Chinmay Sutar slams maiden List A century with India Emerging Team
Youngster Chinmay Sutar was the star with the bat, scoring a brilliant 84-ball century in just his third List A match for India against Hong Kong in the Asian Cricket Council’s Emerging Teams Cup at Savar, Bangladesh on Monday.
Sutar, who played for ARCS Andheri in the first season of T20 Mumbai, walked in at the fall of Armaan Jaffer’s wicket, with India at 113-3 in 19.4 overs.
The 20-year-old first put up a 41-run partnership with skipper, BR Sharath before the latter fell for a well-made 90 off 93 balls. Kumar Suraj fell soon after, and with the team at a slightly tricky 164-5, Sutar put his head down to steady the innings.
He joined hands with Shubham Sharma, and the duo was initially watchful, nurdling singles and doubles and scored only the odd boundary to keep the scoreboard ticking.
They then launched a calculated assault in the 43rd over of the innings when Sutar scored a boundary and took eight runs off Aizaz Khan. Having got his eye in for a while, him and Sharma averaged a boundary and easily scored almost 10 runs every over.
Sutar, who brought up his half-century in 60 balls, was especially severe on Hassan Khan, taking three consecutive fours off him in the 48th over to add to the six that Sharma had hit earlier in the over.
He hit four more boundaries in the next two overs and sent one over the fence to bring up a well-deserved century in the final over. His innings of 104* (85b) contained a total of 13 hits to the fence - 11 fours and 2 sixes – and came at a strike rate of 122.35.
His last 46 runs came in just 15 balls as 68 runs came in the final overs.
The youngster’s unbeaten 158-run partnership with Shubham Sharma, who scored a 55-ball 65, in just 18 overs saw the India Emerging Team finish with a massive 322-5 in their 50 overs and left Hong Kong with a mountain to climb.
The chase ended at 202, handing India a massive 120-run win.