'We should have done it,' says Sharma after they miss victory target by 10 runs
Hong Kong almost sent the whole of Chennai into mourning when they came within a whisker of pulling off a sensational win over India's Ranji Trophy finalists, Tamil Nadu, at the Hong Kong Cricket Club yesterday.
The streets of crowded Chennai, Tamil Nadu's state capital, would have been well and truly silenced by the news that their beloved state cricketers had lost to a bunch of part-timers celebrating 100 years of league cricket. That almost became a reality, but Hong Kong choked and fell short in their run-chase by 10, letting slip a golden opportunity to record a monumental win over a first-class outfit from one of the best cricketing nations in the world.
Chasing 289 to win off 40 overs - former Indian Test opener Sadagopan Ramesh hitting a century - Hong Kong openers Manoj Cheruparambil and Tim Smart batted fearlessly and put on 218 runs for the opening wicket. But once they were separated, in the 33rd over, the rest of the Hong Kong batsmen, barring Amar Najeeb, failed to push on, resulting in the home team falling agonisingly short.
'We should have done it.' said Hong Kong captain Rahul Sharma. 'After the brilliant opening stand, the rest of the batsmen should have seen us home. But we gave one of the best sides in India a run for their money.'
Manoj and Smart were both bold and brave as they set about laying the foundation for Hong Kong's reply. The pair began slowly, putting on 45 runs in the first 10 overs, then took the score to 123 at the end of 20 overs and then to 197 by the 30th over. By this time, the visitors knew they had a game on their hands. Both batsmen looked solid and treated the bowling with disdain. Perhaps, Hong Kong were fortunate they were playing on the artificial strip as the adjacent turf wicket was wet after overnight rain. The astro-turf was a leveller in that the bowling was easier to read.
