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Baba Indrajith’s ton powers Tamil Nadu to Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-finals – Times of India



NEW DELHI: Experienced batsman Baba Indrajith showcased his prowess with a splendid century, complemented by the noteworthy contribution of another seasoned player, Vijay Shankar, who secured a half-century, propelled Tamil Nadu to a convincing seven-wicket triumph over Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-final on Monday.
With this victory, Tamil Nadu have secured a spot in the semi-finals, where they will face Haryana. Haryana earned their place in the semis by comfortably defeating Bengal by four wickets in another quarter-final encounter.
The second semi-final will witness a clash between the formidable Karnataka and the spirited Rajasthan teams. Karnataka advanced to the semi-finals by overcoming Vidarbha with a seven-wicket win in a straight-forward chase.
On the other hand, Rajasthan emerged as the only team to successfully defend their total, dominating Kerala with a convincing 200-run victory in another quarter-final clash.
Easy for Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu’s experienced spin duo, R Sai Kishore (3/51) and IPL specialist Varun Chakravarthy (3/37), played a pivotal role in restricting Mumbai to a modest total of 227 in just 48.3 overs.
Despite efforts from Prasad Pawar (59) and Shivam Dube (45), who forged an 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket, the TN slow bowlers orchestrated a collapse by claiming six wickets for 53 runs in quick succession. Former India skipper Ajinkya Rahane (1) faced another setback.
After reaching 174 for 4 in the 35th over, Mumbai lost momentum, with left-arm spinner M Siddharth and part-timer Baba Aparajith also chipping in with two wickets each.
In response, Tamil Nadu displayed composure throughout the chase. Despite a slight hiccup at 103 for 3, the experienced pair of Baba Indrajith (103 not out off 98 balls) and Vijay Shankar (51 not out off 58 balls) came together, adding an impressive 126 runs in less than 20 overs to comfortably achieve the target.
While Indrajith hit 11 fours, Vijay’s innings had eight fours and a six.
Brief Scores: Mumbai: 227 all out in 48.3 overs (Prasad Pawar 59, Shivam Dube 45; Varun Chakravarthy 3/37, R Sai Kishore 3/51) lost to Tamil Nadu: 229 for 3 in 43.2 overs (Baba Indrajith 103 not out, Vijay Shankar 51 not out, Baba Aparajith 45) by 7 wickets.
Yuzvendra Chahal too hot to handle
Despite being overlooked for the national T20 squad, veteran Chahal showcased his prowess by delivering a match-winning performance with figures of 4/37 as Haryana secured a spot in the semi-finals, defeating Bengal by four wickets.
Bengal posted a total of 225 all out in 50 overs, with Shahbaz Ahmed’s outstanding century being the highlight, featuring four sixes and an equal number of boundaries.
The rest of the batting struggled, with the second-highest score being 24 by keeper-opener Abhishek Porel. Shahbaz’s partnerships with Pradipta Pramanik (21) and Suman Das (7) were crucial in propelling Bengal past the 200-run mark.
Chahal’s bowling was exceptional, with his wrong ‘uns proving particularly challenging for the Bengal batters.
In the chase, Haryana faced an early setback at 14 for 2 within the first five overs. However, Ankit Kumar’s brilliant knock of 102 off 102 balls, coupled with Ashok Menaria’s contribution of 39, forged a crucial 126-run partnership for the third wicket, steering the team back on course.
Rahul Tewatia (21) of Gujarat Titans played a calm innings to guide Haryana past the target in just 45.1 overs.
Brief Scores: Bengal: 225 all out in 50 overs (Shahbaz Ahmed 100; Yuzvendra Chahal 4/37, Rahul Tewatia 2/32) lost to Haryana: 226 for 6 in 45.1 overs (Ankit Kumar 102, Ashok Menaria 39, Mohammad Kaif 2/44, Pradipta Pramanik 2/29) by 4 wickets.
Mahipal Lomror, Aniket Chaudhary do it for Rajasthan
Rajasthan’s left-handed batsman Lomror played a pivotal role in building the team’s competitive total of 267 for 8 in fifty overs, anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 122. However, little did Kerala anticipate that what seemed like an achievable chase would transform into a complete nightmare.
Left-arm seamer Aniket, who was once a regular traveling net bowler with the Indian team, showcased his prowess by taking four wickets for 26 runs.
His seam-bowling partner, Arafat Khan, complemented the effort by grabbing 3 wickets for 20 runs. This dynamic duo sent shockwaves through the Kerala batting lineup, ultimately dismantling their innings for a mere 67 runs in just 21 overs.
Brief Scores: Rajasthan: 267 for 8 in 50 overs (Mahipal Lomror 122 not out, Kunal Singh Rathore 66; Akhin 3/62) beat Kerala: 67/9 in 21 overs (Sachin Baby 28, Vishnu Vinod (retired hurt 0, did not return to bat); Aniket Chaudhary 4/26, Arafat Khan 3/20) by 200 runs.
Karnataka too good for Vidarbha
In a thoroughly professional display, Karnataka secured a convincing seven-wicket victory over Vidarbha, with captain Mayank Agarwal contributing 51 runs and Ravikumar Samarth remaining unbeaten on 72 in the successful run-chase.
Medium pacer Vyshak Vijaykumar played a crucial role, taking four wickets for 44 runs as Karnataka bowled out Vidarbha for 173 in 44.5 overs. In response, the Karnataka team efficiently reached the target in 40.3 overs.
Despite the challenging conditions for run-scoring, Agarwal and Samarth formed a strong opening partnership, adding 82 runs to establish control over the match. Agarwal’s innings featured six fours and a six.
Samarth, anchoring the innings, remained undefeated after facing 113 balls and hitting seven boundaries. He also contributed to a 59-run partnership for the second wicket with Nikin Jose (31).
Brief Scores: Vidarbha: 173 all out in 44.5 overs (Shubam Dubey 41, Akshay Wadkar 32, Yash Thakur 38; Vyshak Vijayakumar 4/44) lost to Karnataka: 177 for 3 in 40.3 overs (R. Samarth 72 not out, Mayank Agarwal 51; Harsh Dubey 2/32) by 7 wickets.
(With PTI inputs)





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