Alur, Jan 6: Skipper Rishabh Pant-led Delhi stormed into the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a round to spare after registering a thumping six-wicket win over Railways in their Elite Group D penultimate league match here on Tuesday.
Delhi’s bowlers laid the foundation before the batters completed a one-sided chase, as the table-toppers extended their strong run with their fifth win in six matches, sealing qualification for the knockouts for the first time in five years.After Railways elected to bat, Navdeep Saini and Ayush Badoni picked up three wickets apiece to bowl them out for 179 in 40.4 overs, with Delhi’s pacers setting the early tone.Veteran Ishant Sharma (1/5 in four overs) was outstanding with the new ball, while Harshit Rana (1/42) provided support as Railways slipped to 19 for 2 in six overs.Saini (3/30 in 5.4 overs) and off-spinner Badoni (3/30 in 10 overs) then ripped through the middle and lower order, reducing Railways to 99 for 6 in 23.2 overs.
Only Kush Marathe offered resistance with a patient 51 off 66 balls, while skipper Karn Sharma chipped in with 29, but Railways never recovered and their innings folded well before the allotted 50 overs.Chasing a modest 180, Delhi made light work of the target, racing to 182 for 4 in just 21.4 overs, with a staggering 170 balls to spare.Opener Priyansh Arya was the star of the chase, smashing a blistering 80 off 41 balls, studded with 12 fours and three sixes, to earn the Player-of-the-Match award.Arya put Railways’ attack to the sword and shared an explosive 109-run opening stand with Sarthak Ranjan (33), effectively settling the contest inside the first 13 overs.Pant, who had struck a rapid 67 against Services in the previous match, continued his rich vein of form, hammering 24 off just nine balls, including three sixes and a four, to finish the chase in a hurry.Nitish Rana remained unbeaten on 38 off 28 balls, ensuring there were no late hiccups as Delhi cruised home to remain firmly on top of the Group D table.
Delhi, who face Haryana in their last league fixture, are now poised to top the table heading into the last eight with their high net run-rate.
Axar slams 73
India all-rounder Axar Patel dished out a commanding show with the bat as Gujarat notched their third win from six matches with a crushing 233-run victory over Odisha.
Axar top-scored with a fluent 73 off 60 balls and then applied the brakes with a miserly bowling of 14 runs from his five overs as Gujarat piled up a daunting 333 for 6 before skittling Odisha out for 100 in 28.1 overs.
Batting first, Gujarat built a formidable total with openers Aarya Desai (54) and Urvil Patel (64) providing a solid platform, while Ahaan Poddar made a composed 64 off 76 balls. (PTI)
