Hemang Badani is surely the man with the Midas touch. Ever since he made his international debut for India in the Asia Cup in Dhaka last May, Badani has seized virtually every opportunity to trumpet his claims to being arguably the most thrilling batting prospect across the land. The 24-year-old stepped into the middle at the fall of skipper Saurav Ganguly in the 13th over when India Seniors were a precarious 76/3. Having made 64 not out and 70 in the earlier two games, Badani was very much the form batsman but he suffered an agonizing moment soon after his arrival at the wicket. Without a run added on the board, his senior partner VVS Laxman was run out in a dreadful mix-up that left India Seniors very much behind the eight ball. When Badani lost Yuvraj Singh at 96, it looked curtains for the defending champions. But Badani and Virendra Shewag proceeded to play the lead roles in a quite astonishing finale that kept the 15,000 strong crowd richly entertained.

Badani was slightly circumspect in the early part of his innings but he opened his shoulders with sixes off left arm spinners Sridharan Sriram and Rahul Sanghvi in successive overs to stress a note of urgency in the run chase. Badani's half century came up shortly afterwards in just 45 balls and when he struck a third six over long-on off Reetinder Sodhi, India Seniors had well and truly thrown down the gauntlet to their opponents. Shewag was run out after a 168-run partnership but Badani simply refused to cede any quarter. Two boundaries off Iqbal Siddiqui in the 44th over brought the equation ever so closer and Badani closed out an 82-ball century after his Tamil Nadu teammate Sridharan Sriram, ever the gentleman, courteously conceded four overthrows. Skipper Dravid all but conceded defeat by bringing on off spinner Sadagopan Ramesh in the 49th over. Badani stroked him backward of point to post an extraordinary victory with eleven balls to spare. The ice-man had triumphed once again under a mountain of pressure.