The people of Chhattisgarh are incredibly enthusiastic about cricket, often sharing stories about their favorite players for hours. When an international stadium was established in their capital, their excitement reached new heights. With IPL matches and veteran leagues taking place there, the recognition of Chhattisgarh is gradually increasing. Now that they are participating in the Ranji Trophy, it’s only a matter of time before we see some raw talent representing Team India.
The International Masters League T20 caravan for 2025 arrived at its final destination in Raipur today, March 8. Cricket legends from the past, such as Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, faced off once more, evoking memories of their glorious rivalry that often sparked discussions among cricket enthusiasts about who is the superior player.
As the highly anticipated match between West Indies Masters and Indian Masters approaches, excitement is at an all-time high. Fans are eager to witness both Sachin and Lara in action, and with Yuvraj Singh and the Pathan brothers included in the Indian lineup, everyone is looking forward to catching a glimpse of these past superstars.
WI masters skipper Lara decided to bowl first
During the toss, fans felt let down not seeing Sachin in action; perhaps he was resting due to his aging body. With the Indian Masters almost guaranteed to qualify for the semifinals, the strategists likely decided it was best to give him a break. After winning the toss, Brian Lara chose to bowl first, following the trend of chasing totals while considering the dew factor later on.
Dwayne Smith, the all-rounder, initiated play for the Windies with his gentle bowling against Indian openers Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu. Together, they took control by scoring boundaries, although Rayudu was dropped at slip by Nurse off Jerome Taylor’s bowling. Such lapses in fielding have cost the Windies dearly in previous matches; they were fortunate to escape against Australia but paid for their mistakes against Sri Lanka.
Rayudu dominated the lackluster attack
The Indian openers, especially Rayudu, dismantled the ineffective bowling of the WI Masters, hitting sixes and fours all over the field. Left-hander Tiwari also supported him effectively by being aggressive from the other end.
Rayudu reached his half-century, and just when it seemed he was on track for a significant score, he was caught at long on off Jerome Taylor’s bowling by Tino Best, providing some relief to the WI Masters’ bowling attack.
Indian Masters batsmen went on to overdrive
The Windies masters faced relentless pressure as GurkeeratSingh Mann and Saurabh Tiwary inflicted further misery on the bowlers, sending the ball flying all over the field. By the time Mann was dismissed for a fiery 46, India had already amassed 173/2. Tiwary soon followed, contributing a solid 60 runs.
However, another destructive force emerged in Yuvraj Singh, who joined Yusuf Pathan at the crease. Both are renowned for their clean and powerful hitting and they mercilessly attacked the bewildered West Indies bowlers. Yuvraj was particularly punishing towards any loose deliveries, ultimately crafting an impressive innings of 49 off just 20 balls, which included six fours and three sixes. This performance propelled India to a formidable total of 253/3 on the scoreboard.
Steady start by WI Masters to a huge run chase
Dwayne Smith has been among the top scorers in the tournament so far. He opened the batting with Perkins and started off slowly as they struggled to find boundaries early on.
However, once they settled in, runs began to flow, particularly from Dwayne Smith’s bat, which tends to send the ball flying when he connects. Perkins also managed to hit a few boundaries. By the end of six overs, WI Masters were at 68 without losing any wickets, marking a solid start for their big run chase. Although the required run rate continued to rise, not losing any wickets during those 68 runs provided some comfort in the dressing room.
During the break after six overs, skipper Lara approached the batsmen to offer encouragement, demonstrating that even at his age and as a captain of a veteran league team, he is determined not to lose.
Calypso flair was on the show in the next five overs
Smith shifted into overdrive, effortlessly hitting sixes and fours, quickly reaching his half-century.
Perkins followed suit with a splendid half-century of his own, although he was given a reprieve when Stuart Binny dropped him.
However, his fortune soon faded as he was spectacularly caught and bowled by left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, who made an impressive catch while running backward—a crucial wicket for the Indian Masters.
Despite his partner’s dismissal, Smith remained unfazed and continued to score boundaries both along the ground and over the ropes. Simmons elevated the assault, hitting Rahul Sharma for five sixes and a four in one over, accumulating 34 runs. Nevertheless, Negi responded by halting Simmons’ onslaught at 38 runs off 12 balls, providing India Masters with an important opportunity.
Stuart Binny altered the game’s trajectory by taking quick wickets.
Just when it seemed that Smith would lead the game to victory for the WI Masters, Binny turned everything around by getting rid of the threatening burly right hander with a knuckleball. He further impacted the chase by taking out Carter (11) and Kirk Edwards (4), leaving the West Indies Masters requiring 64 runs in the last five overs.
Huge anticipation for fans to watch Lara bat as he moved down the batting order.
Earlier, Sachin rested himself, and later Brian Lara decided to give other big hitters a chance to finish the job for the team. This decision may have been influenced by the fact that he hadn’t played cricket for some time. Although he can hit big, he is more of a classical batsman, and the situation called for someone in the middle who could use a long handle. However, this disappointed fans who wanted to witness Lara’s magic.
Ashley Nurse (21) and Narsingh Deonarine (28) fought hard, reducing the equation to 24 runs off the last over bowled by Irfan Pathan. Deonarine struck Pathan for four on his first delivery; then Pathan bowled a wide on his next ball, followed by another delivery above the batsman’s shoulder that was called a no-ball, granting a free hit which resulted in another four runs.
Suddenly it seemed like the match was back on track, but Irfan responded strongly by bowling three consecutive deliveries that yielded just one run while also taking a wicket. This brought Lara to the crease with WI Masters needing 12 runs off one ball. Brian Lara then smashed Pathan over deep extra covers for an outstanding boundary, narrowing their defeat as WI Masters lost the match by seven runs.
Match Summary:
India Masters 253/3 (Ambati Rayudu 63, Saurabh Tiwary60, Yuvraj Singh 49*, Gurkeerat Singh Mann 46)
West Indies Masters 246/6 (Dwayne Smith 79, William Perkins 52, Lendl Simmons 38; Stuart Binny 3/13, PawanNegi 2/27)
India Masters won by 7 runs.
