Rizvi triumph

Captaining a champion side is not an easy task. It comes with a lot of pressure and Rizvi Springfield High School captain Alpesh Ramjani knows it. His school has been dominant in Mumbai’s inter-school circuit. Last year they won eleven titles.

On Thursday, the 15-year-old played the anchor’s role in his team’s emphatic title win in the Under-16 Selection Trial tournament for the West Zone Inter State School Polly Umrigar Trophy.

The team from Bandra easily got the better of Swami Vivekanand International School, Borivali. A 129-run margin the difference between the two sides at the National CC ground, Cross Maidan.

Ramjani, coming at No.7, bailed his team out by scoring a match saving half-century (54). An aggressive batsman, Ramjani had to curb his attacking instincts. He put on two half century partnerships, one with opener Rehman Mohammad (36) and the other with Arpit Rai (52).

“The situation looked completely out of hand when the score read 100 for 5. My job was to just play through the 50 overs and build partnerships. Mohd Rehma, Arpit, Sarfaraz and Pratyush played well when it mattered,” Ramjani said.

In reply, left-arm seamer Vikash Singh scalped four to bundle out Swami Vivekanand International School, Borivali for 153.

Brief scores: Rizvi Springfield HS 282-9 in 50 overs (A Ramjani 54, A Rai 52; D Sarang 3-75) bt Swami Vivekanand Int. School 153 in 36.3 overs.