Twitter reacts after star-studded Mumbai avoid āchokingā in SMAT final against Himachal Pradesh
Despite chasing a paltry 144 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final, Mumbai were on the verge of succumbing to defeat against Himachal Pradesh. However, Sarfaraz Khanās superb 31-ball 36 ensuredĀ to escape embarrassment as they reached the target with three wickets and as many balls to spare.
With the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shivam Dube in the mix, Mumbai were firm favourties against a spirited Himachal Pradesh side ahead of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final on Saturday at Eden Gardens. They began well after asking Himachal Pradesh to bat, restricting the opponents to 143/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Tanush Kotian and Mohit Avasthi impressed the most with the ball, taking three wickets apiece while Aman Hakim Khan and Dube had one scalp each.
However, Mumbaiās chase, which was supposed to be straightforward, saw full of drama. They were in charge at one point, scoring 96/3 in 13.1 overs before Shreyas Iyer lost his wicket to Vaibhav Arora. Then Himachal Pradesh triggered a collapse, reducing Mumbai to 119/7 to make a game out of nowhere.
Considering the fact that Mumbai required 23 off 12 balls in such a low-scoring game, Himachal Pradesh was considered favourites at that point. But then their skipper Rishi Dhawan made a huge mistake, asking Kanwar Abhinay to bowl the penultimate over instead of bringing in himself. They paid the price as Abhinay conceded 17 runs off the over to reduce the equation to six off the final six balls. Dhawan tried, conceding two runs off the first ball, followed by a dot. But it was too little to defend before Kotianās six over the deep fine leg led them to register their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Winning shot!
ā MINI BUS 2022 (@minibus2022)Ā November 5, 2022
Celebrations time!
WHAT. A. FINISH! š š
ā BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic)Ā November 5, 2022
WHAT. A. WIN! š š
Mumbai overcame a stiff challenge from the spirited Himachal Pradesh side to seal a thrilling victory to win their maidenĀ #SyedMushtaqAliT20Ā title. š š
Scorecard šĀ https://t.co/VajdciaA1p#HPvMUMĀ |Ā #FinalĀ |Ā @mastercardindiaĀ pic.twitter.com/t3WRR0wET1
Great match!
Taking the game till the last few balls against the powerhouse Mumbai. Himachal, you should leave the field with your heads high. Runners up today, champions tomorrow.#SyedMushtaqAliT20Ā #SyedMushtaqAliTrophyĀ #HimachalvsMumbai
ā Harshvardhan Singh Thapa (@Humorosaurus)Ā November 5, 2022
Feel for Himachal Pradesh
Gotta feel for Himachal Pradesh, came so close yet so far. Credits to Sarfaraz khan for being so calm and composed under pressure.Ā #HPvMUMĀ #SyedMushtaqAliTrophy
ā Anirudh Singh Tanwar (@anirudhtanwar16)Ā November 5, 2022
Deserved it!
Sarfaraz my man, deserved a trophy this year for the way he has been performing. Missed out on Ranji but will get his hands onto SMAT as Mumbai win it for the first time ā¤ļø#HPvMUMĀ #SyedMushtaqAliTrophy
ā Anshul Gupta (@oyegupta_)Ā November 5, 2022
No blame game
KD Singh is the guy. 17 runs off the 19th and the drop catch. Shouldn't have actually given him the 19th over. Overall, Himachal did a fantastic job.Ā #SyedMushtaqAliTrophy
ā Bonny A (@jungleeejanwar)Ā November 5, 2022
Tough fight
What a pressure game of cricket šš„š„š„š even in low score tough fight byĀ #HimachalPradeshĀ .#sarfarazkhanĀ not only in 1st class and list A also inĀ #t20cricketĀ šš»šš»
ā Kavishwar Zalke (ą¤ą¤µą¤æą¤¶ą„ą¤µą¤° ą¤ą¤²ą¤ą„) (@KaviZalke)Ā November 5, 2022
CongratulationsĀ @MumbaiCricAssocĀ winningĀ #SyedMushtaqAliTrophy
First title!
Mumbai have won their firstĀ #SyedMushtaqAliTrophyĀ , well played Team Himachal pradesh.
ā Ullasguz68 (@UllasS90400687)Ā November 5, 2022
Top knock ofĀ #sarfarazkhanĀ #smat2022Ā #Cricket
Crucial knock
Mumbai wins its maidenĀ #SyedMushtaqAliTrophyĀ title. Sarfaraz Khan with a crucial 36 off 31 under pressure.Ā #SyedMushtaqAliT20
ā Dhruva Prasad (@DhruvaPrasad9)Ā November 5, 2022
Knocking down
Sarfaraz Khan is cut out to play for India senior. And play soon. Knocking down all possible selection doors BCCI have put in place.Ā #SyedMushtaqAliTrophyĀ #SyedMushtaqAliT20Ā #smat2022Ā #sarfarazkhan
ā Shantanu Smart (@smartshantanu)Ā November 5, 2022
Congrats
First ever trophy forĀ #TeamMumbaiĀ at Syed Mustaq Ali Tournament.
ā Girish Reddy (@girishreddyt12)Ā November 5, 2022
Congratulations to all the players and fans.Ā @ShreyasIyer15#SyedMushtaqAliTrophy
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