Vijay Hazare Trophy, Day 4 - Round Up

Ishan Kishan slammed an impressive ton to help Jharkhand to a win against Services.

Published - 08 Feb 2018, 21:13 IST | Updated - 08 Feb 2018, 21:13 IST

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The fourth day of the Vijay Hazare Trophy witnessed some exciting encounters and after two matches each, the tournament is looking more exciting as it soon heads to the knockout stages. Except for the Vidarbha Team, who have registered three wins at the trot, all teams are looking evenly matched with either two wins and a loss or vice-versa. Eighteen teams battled on the given day which proved to be a crackerjack of a contest.

The day started with the Group C game between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Priyank Panchal, the Gujarat skipper won the toss and elected to bat first. On the morning wicket, openers provided an overwhelming start putting 116 runs together for the first wicket. Both the openers went on to score the fifties with the middle-order batsman Rujul Bhatt providing stability backend, Gujarat managed to put up 248 runs on the board. In reply, MP chased the target quite comfortably reaching five overs before their quota.

A low scoring game between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu went all down to the wire. Tamil Nadu posted mere 183 runs on the board with superlative innings from the experienced campaigner Ravichandran Ashwin who score 41 runs off 77 deliveries. In reply, Mumbai lost wicket upfront, losing man-in-form Prithvi Shaw and Siddhesh Lad for just 9 and 10 respectively. Few cameos in the lower middle order ensured them a two-wicket win over TN.

The third game between Punjab and Odisha witnessed a new skipper in form of Mandeep Singh as veteran batsman Yuvraj Singh didn’t participate in today’s encounter. Batting first, Punjab posted a fighting total of 225 runs on the board, on a wicket which wasn’t helping the batsman. Middle-order batsman Gurkeerat Singh scored a dazzling hundred. In reply, wickets kept tumbling for Odisha as they were bowled out for just 139 runs on the board.

The game between Vidarbha and Hyderabad was a one-way traffic in favor of Vidarbha who clinched their third victory and now are table toppers with 12 points and handsome run rate. Opting to bat first, Vidraba scored 350 runs in their quota of 50 overs with skipper Faiz Fazal leading from the front. In reply, Hyderabad was bowled out for 113 runs after a scintillating bowling effort.

A close fought contest between JK and Saurashtra went to the last over and at the end, it was J&K who held their nerves and won the all-important match. Asking Saurashtra to bat first, J&K bowlers restricted them to 267 runs with Vasavada being the highest run-scorer for Saurashtra. In reply, J&K got the all-important partnership and rotated the strike which eventually helped them to win with an over left.

Goa once again looked charged up after a stupendous performance in the last encounter. They register yet another victory against Rajasthan who looks a formidable side in the limited overs encounter. Rajasthan posted a challenging total on the board, scoring 266 runs with no one really converting the starts into big scores. In reply, Goa lost wickets right at the start, but fortunately for them, the middle-order kept the much-needed momentum.

Jharkhand Team finally opened their account after two humiliating losses in the group stage. Playing against Services, Jharkhand’s players were right on top and didn’t let any batsman get going which eventually helped them to restrict at 202 runs. In reply, Jharkhand chased the total comfortably with 19 overs in hand. The skipper Ishan Kishan played a magnificent knock, scoring 106 runs off just 75 balls.

The Group A encounter between Karnataka and Assam fell in favor of Karnataka who won the match comprehensively. Being asked to bat first, Karnataka posted 303 runs on the board putting the opposition under pressure. Assam batsmen struggled to put the right foot forward and were all out for just 192 runs, with Sibsankar Roy being the highest scorer.

Baroda Team produced a delightful performance after the loss suffered in the last game. Batting first, Baroda posted 250 runs on the board with small contributions from almost everyone. In reply, Haryana team struggled to repeat they’re good stint and were all out for one short of 200. Rohilla being the top performer for them.