The 2019 Vijay Hazare Trophy continued on Sunday (October 13) with a total of five matches being played on the day.
Maharashtra’s win over Himachal Pradesh in what was a close encounter was the highlight of the day, with Uttarakhand’s massive win over Sikkim another match that caught the eye.
The remaining matches were low scoring affairs. Let’s take a look at how the day’s action played out.
Maharashtra Edge HP
Azim Kazi produced a timely half century to guide Maharashtra to a thrilling three-wicket win over Himachal Pradesh in a Group B match.
After Maharashtra suffered a top-order batting collapse while chasing a modest 202, Azim scored 84 off 82 balls to take side past the finish line.
The top-four batsmen, including skipper Kedar Jadhav (1), departed for single digit scores, leaving the team reeling at 28 for four.
Azim and Naushad Shaikh (36) then stitched a 109-run partnership before the latter was trapped leg before by leg-spinner Priyanshu Khanduri.
Azim, who hit 10 fours and a six in his innings, departed next.
Nikhil Naik (32 not out) and Shamshuzama Kazi (21 not out) then took Maharashtra home with eight balls to spare at the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation Ground.
Arpit Guleria (2/24) was the pick of the bowlers for Himachal Pradesh.
Sikkim Suffer Big Loss
Medium pacer Sunny Rana returned with a career-best 5/26 as Uttarakhand bowlers bundled out Sikkim for just 52 to script a massive 253-run victory in their Plate Group fixture.
A target of 306 proved too big for the Sikkim batsmen who tumbled like a pack of cards to fold their innings in 21.1 overs with Rana being the wrecker-in-chief and was well-supported by Mayank Mishra (2/2) and Pradeep Chamoli (2/15).
Uttarakhand (26 points) jumped to the top of the Plate Group standings with a two-point lead over Pondicherry, who however have a match in hand.
Only two Sikkim batsmen – Ashish Thapa (16) and Plazor Tamang (15) – managed double-digit scores as Uttarakhand bowlers went on a rampage at the Kasiga School Cricket Ground.
Other Results
Orissa suffered a heavy loss in an Elite Group B encounter against Baroda, the latter emerging victorious by 9 wickets in a lopsided encounter.
Batting first, Orissa managed only 73 runs before being dismissed. Baroda lost opener Kedar Devdhar in the fourth over but got the required runs in 15 overs.
In the Plate Group, Arunachal Pradesh also suffered a heavy loss as they were beaten by Assam by a huge margin of 10 wickets.
Batting first, AP could put only 112 on the board. A half-century from Assam opener Pallavkumar Das and a patient 36 from Swarupam Purkayastha was enough to get the job done.
In another Plate Group encounter, Manipur registered a thrilling 9-run win over Mizoram despite only scoring 170 in the first innings.
Mizoram were on course for an easy win but slumped from 136-4 in the 43rd over to 151-8 in the 48th over and could only add another 10 runs in the remaining balls.