Ranchi, Nov 23 (Cricket News) A blistering 117 off 94 balls by Sarafaraz Khan and captain Ajinkya Rahane's 88 helped Mumbai beat Railways in a Group E match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament and secure a spot in the knockout phase, here on Wednesday.
Mumbai's thrilling win also sent Bengal out of contention for the knockout phase. Rahane's men advanced to the knock-outs on the basis of better net run-rate. Maharashtra thumped Puducherry by 105 runs in another match to remain unbeaten and on top of the group with 24 points from six games.
Railways won the toss and put up a massive 337 for 5 in 50 overs thanks to Pratham Singh's 109 (108 balls, 8 fours, 6 sixes) and Mohammad Saif's 92 (77 balls, 7 fours, 2 sixes).
Despite losing opener Shivam Chaudhary (6) in the fourth over, Vivek Singh (47) and Pratham Singh kept the scoreboard ticking. While Vivek Singh played second fiddle in the 102-run partnership, Pratham was in an aggressive mood and did not hesitate to take the aerial route as his six maximums showed.
After the exit of Vivek Singh, Saif and Pratham put on 140 runs in less than 20 overs, taking advantage of some poor bowling by the Mumbai attack.
Though the exit of Pratham and Saif subsequently put a brake on the scoring, Railways took the score to 337.
In reply, Prthivi Shaw (51, 47 balls, 8 fours), as is his wont, went on the attack mode from the word go. After the loss of opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal (4), Shaw forged a 58-run stand with Armaan Jaffer (30) for the second wicket to provide the momentum in the big chase.
Shaw fell to Karn Sharma (1/77) and this brought Rahane and Sarfaraz Khan together. The duo combined for a 152-run partnership in quick time. Both went on the attack and hit boundaries to maintain the momentum.
After Rahane was bowled by Susheel Kumar 12 short of a ton, Khan continued to find the gaps and boundaries. Shams Mulani (46 not out, 31 balls) proved to be an able ally for Sarfaraz Khan and the duo took the team close to victory before the centurion was dismissed by Himanshu Sangwan (1/60).
Mulani took Mumbai home in the company of Hardik Tamore (1 not out).
In the match between Maharashtra and Puducherry, the former rode on captain Ankit Bawane's quickfire 184 not out (143 balls, 28 fours, 4 sixes) and half-centuries by Azim Kazi (88) and Rahul Tripathi (61) to power their way to 379 for 7 in 50 overs.
Puducherry made a poor start, losing opener R Ragupathy (0) in the first over but Ankit Sharma (107 not out, 103 balls, 9 fours, 3 sixes) and Paras Dogra (62) kept the team in the hunt.
In the end, Puducherry fell short by 105 runs.
While Maharashtra qualified for the quarterfinals directly by topping the group, Mumbai will play the pre-quarterfinals after finishing second with 16 points from six matches (4 wins and two losses).
Bengal also secured 16 points following four wins and two defeats but lost out on the net run rate (1.058 to Mumbai's 1.388).
Brief Scores: Maharashtra 379 for 7 in 50 overs (Ankit Bawane 184 not out, Azim Kazi 88, Rahul Tripathi 61) beat Puducherry 274 for 7 in 50 overs (Ankit Sharma 107 not out, Paras Dogra 62) by 105 runs. Maharashtra: 4 points, Puducherry: 0.
Railways 337 for 5 in 50 overs (Pratham Singh 109, Mohd Saif 92, Vivek Singh 47) lost to Mumbai 338 for 5 in 48.3 overs (Sarfaraz Khan 117, Ajinkya Rahane 51, Shams Mulani 46 not out, Susheel Kumar 3/53) by five wickets. Mumbai: 4 points, Railways: 0.
Services 318 for 6 in 50 overs (Shubham Rohilla 99, Ravi Chauhan 60, Arjun Sharma 53, Anshul Gupta 34, Devender Lochab 33) beat Mizoram 197 for 8 in 50 overs (Taruwar Kohli 89, Vikash Kumar 32 not out, Nitin Yadav 2 /14) by 121 runs. Services: 4 points, Mizoram: 0.
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News Source : PTI
