Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Gujarat wins thriller, Pujara stars again

Hyderabad, Feb 22 (IANS) Gujarat edged past Rajasthan in a thrilling one over Eliminator in a Group B clash while test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara starred again with the bat to help Saurashtra beat Madhya Pradesh by six wickets in Group C of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy on Friday.

Chasing a modest 144 for victory, India pacer Khaleel Ahmed (3/19) and Aniket Choudhary (2/24) starred for Rajasthan as Gujarat also managed 143/7 with none of their batsmen delivering the goods. 

Then in the one over shootout, Rajasthan needed five runs to win but failed to get past the finishing line.

Pujara, who had hit an unbeaten 100 in 61 balls against Railways on Thursday, continued his good work as he cracked 68 to guide Saurashtra to their first win of the tournament.

In another Group B game, Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup champions Vidarbha eased past Bihar by seven wickets while Himachal Pradesh's massive 207 was too much for Meghalaya who lost by 65 runs.

In other Group C matches, pacer Dhawal Kulkarni (4/22) helped Mumbai defend a modest 156-run target as they defeated Punjab by 35 runs.

Asked to bat first, Punjab bowlers led by medium pacer Baltej Singh (3/30) and left-arm seamer Barinder Singh Sran (3/34) dished out a clinical performance as they bundled out Mumbai for a modest 155 in their 20 overs.

Surya Kumar Yadav was Mumbai's top-scorer as he hit a quick-fire 80 in just 49 balls.

Punjab opener Prabhsimran Singh, 18, who has been picked by IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, gave Mumbai a scare with a blazing 54 in just 20 balls but lacked support from his opening partner Shubhman Gill (1) and one down Mandeep Singh (5).

In Group A, Delhi made short work of Manipur with a 10-wicket victory with Unmukt Chand (53 not out) and Hiten Dalal (56 not out) scoring unbeaten half centuries.

In another Group A game, Jharkhand beat Jammu and Kashmir by nine wickets with skipper Ishan Kishan blasting a 55-ball 100, his innings laced with eight fours and seven sixes.

In Group D, Assam pummelled Mizoram by 131 runs while Chhattisgarh also made merry against Arunachal Pradesh, winning by 96 runs. Bengal were thrashed by Karnataka by nine wickets while Haryana eased past Odisha by 10 wickets.

Baroda lost to Uttarakhand by seven wickets in a Group E game while Services beat Tripura by eight wickets. Maharashtra beat Puducherry by eight wickets and Hyderabad lost to Uttar Pradesh with skipper and India batsman Ambati Rayudu (29) failing with the bat. Veteran Suresh Raina starred for UP with an unbeaten 35-ball 54.