Som Sundaresan of J. Sagar Associates and a director of Oxfam India presents the Capital Markets Cup to Jamie Benson, the captain of the victorious lawyers’ team.
The Duane Morris & Selvam Capital Markets Cup was won by the lawyers this year following their eight wicket victory over the bankers on February 14, 2016, at the Oval Maidan, Mumbai. The bankers were aiming for a hat trick of wins in the annual charity cricket match but despite posting an imposing total of 186 off 25 overs, the lawyers triumphed following a terrific display of batting, passing the total with three overs left and only losing two wickets in the process. This year’s match raised over Rs. 300,000 for Oxfam India.
The bankers’ team had representatives from Citi, Edelweiss, Goldman Sachs, ICICI Securities, IIFL, JM Financial and Morgan Stanley. The lawyers’ team had representatives from AZB & Partners, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Duane Morris & Selvam, J. Sagar Associates, Khaitan & Co., Rajani Associates, S&R Associates and Talwar Thakore & Associates.
Sachin Wagle of Morgan Stanley won the toss and elected to bat. The first batsman dismissed was last year’s man of the match Javeed Siddiqui of ICICI Securities, who was caught off the bowling of Vijay Parthasarthi of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas for six. Sachin Wagle was next in but his stay at the crease was cut short after he was bowled by a fantastic delivery by Parthasarthi for five. Salil Thanawala from Edelweiss was looking in ominous form until a spectacular full-length diving catch by wicket keeper Laban Das of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas off the bowling of Parthasarthi saw him out for 28. The big-hitting Amit Nayyar of Goldman Sachs was again proving to be a thorn in the side of the lawyers and he and Aditya Dipakkumar Doshi of Citi began to push the score along rapidly. After 12 overs the bankers were 112 and a total of over 200 looked likely. However, the introduction of spin started to put the brakes on the bankers’ innings. Nikhil Naredi of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas bowled his off spinners with guile and flight, taking 1 for 27 off 5 overs. He was well supported by Sanjay Israni of Rajani Associates, who kept it tight and finished with the figures of 0 for 14 off 3 overs. Nayyar took a liking to the medium pacers bowling from the other end and the lawyers were thankful that there is compulsory retirement at 50 runs in these matches as he hit seven 4s and three 6s on his way to a 28 ball 50. Doshi batted well for his 34 before being bowled by Jamie Benson of Duane Morris & Selvam as he looked to hit the ball out of the park. Vipul Yadav of Edelweiss also chipped in with a valuable 30 before he was bowled by Rabindra Jhunjhunwala of Khaitan & Co. Some tight bowling in the end from Jhunjhunwala and another wicket for Parthasarthi saw the bankers end up with 186 for 7 off their allotted 25 overs.
Lawyers (not in order): Jamie Benson (c), Sandip Bhagat, Rabindra Jhunjhunwala, Nikhilesh Panchal, Pracheta Bhattacharya, Gagan Sharma, Nikhil Naredi, Vijay Parthasarthi, Laban Das, Sohrab Khushrushahi, Sanjay Israni Bankers (not in order): Sachin Wagle (c), Javeed Siddiqui, Rishabh Mishra, Mahesh Natarajan, Vipul Yadav, Salil Thanawala, Anup Poddar, Deepak Aswani, Amit Nayyar, Ankur Agarwal, Aditya Dipakkumar Doshi
The lawyers opened the batting with Parthasarthi and Sohrab Khushrushahi from Thalwar Thakar & Associates. Rishab Mishra of ICICI Securities and Siddiqui opened the bowling. They both bowled well, and had a few streaky shots by Parthasarthi gone to hand, the match may well have been a lot closer. Parthasarthi was the more aggressive of the two batsmen, hitting the ball to all parts of the ground, while Khushrushahi played a more watchful innings to begin with. Parthasarthi retired following his 30 ball 50. Naredi came to the crease and looked comfortable until a thin outside edge off the bowling of Yadav saw him dismissed for 10. The clean-hitting Laban Das was next in and he and Khushrushahi began to accelerate the scoring. After taking 18 balls to get to 11, Khushrushahi exploded, scoring 41 off his next 18 balls, including two consecutive 6s that lead to his retirement on 52. Sandip Bhagat of S&R Associates was next in and looked in good touch, hitting a well-timed 4 off the bowling off Wagle, before a rush of blood saw him bowled by Mishra for eight. Jhunjhunwala was next in and he kept the scoreboard ticking over while some lusty blows from Das, including a 6 down the ground, brought the lawyers ever closer to victory. A drive through mid-off by Jhunjhunwala brought up the winning runs with three overs to spare.
With this year’s win, the lawyers take the lead in the series 3-2.
Parthasarthi was named the man of the match for his 4 for 22 off 5 overs and his 50 retired.
The match raised more than Rs. 300,000 for Oxfam India, with notable donations of Rs. 100,000 from Duane Morris & Selvam, Rs. 100,000 from JM Financial and Rs. 75,000 from Khaitan & Co. Som Sundaresan of J. Sagar Associates is a member of the board of Oxfam India and he presented the Capital Markets Cup to Jamie Benson, the captain of the victorious lawyers’ team.
Commenting on the match, Benson said: “This was a very good game of cricket and the closest match we have had so far. Both sides played well. I was happy to get the win after losing the last two matches. It was nice to see each team’s members who are competitors in the business field working together on the sporting field and raising money for a very good cause. I am already looking forward to next year’s match.”
Scorecard: Lawyers 189 for 2 off 22 overs (Sohrab Khushrushahi 52 retired, Vijay Parthasarthi 50 retired, Laban Das 36 not out and Rabindra Jhunjhunwala 15 not out; Rishabh Mishra 1 for 37 off 5 overs and Vipul Yadav 1 for 11 off 3 overs) beat the Bankers 186 for 7 off 25 overs (Amit Nayyar 50 retired, Aditya Dipakkumar Doshi 34, Vipul Yadav 30 and Salil Thanawala 28; Parthasarthi 4 for 22 off 5 overs and Nikhil Naredi 1 for 27 off 5 overs).
For more details on the match, please contact Jamie Benson.
About Duane Morris & Selvam LLP
Duane Morris & Selvam LLP is the joint law venture consisting of international law firm Duane Morris LLP and Singapore-based Selvam LLC, with headquarters in Singapore. It serves clients throughout Asia, as well as companies based in the Americas and Europe that are conducting business in Asia and Asian entities and individuals doing business in the Americas and the United Kingdom. Duane Morris LLP, a global law firm with more than 750 attorneys in 27 offices across the United States and internationally, is asked by a broad array of clients to provide innovative solutions to today’s legal and business challenges. Throughout its more than 110-year history, Duane Morris has fostered a collegial culture, where lawyers work with each other to best serve their clients.