Raffles Institution learn from past mistake to win first A Div cricket title since 2018
SINGAPORE – During their previous meeting in the National School Games A Division boys' cricket competition on May 13, Raffles Institution (RI) were confident they could outscore the 114 runs in 20 overs accumulated by defending champions Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).
Confidence soon turned into complacency however, as RI, batting second, fell just short, amassing 113 runs in the same amount of overs, losing by just one run.
As the two schools squared off again in the final at Ceylon Sports Club on May 23, RI were determined to not repeat that mistake. Keeping their focus in the sweltering heat, they won by eight wickets. RI captain Shreevathsa Chihnan said: 'That loss (by one run) helped us realise that we shouldn't be complacent at any moment of the game, regardless of whether we're leading or when we're losing.
'That's what we learnt from that game, and we won today because of that loss. It was a really needed loss.'
Captain and wicket-keeper Shreevathsa Chihnan (centre) celebrating with bowler Sehgal Aarav (left) after bowling out Anglo-Chinese School's (Independent) captain and batsman Bhatnagar Aditya (right). RI recovered from their earlier loss to ACS(I) to win the title.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
The win marks RI's first A Division cricket title since 2018 and ended ACS (I)'s run of four straight titles from 2019 to 2024, excluding the Covid-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
'I think if any batch could do it, it would have been our batch because it's not about the skills or the talent. It's about how much chemistry we have and how well bonded we are. And I think truly for the last six, seven months of training, we deserve this really much,' added Chihnan, 18.
There was immediately a sense of deja vu when ACS (I), just like in their last meeting, won the coin toss, elected to bat first and racked up 125 runs in 20 overs .
Shree Bhala Raj, 17, who contributed 46 of those runs, said: 'I batted well and bowled well. Even when you're not on the right side of the score, it's important that you (still) get a (sense of) self-satisfaction that I've given my best.'
It gave RI an even bigger mountain to climb when the teams changed hands between innings. What followed was a stellar batting performance from the Rafflesians, in particular, Nikhil Arora .
In extraordinary circumstances, Nikhil found himself out on the pitch for the entirety of the inning, having not been caught out. In that spell, he greatly contributed to his team's score, slamming the ball out of bounds without bounce five times, a hit typically known as a six.
Nikhil Arora (centre) scored five 6s during his time batting.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
RI went on to overcome ACS (I)'s 125 runs in emphatic fashion, scoring 126 in 18.5 overs, resulting in them winning by eight wickets.
'I think for every batter, hitting a six feels magnificent,' said Nikhil.
'But you have to tell yourself to not get carried away. In the game against ACS (which they lost by one run), we lost right at the end. So I just made sure that this time I had to be there to finish it.'
The 17-year-old admitted that he got tired during the second inning, but 'all the adrenaline' kept him going. He added: 'We've really had such a shortage of trophies in the past. I hope my team has influenced the younger generation to carry on a tradition of success.'
ACS (I) captain Aditya Bhatnagar had mixed emotions about his side's loss in the final, but they were not 'entirely negative'.
'We didn't panic today, nor did we choke. If you go to all 11 people who played, we all consider each other brothers. Everybody was calm and composed until the very last ball. That's the way it should be,' said Bhatnagar, 18.
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