(Infusing action rather than words helped team Parsee Gymkhana win the Padmakar Talim Shield Cricket Tournament. They did not wait for a miracle to happen on field, in fact they created their own chances with self-belief and hope. CricFit author Binaisha M. Surti brings you all the exciting coverage of Parsee Gymkhana’s journey towards clinching the title.)
Padmakar Talim and Ramesh Donde were dear friends of Manohar N. More. They were all pioneers of the Public School in Dadar. On 6th October 1947, Padmakar was struck with a severe attack ofappendix while at his residence and sadly passed away later. Manohar More, deeply felt the loss of his friend for months and was very keen to bring about a cricket tournament in his memory. Thus B.M.Patil, a senior member of the Mahim Juvenile Sports Club was approached for his guidance. After the proposal was welcomed they set out to collect funds from friends and admirers of PadmakarTalim. They managed to collect Rs. 600 which was used to buy two big shields, one for the winner and the other for the runners up. This is how Manohar N. More, Ramesh B. Donde and BalchandraPatil became the founders. Hence on Dassera day in 1948, the PadmakarTalim Shield Cricket Tournament was born and since thenit has become one of the most popular cricket tournaments.
This year the Padmakar Talim Shield Cricket Tournament, conducted by the MIG Cricket Club kicked off on 15th January 2017. The One day matches were a 45 overs side contest where twenty eight teams fought it out for a place in the finals.
Walking down memory lane and tracing the champion side Parsee Gymkhana’s (PG) journey till the magnificent finals…In round one, Parsee Gymkhana played against Police Gymkhana and went onto win a thrilling encounter by 1 wicket. Put into bat first, Police Gymkhana were bundled out for 180 in 37.2 overs as Rohit Pol top scored with 52. Medium pacer Vikas Singh scalped 3-28 in 5 overs. For PG, AjinkyaPatil remained unbeaten till the end on 51.
Moving forward, PGs next rivals were Sind Sports Club. Thanks to great efforts from skipper Raunaq Sharma (85), Mumbai Ranji Trophy player Suryakumar Yadav’s 74 and Akash Iyer’s 35 thatPG posted a mammoth 323-7 in 44 overs. On the other hand Sind Sports Club were bundled out for 251, handing a 72 runs victory to Parsee Gymkhana.Suryakumar Yadav snapped up 4 wickets.
Then came the big quarter final match where Parsee Gymkhana took on rivals D.Y.Patil Sports Academy. Exceptional batting from star players Suryakumar Yadav (129*) and Bravish Shetty (119*) steered Parsee Gym to a victory by 8 wickets. Batting first, Dr D.Y.Patil Sports Academy notched up 269-9 in 45 overs with SarveshDamle scoring 92 and ShubhamRajane getting 58. Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Jr) was the pick of the bowlers for team PG, as he grabbed 4-47.
Inching one step closer to grab the shield, during their massive semi-final encounter… Parsee Gym faced Karnatak Sporting Association. Winning the toss and electing to field first was a great decision by PG and the team responded in an exceptional manner. Pacer Shivam Malhotra was in top form with the ball. His bowling heroics of 5-28 in his 8 overs spell ensured that Karnatak Sporting Association only managed2 21 in 41 overs as Vinayak Bhoir scored an unbeaten 97. Shivam is the talented bowler to watch out for in the upcoming tournaments as he has been very consistent with the ball. He generates good pace and looks to hit the deck each time he is given the ball by his skipper. PG on the other hand cruised to victory by 8 wickets as Aakarshit Gomel scored 104* and was well supported by Mr. Consistent Suryakumar Yadav who was not out on 84.
The finals were played between Parsee Gymkhana and New Hind Sporting Association at the MIG Cricket Club on 12th February 2017. Bravish Shetty’s blistering knock of 186 in 139 deliveries, coupled with 20 fours and 6 sixes helped Parsee Gymkhana win the finals by a massive margin of 129 runs. This was team Parsee Gymkhana’s first Talim Shield Championship win and more over what made it even more special was that it was their maiden entry into the finals in 69 years.
Put into bat first, Parsee Gymkhana’s opening pair of Bravish Shetty and Akarshit Gomel put up an 86 runs stand. Bravish massacred the opposition bowling attack. The man in form and star cricketer of PG, Suryakumar Yadav carried forward the same momentum in the finals too and contributed with an outstanding 61. In the process he smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes out of the park. The talented pair of Surya- Bravish added on 172 runs for the third wicket. The carnage did not stop here, as Arjun Shetty too smashed 59 in just 25 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes. Arjun created havoc in the opposition camp with his lusty blows. Parsee Gymkhana put up a mammoth 360-5 in their 41 overs. Medium pacer SagarJadhav was the pick of the bowlers for New Hind scalping 2 wickets.
In reply, New Hind Sporting Club kept losing wickets at regular intervals and could never get back into the game as the run rate kept mounting. Sagar Mishra top scored with 66 while AkshayJambhekar contributed an unbeaten 45. New Hind were bundled out for 231 in 40.3 overs. For Parsee Gymkhana, medium pacer Shivam Malhotra bowled brilliantly yet again and scalped 3-36 in his 8 overs spell. He was well supported by skipper Raunaq Sharma who picked up 3-44 in 9 overswith his leg-spin.
Finally, KhodadadYazdegardi (Vice President and Cricket Secretary of Parsee Gymkhana), Vinayak Mane (Coach) and the entire support staff were equally instrumental in helping the team garner success.
Post their victory speaking exclusively to CricFit, skipper of Parsee Gymkhana Raunaq Sharma said “It was indeed an honour leading the team to a Talim Shield title after 69 years. A complete team effort has helped us win. This is just the beginning and we would like to win many more trophies for Parsee Gymkhana.” Suryakumar Yadav added “It is always a special feeling to represent PG and win games for them. We are all like one big family and have worked hard to win every game. I feel consistency is something I always look to develop in myself and have succeeded so far in the games. I love to see smiles on the faces of all the players and support staff especially Khodu Sir.” “This is the best team I have played with and we are more than a team. This championship victory is just the start of many more to come.” said Shivam Malhotra.
Bravish Shetty told us “To get a century in an all-important final, which in turn helped the team win the championship was a very special. Every player in this team has stepped up and delivered at different stages of the tournament. This win is a good confidence booster for all of us and I am sure that we will keep giving our best.” Arjun Shetty concluded by stating “I am ecstatic that we won the final. Honestly, I was a bit nervous earlier as I was unable to contribute my bit for the team. After getting a start I could not make it big. So I shifted to playing at number 5 and this time it clicked. I played my natural game and with the last few overs left I had the license to go big.”