SMAT | Swashbuckling Rajkumar swings it Tamil Nadus way against Uttarakhand

R. Rajkumar’s unbeaten 93 off just 43 balls (6×4, 8×6) — embellished with eight sixes, the most by any Tamil Nadu batter in a single innings — hauled his team to a five-wicket win over Uttarakhand, chasing 165 in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Elite Group-D third-round clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium B-Ground here on Sunday.

The 32-year-old, playing only his third T20 match in his debut season for Tamil Nadu, wasn’t merely promoted to No. 5 — he was unleashed. He delivered exactly what the move demanded, pinch-hitting pacers and spinners with equal audacity.

His swing didn’t just generate runs — it generated disbelief. He didn’t just time the ball — he dismissed it from the field of play. And he wasn’t just batting — he was almost auditioning, with Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel and Mumbai Indians talent scout John Wright watching on.

He dismantled the bowling with a catalogue of clean hits: two straight fours, an extra-cover six, and a cover-drive four in the same over off leg-spinner Himanshu Bisht; a six over cover, a reverse-hit four, and a straight six off left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith.

Against left-arm spinner Yuvraj Choudhary, he cleared the sightscreen and extra-cover for two more sixes. He wasn’t done — he hammered back-to-back long-off sixes and a straight four off pacer Akash Madhwal, and added another straight six off pacer Agnivesh Ayachi.

Earlier in the day, Jharkhand skipper Ishan Kishan smashed an unbeaten 113 (10×4, 8×6) off 50 balls to help his side chase down 183 against Tripura with eight wickets and 15 balls to spare. Off-spinner Viki Saha bore the maximum brunt: Ishan struck a mid-wicket six, a mid-wicket four, and an extra-cover four in one over, before smoking back-to-back mid-wicket sixes.

Rajasthan edged home by a solitary run in a thriller. Karnataka, chasing 202, needed 14 off the last five balls when Vijaykumar Vyshak (9 n.o.) pulled left-arm seamer Akash Singh to deep square leg for a six. With seven required off three, R. Smaran (48 n.o.) picked up two successive doubles. But Akash Singh nailed a wide yorker on the final ball, and Smaran’s inside-edge could only trickle away for a single.