Rishabh Pant's 67* leads Delhi to top; Axar Patel strikes maiden List A century for Gujarat
India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant overcame patchy form to strike an unbeaten half-century as Delhi thrashed Services by eight wickets in a dominant display that saw them return to the top of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Group D table. Meanwhile, India all-rounder Axar Patel struck his maiden List A century (130 off 111 balls) as Gujarat defeated Andhra by seven runs in a thrilling encounter.
Pant’s 67 not out powers Delhi to emphatic win
Delhi rode on opener Priyansh Arya’s explosive 72 not out off 45 balls and Pant’s blistering 67 not out off 37 balls to overhaul Services’ meagre total of 178 all out in just 19.4 overs. The emphatic victory drastically improved Delhi’s net run rate (NRR), which had taken a battering following their crushing defeat to Odisha in the previous round.
Delhi are now back on top of the table with 16 points and a healthy NRR of 0.803, followed by Haryana (16 points, 0.460). Odisha, Railways, and Saurashtra are on 12 points each, while Gujarat have eight points.
This was Pant’s second half-century in five games and came after two below-par performances with the bat. The timely knock arrived on the same day Pant was named in India’s squad for the three-match ODI series against New Zealand starting on January 11.
With his free-flowing stroke-making, Pant struck four boundaries and six sixes at a strike rate of 181, while Arya matched his captain by smashing nine boundaries and three sixes.
Delhi bowlers dismantle Services
Earlier, India pacer Harshit Rana (4/47) and upcoming right-arm quick Prince Yadav (3/28) proved more than a handful for a weak Services batting lineup. Veteran pace bowler Ishant Sharma (1/16) also chipped in with a wicket as Services folded up in 42.5 overs after being reduced to 82 for 5 in the 26th over.
Delhi opener Priyansh Arya absorbed the early shock of losing opener Sarthak Ranjan for 4 by stitching together a 93-run stand with Nitish Rana (32 off 33 balls). He then shared an unbeaten 85-run partnership with Pant to complete the formalities even before the 20-over mark.
Axar Patel’s maiden List A century guides Gujarat
Leading India all-rounder Axar Patel struck his maiden List A century (130 off 111 balls) as Gujarat defeated Andhra by seven runs in a nail-biting finish at Alur.
Patel, playing his first Vijay Hazare match this season following the T20I series against South Africa, stabilized the innings when his team was struggling at 99 for 5. He struck 10 boundaries and five sixes and shared a crucial 142-run stand with Vishal Jayswal (70 off 60 balls) for the sixth wicket as Gujarat posted a sizeable 318 for 9.
In response, Andhra made a strong chase with CR Gnaneshwar scoring 102 and SD Prasad contributing 48 not out, but fell just short at 311 for 7, thanks to Ravi Bishnoi’s 3/64 and Axar’s 2/27 with the ball.
Haryana ace stiff chase; Saurashtra beat Railways
Haryana, riding on young Parth Vats’ superb all-round display (3/60 and 157 not out), aced a stiff 306-run chase against Odisha with eight balls to spare.
The 21-year-old Vats, who made his Ranji Trophy debut this season, struck his first List A century in style by smashing 13 fours and five sixes. The left-arm spinner first grabbed three wickets to restrict Odisha to 305 for 9 before batting with gumption when Haryana had lost three wickets for just 14 runs.
In another Group D match, Saurashtra defeated Railways by 31 runs after posting 294 for 8, with Sammar Gajjar scoring 147. Railways were bowled out for 263 despite Upendra Yadav’s 86 and Ashutosh Sharma’s 65.