Hazare Trophy | Delhi takes top spot after whipping Railways

Delhi whipped Railways by six wickets at the Alur (2) grounds here on Tuesday to grab the top spot in Elite Group ‘D’ of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. 

After electing to bat, Railways crumbled to 179. Delhi fast bowler Navdeep Saini emerged as the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, supported well by spinner Ayush Badoni (3/30). 

Delhi made quick work of the chase, getting the job done in 21.4 overs. Opener Priyansh Arya smacked a 41-ball 80, while Sarthak Ranjan (33) and Nitish Rana (38 n.o.) chipped in with useful knocks. Captain Rishabh Pant, batting at four, made an entertaining 9-ball 24. 

Delhi (20 points) moved two points clear of nearest rival Haryana, which was held to a tie by Andhra. Himanshu Rana (112, 91b, 11×4, 1×6) shone for Haryana, but Andhra fought back through a valiant effort from C. Gnaneshwar (142 n.o., 141b, 15×4, 2×6). 

Saurashtra (16 points) stayed in contention for a knockout spot with a comfortable 111-run win over Services at Alur (1). Harvik Desai (110, 114b, 9×4, 4×6) recorded his second century of the tournament, batting well in the company of fellow opener V. Jadeja (71) and number three Prerak Mankad (53). 

Ruchit Ahir’s unbeaten 18-ball 37 pushed Saurashtra to a commanding 349 for five. The Services top-order of Harsh Wardhan (41), D. Vineet (38) and Rajat Paliwal (44) made handy contributions, but it was not enough to prevent a fourth win for Saurashtra in six outings. 

At the BCCI CoE (3) ground, fast bowler Chintan Gaja (6/31) starred in Gujarat’s 233-run victory over Odisha.

Delhi takes on Haryana in the last group stage outing on Thursday, in a game that will decide the group topper. 

Saurashtra faces a must-win game against Gujarat to keep its hopes alive of a last-eight berth.