Rohtak, Oct 14 Himanshu Rana and Dheeru Singh held their nerve as Haryana defeated Himachal Pradesh by seven wickets on the final day of their Group D Ranji Trophy match at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.
Resuming their second innings at 26 for three on the fourth day, Haryana chased down the 71-run target in 18.1 overs, with Rana scoring 37 and Singh remaining unbeaten on 24. The duo added 51 runs off 63 balls to ensure there were no further hiccups as Haryana secured six points.
Both batters had managed only single-digit scores in the first innings but stepped up when it mattered, guiding the hosts to victory after Himachal Pradesh had briefly raised hopes by taking three quick wickets on the third day.
Haryana had taken a 43-run first-innings lead after scoring 296 in reply to Himachal Pradesh’s 253. Ankit Rajesh Kumar (59), Yashvardhan Dalal (72) and Kanishk Chouhan (50) scored half-centuries for the hosts.
Haryana then bowled out Himachal Pradesh for 113 in the second innings to set up the modest chase.
Anshul Kamboj was the pick of Haryana’s bowlers, returning figures of 4/56 and 2/18 across the two innings. Parth Vats claimed three wickets for 22 runs, while Kanishk Chouhan and Aman Kumar took two wickets each.
In another Group D match, Rajasthan earned three points against Tamil Nadu after their contest ended in a draw at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.
Rajasthan, who had taken a lead of 89 runs in the first innings, had bowled out Tamil Nadu for 274 after posting 363.
Rajasthan, resuming at 81 for four, had declared their second innings at 192 for six, setting a target of 282 on the final day. Mahipal Lomror made 84.
Tamil Nadu were 73 for no loss when the match was called off.
At the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, visitors Uttarakhand walked away with three points in their drawn match against Railways.
Railways had conceded a massive first-innings lead of 192 runs and reached 272 for four after resuming at 34 for no loss.
Suraj Ahuja (53), Vivek Singh (58), Eshaan Goyal (53), and Bhargav Merai (51 not out) led the reply for Railways.
The 42-time Ranji Trophy winners Mumbai are atop the Group D points table after their massive win with a bonus point against Chandigarh inside three days. Mumbai have seven points, followed by Haryana with six points, and Uttarakhand with three.
Brief scores:
In Rohtak: Himachal Pradesh 253 and 113 lost to Haryana 296 and 74/3 in 18.1 overs (Himanshu Rana 37, Dheeru Singh 24; Arpit Guleria 2/36) by seven wickets.
In Jaipur: Rajasthan 363 and 192/6 decl. in 34 overs (Mahipal Lomror 84; R Sai Kishore 3/50) drew with Tamil Nadu 274 and 73/0 in 23 overs (Sai Sudharsan 26 not out, N Jagadeesan 42 not out). Points: Rajasthan 3, Tamil Nadu 1.
In Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium): Uttarakhand 470 drew with Railways 278 and 272/4 in 86 overs (Suraj Ahuja 53, Vivek Singh 58, Eshaan Goyal 53, Bhargav Merai 51 not out; Devendra Bora 2/60). Points: Uttarakhand 3, Railways 1.
(PTI News)
