Aditya Sharma and Parish Dhillon’s impressive four-wicket hauls each (4 for 42) played a pivotal role as Haryana successfully bowled out Punjab for a second innings total of 156 runs, securing a resounding victory by an innings and 16 runs in the finals of the Second Balramji Das Tandon Memorial Inter-State U-16 Cricket tournament held under the auspices of the Union Territory Cricket Association, a part of BCCI, on Tuesday.
In Punjab’s second innings, Rahul Sharma emerged as the top scorer with 55 runs, but Haryana’s Aditya Sharma and Parish Dhillon took center stage with four wickets apiece for 42 runs each. Earlier in the match, Haryana had set the tone with a first innings total of 266 runs, while Punjab struggled to post a mere 94 runs in their first innings.
The victory was celebrated with felicitations from dignitaries including Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur, UT Adviser Dharam Pal, and BCCI selection committee chairman, former Indian pacer Chetan Sharma. UTCA president Sanjay Tandon expressed plans to elevate the tournament to a pan-India level in the coming years, in honor of his late father Balramdas Ji Tandon’s commitment to promoting sports.
Chetan Sharma, praising the young talents, emphasized the importance of junior-level tournaments like the U-16 and U-19 categories in identifying and nurturing India’s cricketing talent. He commended the teams from the northern region for their participation and expressed confidence that a strong showing in such tournaments would serve as a significant motivator for the players.
Individual accolades were presented to standout performers, with Rahul Kumar of Punjab named the best batter of the tournament for his impressive tally of 315 runs. Jai Kaushik from Haryana, who claimed 13 wickets, earned the title of the bowler of the tournament, while Shaswatam of UTCA was recognized as the best all-rounder for his contributions of 235 runs, along with four catches and three stumpings.
