Taking it ball by ball: Abhimanyu slowly but steadily kept the runs flowing.
| Photo Credit: K.V.S GIRI
Having made light work of Services in its Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy opener, Urvil Patel and Gujarat were in high spirits. However, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Friday, they met their match in a spirited Bengal.
Saksham Chaudhary went for the jugular, removing the explosive Urvil and Umang Rohitkumar in the fourth over, after which wickets fell at regular intervals. Pradipta Pramanik headlined a disciplined effort in the field; his diving effort at deep square leg stunned Abhishek Desai, getting the handful of fans who trickled in whistling in delight.
In a sedate chase, Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran slowly but steadily kept the runs flowing. By the time he fell, courtesy Saurav Chauhav’s single-handed catch at cover, Bengal was on course to victory, which was achieved with seven balls to spare.
Electing to bowl, Baroda tested Pondicherry from the get-go, with the latter losing four wickets by the end of the fourth over.
A rescue act by Jayant Yadav and Aman Khan saved the day. Aman was particularly devastating with a 40-ball 72, his schooling of Krunal Pandya, who conceded 31 runs in 15 balls, a case in point.
Baroda, chasing 170, stumbled early, losing three wickets, but Shivalik Sharma and Atit Seth’s 73-run stand (48 balls) put the side back in the contest. However, when the pair fell in the space of eight balls, Baroda crumbled, handing Pondicherry a 17-run win.
At the Gymkhana Ground, Himachal Pradesh breezed past Services. Mridul Surroch’s unbeaten 75 (35b, 6×4, 5×6) set up a competitive 200-run target. Services struggled, Vineet Dhankhar and Vikas Hathwala’s 42-run partnership only delaying the inevitable. Vaibhav Arora and Arpit Guleria bagged three wickets each to give Himachal Pradesh an 83-run victory.
Haryana and Punjab, meanwhile, went toe-to-toe at the venue earlier. Ankit Kumar and Nishant Sindhu’s half-centuries powered Haryana to 207/9. Punjab rode on Anmolpreet Singh’s effort (81, 37b, 8×4, 5×6) to finish on 207/6.
In the Super Over, Punjab managed to score just one run and Haryana got over the line with a boundary off the first ball.
Published – November 28, 2025 10:44 pm IST
