Sourav Ganguly at the Eden on Saturday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta: Jharkhand recorded a 34-run win over Tripura in the National Twenty20 (East Zone) meet as Mahendra Singh Dhoni returned to his flamboyant ways at the Eden on Saturday morning. The Team India wicketkeeper smashed 73 off only 33 balls.

Tripura’s ploy of sending Jharkhand to bat proved costly. Jahrakhand were off to a flying start, despite losing Manish Vardhan (7) early. Saurabh Tiwary (57) started the blitzkrieg with Dhoni joining in the party as Jharkhand reached 194 for seven.

In reply, Tripura put up a good fight, finishing at 160 for seven.

Tiwary’s 57 came off 30 balls and was laced with eight fours and three sixes. Wicketkeeper Subroto Ghosh (19) and Surjit Singh also contributed in the lower order. Timir Chanda was the best among the Tripura bowlers with three for 37 while Vineet Jain claimed a couple of wickets.

Tripura’s start was equally encouraging. They raced quickly to 102 for two in the 12th over, carrying on the good work through Ansul Lamba (51 off 39), Tapan Sutradhar (28 off 12), and Subol Choudhury (43 off 41).

But the lower middle-order failed to get their act together. They were 151 for three after 17.5 overs when the wickets began to tumble. After 19.3 overs they had slid to 158 for seven.

BRIEF SCORES

Jharkhand 194/7 in 20 overs (S. Tiwary 57, MS Dhoni 73 ..; T. Chanda 3/37). Tripura 160/7 in 20 overs (A. Lamba 51, S. Choudhury 43). Jharkhand won by 34 runs.