Arshin Kulkarni Powers Maharashtra To Semis Win

Arshin Kulkarni and Mukesh Choudhary guide Maharashtra to semis

Arshin Kulkarni Maharashtra's 19-year-old allrounder scored a century on List A debut to steer his team to triumph against Punjab and into the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Kulkarni was the top scorer with 107 off 137 balls as Maharashtra recovered from an early batting collapse to register 275 for 6 which proved 70 too many for Punjab Maharashtra 275 for 6 Kulkarni 107 Bawne 60 Arshdeep 3-56 defeated Punjab 205 Arshdeep 49 Mukesh 3-44 by 70 runs

Early collapse and recovery

Maharashtra were pegged back to 8 for 2 in the third over with Arshdeep Singh who concluded with a three wicket haul elevating him to the top of the wicket takers list claiming both openers Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed by an outswinger that pitched on leg stump and bypassed his outside edge to strike the top of off in the opening over of the contest In the third Arshdeep had left handed batsman Siddesh Veer getting a thin edge behind

Kulkarni and Bawne partnership

Kulkarni and Ankit Bawne the seasoned batsman forged a 145 run partnership for the third wicket Bawne made 60 before he was undone by spin bowling allrounder Naman Dhir Rahul Tripathi then departed for 15 as Maharashtra faltered. It was only in the final five overs that they rediscovered some momentum with wicketkeeper batsman Nikhil Naik smashing an unbeaten 52 off 29 balls Maharashtra gathered 63 off the concluding six overs to finish on 275

Mukesh Choudhary leads bowling attack

Left arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary initiated Maharashtra's defense with excellent swing bowling to send back Prabhsimran Singh and Abhishek Sharma as Punjab looked to accelerate He secured a third wicket in the 10th over his fifth consecutive one by dismissing Nehal Wadhera leaving Punjab at 50 for 3

When Punjab's middle order including the dangerous Ramandeep Singh and Naman Dhir failed to contribute significantly Maharashtra secured a decisive victory From 123 for 7 Arshdeep struck several powerful shots to lessen Punjab's final deficit He registered his best List A score of 49 before being the final batsman out as they were all dismissed for 205

Arshin Kulkarni journey and inspiration

Arshin Kulkarni the Kallis admirer who can strike the ball far One of Arshin Kulkarni's most significant moments thus far in his cricket path was the chance to face Jasprit Bumrah in the nets Kulkarni was an India Under 19 probables participant then while Bumrah was nearing the conclusion of his rehabilitation from a back injury When the pair contested merely being able to track the ball and position himself to defend provided him with assurance

Kulkarni was unaware at the time that an Under 19 World Cup spot would mark another section in this unexpected odyssey that commenced in Solapur Maharashtra when he was just six His grandmother enrolled him at the closest club to their dwelling Salim Khan Cricket Academy to ensure the small youngster would not be idle after school hours

When the small youth grew considerably taller as he entered adolescence Kulkarni was advised by his coaches to switch to seam bowling due to his stature In 2019 he gave up legspin despite achieving respectable results he even took a hat trick in a club match to bowl seamers It is one of the major choices that Kulkarni is grateful for currently

Kulkarni grew up looking up to South Africa allrounder Jacques Kallis and harbored an intense wish to emulate his batting and bowling Last month Kulkarni was speechless when he encountered Kallis for the first time during a training session at SuperSport Park in Centurion before the current Under 19 World Cup

His instinctive reaction was to ask for Kallis's blessings by touching his feet Kulkarni had also brought along a letter penned by his grandmother in which she addresses Kallis and the influence he has exerted on her grandson

My granny inquired What would you desire for your birthday I mentioned Jacques Kallis And she procured a six feet poster of yours and it remains in my room Kulkarni informed Kallis after their meeting It is a video the SA20 franchise Pretoria Capitals shared on social media one that gained traction around the time due to Kulkarni's gesture

Under 19 World Cup performance

Kulkarni ton Tiwari four wicket haul propel India past USA and into Super Six undefeated India 326 for 5 Kulkarni 108 Musheer 73 Subramanian 2-45 triumphed over USA 125 for 8 Srivastava 40 Tiwari 4-20 by 201 runs

Arshin Kulkarni's 108 off 118 balls Musheer Khan's 73 off 76 deliveries and Naman Tiwari's economical spell of 4 for 20 guided India to a commanding 201 run victory against USA in the Under 19 World Cup on Sunday The win ensured they maintained their perfect record heading into the Super Six stage of the competition

India amassed 326 for 5 in their 50 overs with Kulkarni and Musheer contributing the majority of the runs In response medium pacer Tiwari claimed 4 for 20 in nine overs as USA were restricted to 125 for 8 in Bloemfontein

After India chose to bat first Adarsh Singh struck three fours in the initial over but the USA bowlers managed to restrain both him and Kulkarni for a period India could only manage 40 after ten overs which caused Adarsh to play a bit too aggressively and hit Ateendra Subramanian the medium pacer to mid off when he had 25 runs Kulkarni and Musheer however settled in to put on 155 runs from 142 balls for the second wicket Both batsmen took their time getting accustomed before starting to score freely Kulkarni had a fortunate reprieve when he was dropped on 16 at mid off and made sure to capitalise He swung fast bowler Aarin Nadkarni for a six over deep midwicket and smashed Rishi Ramesh the legspinner around the same area before reaching his fifty off 70 balls