Why the SMAT title triumph could be an IPL launchpad for rising star Suryansh Shedge | Cricket News
In front of 15,000-odd spectators. who turned up to largely support Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai showed its batting might to walk away with their second Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. From the moment the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube made themselves available for the second-half of the tournament, they were the overwhelming favourites. On Sunday, they wrapped up the formalities, winning a final that appeared to go down the wire, five wickets and 13 balls to spare. Standing tall in the chase with another impactful innings as a finisher was the 21-year-old Suryansh Shedge, who walked away with the Man of the Match award for his unbeaten 36 off 15 deliveries.
Chasing in the fourth consecutive match, the target of 175 was within Mumbai’s reach. But unlike their outings against Andhra, Vidarbha and Baroda, where the openers gave a head start, Mumbai lost Prithvi Shaw early on. Playing on a used surface that was a bit slower, they had to bat in different gears as MP attack resorted to slower deliveries and cutters.
But here the experience in their ranks – Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar and Dube – came to the fore. Though Iyer and Dube returned with scores of 16 and 9, Rahane, who has been in blazing form scoring at 169.41 until the final, put his head down and made a 30-ball 37. Suryakumar, who hasn’t had the best of the tournament, stepped up to score a typical 48 off 35 deliveries. Thereafter, just as MP smelled a comeback, the 21-year-old Shedge enhanced his reputation as a finisher.
“We didn’t feel at any moment that the match was going away from us,” skipper Iyer said. Shedge and Atharva (Ankolekar) were fearless in their approach and right from ball one the way they executed was phenomenal to see,” he added.
In many ways Shedge’s fearless approach symbolised Mumbai’s campaign. When he walked in, Mumbai still needed 45 off 32 deliveries. With all their big names back in the hut, MP were beginning to make another comeback on the night. When Rahane and Surya were stitching a 52-run stand for the fourth wicket, they were struggling for answers.
Stand and deliver!
Suryansh Shedge with the finishing touch for Mumbai ✨
Scorecard – https://t.co/4J8WAjUsK9#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @MumbaiCricAssoc pic.twitter.com/RauIq8gKrS
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 15, 2024
Glimmer of hope
Venkatesh Iyer would respond to the SOS removing Rahane, who could only muscle the cutter as far as the deep cover fielder. Two overs later, Kumar Kartikeya would remove Dube and when Surya perished in the next over, Mumbai seemed to be digging their grave. Enter Shedge. Having already played two vital cameos against Andhra and Vidarbha to help Mumbai cross the line in 200-plus chases, he repeated the act with minimum fuss. The acknowledgement for his shots from Mumbai’s star-studded dugout told a story in itself. SMAT may have well provided IPL a new star.
Earlier, if not for skipper Rajat Patidar, Madhya Pradesh wouldn’t have been in the game in the second half. Right through the tournament, their decision to slot their two India players, Patidar and Venkatesh at 5 and 6, has faced questions. While it did help them protect them in early morning starts, for the final, against a Mumbai side where a huge total was needed to stay in the game, Chandrakant Pandit-coached MP side could have been a tad more creative in the final.
BCCI President Mr. Roger Binny hands over the trophy to Mumbai Captain Shreyas Iyer 👏👏
Congratulations to Mumbai on winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 🏆
Scorecard – https://t.co/4J8WAjUsK9#SMAT | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @ShreyasIyer15 | @MumbaiCricAssoc pic.twitter.com/sESEonvYNd
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) December 15, 2024
From the moment Shardul Thakur removed their two openers in the second over, MP’s innings began to stall. Nowhere in the first 10 overs did Mumbai feel the game was going away from them as Patidar came in at 7.4 overs with just 48 on board. In the next over, MP lost their fourth wicket and when Venkatesh was back in the dugout in 12.1 overs, the final looked heavily lopsided.
It is when Patidar decided to take the game into his own hands. Coming into the final with an unbeaten 66, the in-form 31-year-old took off from where he left on Friday night. With chants of ‘RCB, RCB’ ringing around the stadium, Patidar counter-attacked as Mumbai for the only time on the night were left searching for answers. Having been nine off nine at one stage, Patidar ended up with an unbeaten 81 off 40 deliveries, in an innings that included six boundaries and as many sixes.
Brief scores: Madhya Pradesh 174/8 in 20 overs (Patidar 81 n.o; Dias 2/32, Thakur 2/41) lost to Mumbai 180/5 in 17.5 overs (Suryakumar 48, Rahane 37, Shedge 36 n.o; Tripuresh 2/34) 5 wickets
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