Rajkot, First Published Dec 11, 2021, 3:40 PM IST
Rajkot: In the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22, Kerala (Kerala vs Maharashtra) chase down a 292-run target against Maharashtra. Kerala were 159 for six in 31 overs. Vishnu Vinod (35) and Sijomon Joseph (11) were at the crease.
Sanju did not accept the fight
In reply, Kerala lost in the opening over. Mohammad Azharuddin (2) was run out by Rahul Tripathi in the first ball of the second over. Later, Rohan Kunnummal returned with five runs. Sachin Baby could not open an account. Vatsal’s fight ended in 18 runs. Jalaj Saxena along with Captain Sanju Samson tried to rescue him but it did not last long. Sanju’s 42 off 35 balls and Saxena’s 44 off 54 balls helped Maharashtra win the toss and elect to bat.
Earlier, Maharashtra Gaikwad (124) and Rahul Tripathi (99) put on 291 for the loss of eight wickets in 50 overs. Nidheesh MD took five wickets for 49 runs in 10 overs to stop Maharashtra from crossing the 300 mark.
Sanju’s decision was right, then what happened
Kerala captain Sanju Samson won the toss and elected to field. But then the Ruthuraj Gaikwad-Rahul Tripathi duo took over the match for the third wicket. At the start of the innings, Maharashtra lost two wickets for 22 runs. In the first ball of the third over, Thampi bowled Yash Nahar (2) to Vishnu Vinod. In the sixth over, Nidheesh MD bowled Ankit Bowne (9) to Sanju.
Gaikwad-Tripathi Show
However, the Gaikwad-Tripathi duo put on 195 for the third wicket to put Maharashtra on a winning streak. Though Tripathi surrendered to Nidheesh with 99 off 108 balls, Gaikwad once again underscored his dream form with a hat-trick century in the tournament. When Tripathi was dismissed, Maharashtra scored 217 in 39.4 overs. Noushad Sheikh (5), who reached the crease in the fifth over, also took wickets for Nidheesh.
Nidheesh MD took five wickets
But the rock-solid Gaekwad confidently led the team to a great score. In the first ball of the 46th over, Vishweshar Suresh was dismissed for 124 off 249.129 balls with nine fours and three sixes. In the last overs, Kerala managed to stop Maharashtra from batting. Nidheesh finished with five wickets for Swapnil (14) and Sop (5) before dismissing Kazi (20). Palkar (4 *) and Chaudhary (1 *) were not out.
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Last Updated Dec 11, 2021, 3:53 PM IST
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