New Delhi, Nov 8: Akshay Karnewar on Monday (November 8) became the first bowler in men's T20 cricket to concede zero runs from his full quota of overs.
The left-arm orthodox spinner from Vidarbha achieved this feat of bowling four maiden overs during the Round 4 Plate match against Manipur in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021-22 at the ACA Stadium in Vijaywada.
Karnewar finished with impressive figures of four overs, four maidens and two wickets (4-4-0-2). The left-arm bowling all-rounder from Maharashtra possesses the quality of being an ambidextrous bowler.
Having won the toss, Vidarbha posted a mammoth 222 for four in the stipulated 20 overs against Manipur. Jitesh Sharma smashed an unbeaten 31-ball 71 while Apoorv Wankhade scored an unbeaten 49 off 16 deliveries to propel their team to a big total. The duo shared an unbeaten partnership of 105 runs for the fifth wicket in just 35 deliveries to deflate Manipur's bowling attack. Opener Atharva Taide scored 21-ball 46 for Vidarbha after his opening partner Siddhesh Wath was dismissed for a duck in the first over itself.
In response, Manipur were bundled out for 55 in 16.3 overs. Aditya Thakare (3.3-0-17-2) and Atharva Taide (1-1-0-2) bagged a couple of wickets each for Vidarbha. Siddhesh Neral (3-0-13-1), Akshay Wakhare (2-0-10-1) and Darshan Nalkande (3-0-9-1) also picked up a wicket each.
Only two Manipuri batters managed to score in double digits as the rest of the team faltered in front of a quality bowling effort from Vidarbha.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan recorded their fourth successive win, beating Andhra Pradesh by 11 runs in an Elite C league match. Rajasthan had earlier defeated Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal in their first three games.
Deciding to bat, Rajasthan first rode on Mahipal Lomror's quick-fire 69 to post a competitive 149 and then restricted the opposition to 138 for 8. Number 9 KV Sasikanth's blistering unbeaten 47 off just 24 balls went in vain.