relentless bowling proved too much for TNCA XI, as he dismissed Jeevesh Butte and Anuj Tiwari in quick succession.
The umpires ended the match prematurely due to the lack of competitive play. Chhattisgarh’s first-innings total of 467, featuring Ayush Pandey’s 82, Anuj Tiwari’s 93, Amandeep Khare’s 97, and Prateek Yadav’s 109, proved to be insurmountable for TNCA XI.
