Vadodara, Jan 18: Dhruv Shorey’s third consecutive hundred went in vain as Karnataka rode on unfancied Smaran Ravichandran’s stylish ton to win their fifth Vijay Hazare Trophy title, defeating Vidarbha by 36 runs in a high-scoring final here on Saturday.
Karnataka has an unprecedented record of reaching five finals and winning all of them.
Left-handed Smaran smashed 101 off just 92 deliveries, while the unheralded keeper-batter Krishnan Srijith chipped in with a plucky 78. T20 star Abhinav Manohar provided the final flourish with a blistering 79, propelling the Karnataka to a commanding total of 348 for 6 in 50 overs.
In reply, Vidarbha, which had reached the final without losing a single game in the group stage, paid the price for most of their batters outside the top three failing to get significant time at the crease.
However, all-rounder Harsh Dubey’s explosive 63 off 30 balls gave the winners a scare before Vidarbha were all out for 312. (PTI)
