Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s | It came neck to neck but we deserved it, insists Manish Pandey

It was a mad day at the office by the two strong South Indian teams - Karnataka and Tamil Nadu - as the former defended their Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy by one-run. The win also helped them become the first team to complete the white-ball double - they also won the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy - in a season, making them a strong contender for the upcoming Ranji Trophy. Skipper Manish Pandey - a fulcrum of Karnataka middle--order - was ecstatic after the win and commented that the team richly deserved to win the game.

"We won it last year but this year the victory was a lot sweeter. The way the boys played the entire tournament has been unbelievable. Everyone has put in so much effort that I thought it was a very good game. It came neck to neck but we deserved it. You have to enjoy each other's success, and if you do, you have higher chances of winning finals like these. Hopefully, there is more to come," Pandey said in the presentation ceremony, reported Cricbuzz.

Vijay Shankar and Baba Aparajith forged a solid partnership which turned the game upside down in TN's favour but there was a twist in the tale. Shankar was berserk, scoring 44 off 27, and looked set to guide Tamil Nadu to a win. However, in the last over, he found Manish Pandey to steal a two from and was caught short by a sharp throw from long-on to the keeper's end. That crashed TN's dreams as Karanataka secured their title. Speaking on that run-out, Pandey said he was ready to take responsibility and had practised being at long-on which came handy in the game.

"When everybody tells me that I am the best fielder in the team, you have to take responsibility. I have taken it upon me to field there (long-on) and all the practice comes helpful in a situation like this and that run-out probably changed the game," Pandey concluded.