Mohit, Tejas star in Rizvi’s victory

“Humaare players sirf hundreds maarte hai”, said one of the Rizvi Springfield School reserve players sitting in the dugouts, sipping a cup of tea, while watching the final of the Giles Shield Trophy (Under-14) at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. The Bandra-based school beat Don Bosco School, Matunga by virtue of a first innings lead in a three-day final that started on Monday, despite a solid knock from the losing team’s skipper Sahil Jadhav.

The kid assured from the very first ball that his team would win and he was not wrong about his side as it posted a mammoth total of 495 after playing for one and a half day, allowing their opposition to dismiss only eight of their batsmen. A partnership by Mohit Tanwar and Tejas Chalke for the fourth wicket brought the Matunga side’s spirits down as both of them got into triple figures.

Jadhav stayed strong on one end but could do nothing about the batsmen that went back to the pavilion in quick succession. Don Bosco’s idea of sending two night watchmen as it it was the last session on Tuesday backfired as both of them returned before the day’s play could end.

The confidence that the Rizvi team had was more than enough to sink their opponents. Tejas, who played his last Giles Shield match as he will be turning 15 next year said, “Even in Harris Shield I’ll score hundreds and double hundreds.”

Tanwar took the crease after his side lost two wickets in the same over (40th). He had already scored a double hundred in the semi-final and looked like he could repeat his feat on the big day. Another wicket fell down on the other end and the coach told Chalke to just see the day through and not give away his wicket before he walked down the historic Wankhede stairs.

On the second day, the pair smashed the Don Bosco players all around the field. Their partnership of 172 runs kept the scoreboard ticking and their hopes of winning were reassured.

This edition of the Giles Shield was the first time that these two combined. Tanwar was playing in the competition for the first time and Chalke for the last. In the semis, they stood unbeaten for a 200-plus partnership after the team lost two wickets at just a total of four.

The colts shared the same dressing room as MS Dhoni and the team that lifted the World Cup in 2011. The same Wankhede Stadium that was home to Sachin Tendulkar for over two decades, hosted what could be the coming generation of Mumbai cricket. These lads made sure that they lived every moment of it from taking showers to playing their favourite music on maximum volume inside the dressing rooms. Raju Pathak, who coaches the team along with Salil Babardesai, unearthed Tanwar and got him here speaking to his father who is also a coach. “This was my first time playing on this prestigious pitch. I enjoyed batting here and getting a century felt even better,” said Tanwar.

Rizvi Springfield is the same school from which Prithvi Shaw scored 546 in a Harris Shield match few years ago. Tanwar and Chalke could very well follow the footsteps of their senior who is leading the Indian under-19 contingent in New Zealand.

Rizvi Springfield, Bandra 495/8 (Mohit Tanvar 127, Tejas Chalke 100; Chris D’Britto 3/90) beat Don Bosco, Matunga 331/9 (Sahil Jadhav 150 not out; Umar Khan 4/84).