Taking a break from the monotony of clearing files and solving crimes, bureaucrats and law enforcers took to a game of cricket on Sunday.
Officers from the Tamil Nadu cadre of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS) assembled at 8.30 a.m. on the cricket field of Guru Nanak College in Velachery, to battle it out in a friendly cricket match organised by sports-loving officers.
The IAS team won the toss and decided to bat. The team comprising government secretaries and other top brass, dressed in whites, started slowly but soon got the scoreboard ticking.
Coimbatore Corporation commissioner K. Vijay Karthikeyan’s 80 got the IAS team to a score of 188 runs in 25 overs for the loss of four wickets. Additional director general of police Sunil Kumar’s bowling got his team two crucial wickets and a run-out.
The IPS team began batting rather disappointingly as wickets started to fall in quick succession. At the end of 10 overs, the team had made just over 40 runs for the loss of four crucial wickets. Later came a batting partnership that put vital runs on the board.
IPS trainee Kalaichelvan and deputy commissioner (Pulianthope) R. Sudhakar swung their willows to amass 93 runs. The duo guided the team past the 150-run mark but was dismissed in successive balls. Kalaichelvan smashed a stunning 62 runs in just 25 balls and his senior made a crucial 25.
The policemen cruised to victory, scoring 191 runs for the loss of seven wickets with more than an over to spare. However, the real winner was the camaraderie between the officers over a game of cricket.
