Vijay Hazare Trophy Highlights: Kohli and Pant Shine as Delhi Triumph
Exciting Matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
On December 26, thrilling performances marked the Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, showcasing remarkable individual achievements. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant both scored half-centuries for Delhi, while Dhruv Shorey of Vidarbha set a new record for the most consecutive centuries in List A cricket. Karnataka's Devdutt Padikkal and Karun Nair also made headlines with their centuries, alongside notable contributions from Sarfaraz Khan and Musheer Khan for Mumbai. Jharkhand's Shubham Kumar Singh claimed six wickets, and Uttar Pradesh's Rinku Singh scored a stunning 106 runs off just 60 balls.
In the match between Delhi and Gujarat held in Bengaluru, Delhi clinched a narrow 7-run victory. Batting first, Delhi managed to score 254 runs for 9 wickets in their allotted 50 overs, with Kohli leading the charge with a brisk 77 runs off 61 balls, supported by Pant's steady 70. Gujarat's Vishal Jayswal was impressive with the ball, taking 4 wickets for 42 runs.
Gujarat started strong, reaching 121 for 1, but a middle-order collapse saw them bowled out for 247 in 47.4 overs. Aarya Desai's 57 and Saurav Chauhan's 49 were not enough to secure victory. Prince Yadav's 3 wickets for 37 runs were crucial for Delhi, and Kohli was named Player of the Match, marking what is believed to be his last domestic game of the season.
In another match, Mumbai faced Uttarakhand at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, winning by 51 runs. Despite Rohit Sharma's early dismissal for a golden duck, Mumbai posted a formidable total of 331 for 7, thanks to half-centuries from Musheer Khan and Sarfaraz Khan, and a late surge from Hardik Tamore, who scored 93 not out. Uttarakhand's Yuvraj Chaudhary fought valiantly with 96 runs, but disciplined bowling from Mumbai restricted them to 280 for 9.
Uttar Pradesh dominated Chandigarh with a massive 227-run victory in Rajkot. Rinku Singh's explosive 106 not out and Aryan Juyal's 134 runs propelled Uttar Pradesh to 367 for 4. Chandigarh struggled in response, bowled out for just 140 runs, with Zeeshan Ansari taking 4 wickets.
Vidarbha also had a strong showing against Hyderabad, winning by 89 runs. Dhruv Shorey scored an unbeaten 109, equaling the record for consecutive List A centuries. Vidarbha set a total of 365 for 5, and despite a valiant 85 from Aelgani Varun Goud, Hyderabad fell short at 276 all out.
In a closely contested match, Madhya Pradesh edged out Tamil Nadu by 2 wickets. Tamil Nadu set a target of 280, with contributions from Sai Sudharsan and N Jagadeesan. Madhya Pradesh's Himanshu Mantri scored 90 runs, leading them to victory with just four balls remaining.
Karnataka secured an eight-wicket win over Kerala, chasing down 285 runs with ease, thanks to centuries from Devdutt Padikkal and Karun Nair. Jharkhand also triumphed over Rajasthan by 73 runs, with Shikhar Mohan's century leading the way.
Andhra defeated Railways by six wickets, while Punjab cruised to a nine-wicket victory against Chhattisgarh, highlighted by centuries from Harnoor Singh and Anmolpreet Singh. Maharashtra also secured an eight-wicket win over Sikkim, with Rajvardhan Hangargekar taking 4 wickets.
Baroda rounded off the day's action with a four-wicket victory over Bengal, led by Raj Limbani's five-wicket haul.