Parthiv Patel, pacers give Gujarat maiden Vijay Hazare trophy
Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel scored a century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Delhi. (Source: PTI)
Captain Parthiv Patel’s polished 105 helped Gujarat hammer former champions Delhi by 139 runs and capture their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy in Bengaluru on Monday.
Patel powered Gujarat to 273 for nine before their medium pacers R P Singh (4/42) and Jasprit Bumrah (5/28) brought the star-studded Delhi batting to its knees, dismissing the 2013-13 winners for 134 in 32.3 overs.
The start to the chase could not have been worse Delhi, who lost Rishabh Pant off the first ball of the match before seeing the back of Shikhar Dhawan (5) and skipper Gautam Gambhir (9).
There was a glimmer of hope as long as Unmukt Chand (33) was in the middle but that was also dashed with his dismissal in the 17th over, leaving Delhi derailed at 59 for five. Off-spinner Pawan Negi delayed the inevitable with a fighting 57 off 47 balls.
Earlier, Patel led from the front to take Gujarat to a competitive total at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after Delhi decided to field. The other contributions came from Rujul Bhatt (60) and Chiran Gandhi (44 not out).
Patel’s plucky innings last 119 balls and was laced with 10 fours and a six.
He was handed a reprieve when he was dropped on 67 by Manan Sharma off his own bowling after he drove straight into the hands of the left-arm spinner. Patel eventually fell to Pawan Negi before the final 10 overs began.
Bhatt, whose knock was also crucial, was removed by Nitish Rana with Pant taking the catch. His 60 runs came off 74 balls and included four boundaries and a six, which he hammered into the deep midwicket stand.
The loss of last five wickets in the slog overs, including Rush Kalaria’s (21), arrested Gujarat’s progress though Gandhi played a useful knock towards the end.
After finishing second in their Group, Gujarat got the better of Vidarbha in the quarterfinals before they surprised four-time champions Tamil Nadu in the semifinals.
Brief scores: Gujarat 273/9 in 50 overs (Parthiv Patel105, Rujul Bhatt 60; Pawan Negi 2/36). Delhi 134 all out in 32.3 overs (Pawan Negi 57; R P Singh 4/42, Jasprit Bumrah 5/28).
