Former Indian U19 skipper, Unmukt Chand, who led the Indian team to win the 2012 edition of the U19 World Cup and he made his Big Bash League (BBL) debut did not prove to be a memorable one. The talented right-handed batter, who became the first Indian male Indian cricketer to take part in BBL, was dismissed for only 6 in his first outing. Chand took the field for the Melbourne Renegades against Hobart Hurricanes in Melbourne on Tuesday (January 18).
Tweeting about the same, Renegades had tweeted, “The new colours suit you, @UnmuktChand9”. Chand, under whose leadership India had won the U19 World Cup in 2012 in Australia, retired from all forms of Indian cricket on August 2021, making him eligible to play leagues overseas.
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After the Under 19 World Cup success, Unmukt Chand had featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and also led the India A team but never really graduated to the senior level. The 28-year-old walked out to bat at No.4 after Shaun Marsh was dismissed for a well-made 51 off 38 balls. The Renegades, chasing 183, needed 45 more runs to win in 5.1 overs with 8 wickets in their hand. Eventually, the Hurricanes won the game by a close margin of 6 runs.
Not Unmukt's night tonight… Sandy gets his man! #BBL11 pic.twitter.com/W3XM0yuVaa
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 18, 2022
The match, however, started to turn towards the Hurricanes as Unmukt Chand and Aaron Finch found it difficult to score boundaries at a crucial stage. Chand, in particular, got bogged down at one end which increased the pressure on Australia’s white-ball captain.
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Unmukt Chand finally gave in to the pressure when he tried to slog sleep Sandeep Lamichhane over deep square-leg but failed to make the desired connection. He was holed out in the deep and had to make the long walk back for 6 off 8 balls. Tom Rogers then picked up a couple of wickets in one over including the all-important one of Finch for 75 as the Hurricanes won the match by 6 runs.
