Vidarbha qualify for quarters, Baroda miss out on NRR in Vijay Hazare

Rajkot, Jan 8 (PTI) Strong fifties from Atharva Taide and Ravikumar Samarth powered Vidarbha into the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a thumping 160-run win over Assam here on Thursday.

Vidarbha became the second team to qualify, finish at 20 points behind Uttar Pradesh (28), who had booked the berth after the penultimate match.

Locked in a three-way tie with Bengal and Baroda for the remaining knockout spot, Vidarbha needed a big win and delivered emphatically.

Vidarbha posted a competitive 308 for 7 before bowling out Assam for 148 in 35 overs, despite a fighting unbeaten 80 from skipper Sumit Ghadigaonkar.

Taide (80) and Dhruv Shorey (40) added 98 for the second wicket after the early dismissal of Aman Mokhade, setting the platform. After Shorey fell, Taide stitched a 40-run stand with Samarth before Vidarbha slipped to 152 for 5.

Samarth then anchored the innings with an unbeaten 76-ball knock, receiving support from Yash Kadam (41) and Nachiket Bhute (33). Akash Sengupta endured a torrid outing, conceding 77 runs in his 10 overs despite picking up three wickets.

In reply, Assam were never in contention, sliding to 77 for 5 in the 20th over.

Apart from Ghadigaonkar, only opener Swarupam Purkayastha (25) and Sengupta (11) reached double figures.

For Vidarbha, Parth Rekhade starred with the ball, returning figures of 4 for 45.

Baroda maul Chandigarh but miss knockout on NRR ================================= Baroda suffered a heartbreak despite registering a dominant 149-run victory over Chandigarh, missing out on a quarterfinal berth on net run rate.

Baroda piled up a mammoth 391 all out in 49.1 overs, courtesy a blistering batting display that featured 34 fours and 14 sixes. Priyanshu Moliya top-scored with a 106-ball 113, while Hardik Pandya smashed a brutal 31-ball 75, including nine sixes. Jitesh Sharma returned to form with a rapid 33-ball 73 and Vishnu Solanki chipped in with 54 off 49 balls.

In response, Chandigarh were bowled out for 242 despite Shivam Bhambri’s resolute 95-ball century. They slumped early to 43 for 3 and later lost three wickets in six balls across the 35th and 36th overs to completely lose the plot.

Dhruv Jurel blows away Bengal ==================== In another match, Dhruv Jurel struck his second century of the tournament as Uttar Pradesh knocked out Bengal with a five-wicket win.

Bengal were bowled out for 269 in 45.1 overs, with Sudip Kumar Gharami (94) and Shahbaz Ahmed (43) doing the bulk of the scoring.

Jurel then led the chase with a commanding 123 off 96 balls, laced with nine fours and five sixes. Opener Aryan Juyel made 56, while skipper Rinku Singh stayed unbeaten on 37 as Uttar Pradesh cruised to 272 for 5 in 42.2 overs.

Jurel has now crossed fifty in six of his seven innings, including two centuries. Uttar Pradesh finished the league stage unbeaten with seven wins from seven matches.

Brief Scores: Vidarbha 308 for 7 in 50 overs (Atharva Taide 80, Ravikumar Samarth 76 not out, Yash Kadam 41; Akash Sengupta 3/77) beat Assam 148 all out in 35 overs (Sumit Ghadigaonkar 80 not out; Parth Rekhade 4/45) by 160 runs Baroda 391 all out in 49.1 overs (Priyanshu Moliya 113, Hardik Pandya 75, Jitesh Sharma 73, Vishnu Solanki 54) beat Chandigarh 242 all out (Shivam Bhambri 100) by 149 runs.

Bengal 269 all out in 45.1 overs (Sudip Kumar Gharami 94, Shahbaz Ahmed 43) lost to Uttar Pradesh 272 for 5 in 42.2 overs (Dhruv Jurel 123, Aryan Juyal 56, Rinku Singh 37 not out) by five wickets. PTI ATK AM ATK AM AM AM