Bengaluru, Dec 31 (IANS) Delhi suffered a crushing 79-run defeat at the hands of Odisha in their 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group D game at the Alur Cricket Ground on Wednesday, while Saurashtra, Railways, and Haryana also registered huge wins in their matches in the same group.
Delhi skipper and India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant's indifferent form continued as he managed just 24 off 28 balls, as the side’s vaunted batting lineup crumbled to 193 all out in 43.3 overs while chasing a modest 273. For Odisha, pacer Debabrata Pradhan claimed 3-28, while fellow seamer Sambit Baral also grabbed three wickets for 34.
Biplab Samantray's 72 off 74 balls anchored Odisha's innings after they lost three wickets before reaching 100. Valuable lower-order contributions frustrated Delhi's attack, despite off-spinner Hrithik Shokeen returning impressive figures of 4-27 in 10 overs.
Delhi's top order disintegrated early, losing openers Priyansh Arya and Sarthak Ranjan on single-digit scores to slip to 6/2. Pant's dismissal in the 11th over left them reeling at 50/3, which quickly became 55/5. Harsh Tyagi (43) and Shokeen (32) delayed the inevitable with some resistance, but Delhi eventually succumbed to their first loss of the competition.
Meanwhile, Saurashtra secured a comfortable 74-run victory over Andhra, with Player of the Match Ankur Panwar's five-wicket haul proving to be decisive. Batting first, Saurashtra posted 254/7 in their 50 overs. Ruchit Ahir top-scored with a brisk 76 off 54 balls, striking seven fours and two sixes.
Chirag Jani contributed a steady 69 off 96 deliveries, while Harvik Desai chipped in with 61 off 81 balls. For Andhra, Satyanarayana Raju claimed 3-45 runs in his 10 overs, with K S Raju picking up two. In reply, Andhra's batting collapsed as they were bowled out for 180 in 47.2 overs.
Panwar wreaked havoc with figures of 5-27 in 10 overs, including two maidens, to dismantle the Andhra lineup. C. R. Nageshwar top-scored with 33, while Nithish Kumar Reddy, K. S. Raju, and M. Hemanth Reddy contributed 30, 30, and 29, respectively, but none could play a substantial knock. Chirag Jani, Hiten Kanbi, Parth Bhut, and Sammar Gajjar claimed a wicket each.
Brief scores:
Odisha 272/8 in 50 overs (Biplab Samantray 72; Hrithik Shokeen 4-27) beat Delhi 193 all out in 42.3 overs (Harsh Tyagi 43; Debabrata Pradhan 3-28) by 79 runs
Saurashtra 254/7 in 50 overs (Ruchit Ahir 76; Satyanarayana Raju 3-45) beat Andhra 180 all out in 47.2 overs (CR Gnaneshwar 33; Ankur Panwar 5-27) by 74 runs
Gujarat 283 all out in 47.4 overs (Jaymeet Patel 75; Raj Choudhary 3-57) lost to Railways 287/6 in 48 overs (Sahab Yuvraj 91 not out; Chintan Gaja 2-35) by four wickets
Services 271/8 in 50 overs (Irfan Ali 103 not out; Anshul Kamboj 4-43) lost to Haryana 275/3 in 43.1 overs (Ankit Kumar 144 not out; Nitin Yadav 2/35) by seven wickets
--IANS
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