3 wickets, sirf 14 runs dekar – yeh koi mazak nahi hai! Trent Bridge mein, jahan Notts apne ghar mein sher ban kar khelta hai, wahan Samit ne unki watt laga di. Derbyshire ne Notts ko 46 runs se hara diya, aur yeh unki 2013 ke baad Trent Bridge pe pehli Blast jeet thi. Notts ke fans ab shayad soch rahe honge, “Yeh kya ho gaya?”
Lekin thodi der ke liye gaur se dekho. Samit ka yeh performance koi naya tamasha nahi hai. Woh 22 saal tak Notts ke liye khelte rahe, 20,937 runs banaye, 713 wickets liye, aur 6 trophies jeete, jismein do T20 Blast titles bhi shamil hain. Phir bhi, jab Notts ne unhe 2023 mein chhod diya, toh laga jaise unki cricket khatam ho gayi. Par Samit ne haar nahi maani. Derbyshire ke saath nayi shuruaat ki, aur ab white-ball captain ban kar dikhaya ki unmein abhi bhi dum hai. Yeh match usi ka saboot tha – ek aisa player jo apne purane club ke khilaf khud ko saabit karne ka mauka nahi chhodta. Isse yaad aata hai 2019 ka World Cup, jab Ben Stokes ne England ke liye Australia ke khilaf aisi hi shandaar performance di thi, jab sab soch rahe the ki shayad woh pressure mein toot jayenge. Samit ka yeh andaaz bhi kuch waisa hi tha – pura confidence, pura style.
Derbyshire ke liye yeh jeet sirf Samit ki wajah se nahi aayi. Aneurin Donald ne 73 runs ki shandaar padi kheli, jisse Derbyshire ne 199 ka score khada kiya. Notts ke bowlers, jaise Calvin Harrison (3-32), ne koshish toh ki, lekin Samit ke spin ke saamne unka koi jawab nahi tha. Notts ke kaptaan Joe Clarke ne 50 runs banaye, lekin team ka koi aur batsman unka saath nahi de paya. Matt Montgomery ke 27 runs ke alawa koi bhi bada score nahi bana. Yeh thodi si wahi kahani hai jab 2007 T20 World Cup mein India ke khilaf Yuvraj Singh ne Stuart Broad ke ek over mein 6 sixes maare the – ek player ne akele match ka rukh badal diya. Samit ne bhi kuch aisa hi kiya, apne spin se Notts ke middle order ko tabaah kar diya.
Ab thodi baat Derbyshire ki team spirit ki. Ek aisi team jo Notts jaisi badi team ke khilaf aksar struggle karti hai, usne dikhaya ki chhoti teams mein bhi bada dil hota hai. Samit ke captaincy mein yeh team aggressive cricket khel rahi hai, aur yeh unke naye signings jaise Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar aur Caleb Jewell ke wajah se bhi possible hua hai. Ghazanfar, ek teenage Afghan spinner, ne bhi is match mein 2 wickets liye, aur Notts ke batsmen ko pareshan kiya. Yeh thodi si wahi baat hai jab 2018 mein Afghanistan ke Rashid Khan ne IPL mein apni spin se bade-bade batsmen ko nachaya tha. Derbyshire ke liye yeh naye khiladi nayi ummeed leke aaye hain, aur Samit unhe ek aisa leader de raha hai jo khud example set karta hai.
Lekin, thodi der ke liye sach ka saamna karte hain. Yeh jeet ek match ki hai, aur Derbyshire ko abhi bhi lambi raah tay karni hai. Notts ke paas ek shandaar team hai, aur woh Division One mein top pe hain, jaisa ki unki County Championship performance dikhati hai. Samit ka yeh performance shayad ek jhalak ho, lekin kya woh har match mein aisa kar payenge? 40 ki umar mein cricket khelna koi asaan baat nahi, aur fitness ke sawal bhi uth sakte hain, jaise unke England career ke dauraan uthe the. Aur Notts? Woh shayad agle match mein aisa dhamaal machayenge ki yeh haar bhool jaye. Cricket ka yeh khel hai – aaj ka hero kal ka zero bhi ban sakta hai. Ab bas yeh dekhna hai ki Samit ka yeh jadoo kitne din chalega, ya phir Notts apne ghar mein agli baar Derbyshire ko sabak sikhayega.
