Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19, Semi-final 2, Delhi vs Jharkhand Review: Pawan Negi helps Delhi register a thrilling win

Against all the odds, Delhi managed to reach the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and set up a marquee clash with Mumbai on Thursday. Jharkhand had remained unbeaten in the tournament till this point and almost had the game but faltered at a very crucial juncture and eventually paid a hefty price.

Batting first, Jharkhand got off to the worst possible start as they lost their talismanic opener and captain Ishan Kishan in the very first over for a duck. Kulwant Khejroliya and Navdeep Saini bowled brilliantly in the first powerplay, giving no space for the batters to settle in.

After the powerplay was done, a flurry of wickets followed. Saurabh Tiwary and Kumar Deobrat fell in quick succession, but Anand Singh stuck in the middle at the other end. He stitched a 31-run partnership with Virat Singh, before Anand Singh and Anukul Roy were dismissed in a span of 17 balls. The scorecard at this point read 85/6.

Shahbaz Nadeem and Virat registered a much-needed partnership at this point as the latter went on to complete a half-century. They added 55 runs for the 7th wicket before Nadeem was dismissed for 29 off 42 balls. With Varun Aaron and Rahul Shukla’s assistance, Virat helped his side get to 199 runs in 48.5 overs. He registered a well-compiled 71 off 91 balls whilst Navdeep Saini picked up four wickets for Delhi.

Negi does the unthinkable

No one would’ve expected Delhi to make a meal out of this target, but they somehow managed to do so. An incredible bowling effort combined with outstanding captaincy by young Ishan Kishan showed Delhi the exit doors in the most comprehensive way possible.

Unmukt Chand got a flurry of boundaries but his stay in the middle was way too short. Dhruv Shorey too failed to stick around for long and was dismissed by Anand Singh. Skipper Gautam Gambhir and Nitish Rana registered a crucial 33-run partnership here to consolidate Delhi’s position, but that was all temporary.

Gambhir and Himmat Singh were dismissed in a span of 13 balls and after that, there was another small partnership building. But once Nitish Rana got dismissed in the 29th over, the game turned on its head. They lost three more wickets immediately and Pawan Negi was the only accomplished batter left with over 50 runs to get and 2 wickets remaining.

Negi kept his cool and kept accumulating boundaries whenever there was one possible. He took the game till the final over and Navdeep Saini too stuck brilliantly at the other end. With just two balls remaining, Delhi managed to go past the target and registered one of the most sensational wins in Indian domestic knockout history.

Brief Scores

Jharkhand: 199 all out in 48.5 overs (Virat Singh 71; Navdeep Saini 4/30)

Delhi: 200/8 in 49.4 overs (Pawan Negi 39*, Nitish Rana 39; Anand Singh 3/39)

Player of the match: Navdeep Saini

Delhi won by 2 wickets.

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