Bengaluru, (UNI) Virat Kohli’s commanding 77 and a crucial late burst from Delhi’s bowlers helped the capital side edge past Gujarat by seven runs in a tense Elite Group D encounter of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Centre of Excellence here on Friday.
Batting first, Delhi posted a competitive 254 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs after being put in. Kohli anchored the innings with a fluent 77, striking the ball cleanly and rotating the strike effectively, while Rishabh Pant chipped in with a measured 70 to steady the middle order after early setbacks.
Gujarat’s bowlers, led by left-arm spinner Vishal Jayswal, who claimed three wickets, kept Delhi from accelerating fully in the closing stages.
In reply, Gujarat fought hard in their chase of 255 and were well placed at one stage before a dramatic collapse tilted the match. From 213 for 6, Gujarat lost wickets in quick succession as pressure mounted, eventually being bowled out for 247 in 47.4 overs.
The final over saw Delhi complete a remarkable turnaround, with Kohli himself sealing the contest by taking a sharp catch at cover to dismiss Ravi Bishnoi.
Kohli was named Player of the Match for his decisive contribution with the bat and his involvement in the closing moments of the game. The victory marked Delhi’s second win in as many matches, strengthening their position in Group D.
Elsewhere, Karnataka continued their strong run with a second straight win as Devdutt Padikkal and Karun Nair struck commanding centuries to chase down a target of 285 with ease, getting home with more than two overs to spare.
Padikkal’s second successive hundred underlined his rich vein of form, while Nair remained unbeaten on 129.
Uttar Pradesh recorded a massive 228-run win over Chandigarh, powered by an explosive unbeaten 106 off 60 balls from Rinku Singh, which lifted UP to 367 for 4. Chandigarh were then bundled out for 140, with leg-spinners Zeeshan Ansari and Vipraj Nigam sharing six wickets.
Mumbai registered a comfortable 51-run win against Uttarakhand after posting 331, thanks to an unbeaten 93 from wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore and solid contributions from Sarfaraz Khan and Musheer Khan. Uttarakhand’s chase faltered despite a fighting 96 from Yuvraj Choudhary.
Haryana dominated Saurashtra as Yashvardhan Dalal smashed an unbeaten 164 to guide his side to a six-wicket win with 11 overs to spare after Saurashtra collapsed to 253 from a strong position.
Baroda made it two wins in two matches as captain Krunal Pandya starred with both bat and ball, taking three wickets to restrict Bengal to 205 before scoring a measured 57 in a comfortable chase.
Vidarbha opened their account with a convincing win over Hyderabad, posting 365 for 5 courtesy a century from Dhruv Shorey, before bowling Hyderabad out cheaply. Shorey’s knock marked his fifth consecutive List A hundred, equalling the record for most successive centuries in the format.
Punjab cruised to a nine-wicket victory over Chhattisgarh on the back of centuries from Harnoor Pannu and Anmolpreet Singh, while Maharashtra bounced back strongly to defeat Sikkim after Rajvardhan Hangargekar’s four-wicket haul and a brisk half-century from Prithvi Shaw.
Tripura also notched up their first win of the season, defeating Puducherry by seven wickets, with Swapnil Singh starring with a three-wicket haul.
The tournament continues to gather momentum as teams push for early dominance in their respective groups.
Kohli, Rinku shine in Vijay Hazare Round 2
