In the opening game of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Services knocked out Vidarbha in a thrilling finish in the pre-quarter final stage. Here are the highlights of the day:
SSCB v Vidarbha: Services claimed a one-wicket win over Vidarbha in a nail-biting last-ball finish in Kolkata. Chasing 283, SSCB were propelled to victory by Rajat Paliwal's century. After being reduced to 29 for three, Paliwal rescued the Services' innings with a crucial knock and was ably supported by Yashpal Singh. While Paliwal smashed a 99-ball 112, Yashpal scored a 100-ball 81 to keep the team in the fray. The pair took the team to 224, before Yashpal was bowled by Ravi Jangid. And two balls later, the bowler accounted for Paliwal, thus dealing a critical double-blow.
However, A R Sinha then held up one end and helped achieve the target with a 21-ball 20.
Earlier, electing to bat first, skipper S U Shrivastava took Vidarbha to 283 with an 84 not-out. Urvesh Patel's 59-run contribution in the middle order was also significant in setting Services a competitive target in the first match of the knockout phase.
Baroda vs Railways: Pacers bowled Railways to a thumping 93-run win over Baroda to book a place in the quarter-finals. Defending 230, Railways medium pacers ran through the Baroda line-up in 43.3 overs. Anureet Singh struck in the first over to send back S Wakaskar without a run on the board. K Upadhyay and Amit Mishra then left the opposition struggling on 45 for four with the likes of Kedar Devdhar, Aditya Waghmode and power-hitter Ambati Rayudu back in the pavilion. While Irfan Pathan made a fighting 73-ball 38, the rest of the line-up caved in to the Railways attack. Mishra picked three wickets, while Upadhyay and Chanderpal Saini took two each. Ashish Yadav took one, while Karn Sharma accounted for the key wicket of Yusuf Pathan to help bowl Baroda out for 137.
Earlier, after opting to bat first at the Eden Gardens in the day/night encounter, Railways posted 230 for nine, despite reeling on 20 for two at one stage. Amit Paunikar's 42 at the top of the order and C Saini's unbeaten 45 helped their team to a competitive score on the first day of the knockout stage.
