Match 1
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SVL blacks arrived almost on time for the away fixture against BC Attaching on a very chilly and overcast day. Captain Sajal lost the toss and SVL Blacks were put in to bat first. Openers Arun and Nikhil gave a steady start to the team and as they were looking very comfortable Arun was run out thanks to a needless mix. Soon Nikhil followed which brought skipper Sajal and Vc Zeeshan to the crease. Both stabilized the innings with aggressive running between the wickets and occasional boundaries. Zeeshan was clean bowled after playing a rather lousy shot. Rahul Mishra joined the skipper and strung a very important partnership which eventually shaped the innings for SVL Blacks. Whilst on one hand Sajal was playing a captain's knock, Rahul on the other hand constructed a perfect middle order innings. Rahul was very aggressive in stealing singles but hit some delightful shots over covers and the square region. Just when blacks were ready to launch there was a series of unwanted runouts. Thanks to last minute flourish from Gopi, Blacks managed to get to 157 in the alloted 20 overs.

SVL response was steady. Both Siddarth and Arun got off to a good start and were able to keep the flow of runs in check. Sid gave Blacks the first breakthrough immediately. Arun was unlucky not to get a wicket despite managing to get some edges. BC Attaching were settling in a nice rhythm and looked to consolidate but our SVL Legend and ( Treasurer) had other ideas. Mr.Treasurer was ruthless and bagged 3 crucial wickets which completely changed the course of the game. His committee member Prafull also bowled well in tandem and got one breakthrough. Both the spinners were able to get important wickets and put the game beyond the opposition. Ravi, Rahul and Gopi ensured that BC Attaching was never allowed any chance to stage a comeback in the game. SVL Blacks won the game comprehensively by 29 runs.

Man of the match : Pramod Pande
WOW Moment of the match : Rahul Kumar Mishra’s cover drive
LOL Moment of the match : Runouts ( Rahul/Sajal ⇒ Sajal/Gopi ⇒Ravi/Gopi⇒ Gopi/Prafull)

Match 2
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Sajal lost the toss and SVL Blacks were asked to bowl first. FS Falcons openers made a positive start by playing some aggressive shots. First wicket was gifted to SVL Blacks thanks to a silly mix up. Number 3 Zeeshan and Opener Shashi teed off and got some valuable runs. Pramod Pande got some 2 valuable breakthroughs however his partner in crime Prafull was unable to bowl proper lines. Ravi was brought into the attack to correct the situation and boy he delivered. Ravi along with Pramod bowled suffocating lines and the runs dried up. Ravi was super stingy and gave only a handful runs and struck at regular intervals. To top it off in his last over Ravi bowled a maiden 3-wicket over! It was truly a marvelous performance which was cheered by his teammates. FS Falcons were 12 over 89 for 1 at one point and their innings was closed at 120 all out which really dampened their spirits.

Black openers kicked off the proceedings very aggressively. Nikhil was very confident off his footwork which was very heartening to see given his knee-injury struggles. Nikhil was very dedicated throughout the preseason nets/training and results were showing! Gopi joined the party and took the bowling apart to bring the score to 69 for 1 after 5 overs. Nikhil was mankaded out by the opposition which not only showed their frustration but also underlined that it was the only way to get Nikhil out. SVL blacks lost 3 further wickets on their course to victory in almost 10 overs. It was an emphatic win

Man of the match : Ravi K
WOW Moment of the match : Ravi K last over
LOL Moment of the match : Ravi K’s appealing

All in all a total team effort. To quote @⁨Pramod SVL⁩ bhai “Excellent team energy and walk the talk captaincy today. I am proud of blacks” that really summed it up beautifully

Well done all !

Author: Praful Toke