Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25: Centurion Shrijith guides Karnataka to seven-wicket win over Mumbai in high-scoring clash
Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25: Centurion Shrijith guides Karnataka to seven-wicket win over Mumbai in high-scoring clash
Led by wicketkeeper KL Shrijith’s classy century, Karnataka batters produced a clinic in chasing down a high total as the side cantered to a seven-wicket over Mumbai in the opening Group C game of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Mumbai skipper Shreyas Iyer’s attacking hundred (114, 55b, 5×4, 10×6) proved to be in vain as Shrijith’s knock (150*, 101b, 20×4, 4×6) and contributions from KV Aneesh (82, 66b, 9×4, 3×6) and Pravin Dubey (65, 50b, 5×4, 1×6) helped the team chase down the 383-run target with more than thee overs to spare, recording the second-highest successful chase in the history of the competition.
The innings from the two centurions were in stark contrast. While Shreyas bludgeoned the bowling for 10 sixes in his knock, the Karnataka ‘keeper ticked off the runs with some classical shot-making, finding the gaps with drives and pulls to record his maiden List-A hundred.
Openers Nikin Jose and Mayank Agarwal provided Karnataka the perfect platform for the chase with a quick start. The openers were especially brutal against Shardul Thakur who proved to be very expensive, ending his spell with an economy rate of 12.
Debutant Aneesh ensured the fall of the openers didn’t stem the run rate. With the Mumbai bowlers faltering in their lines, the 23-year-old combined with Shrijith for a 94-run partnership off just 72 balls to set up the chase for the middle-order.
After Aneesh holed out to a sharp low catch by Atharva Ankolekar, Dubey played the perfect foil to Shrijith’s innings, not looking for anything fancy and helping the team across the line with a solid 183-run partnership.
Earlier, Mumbai suffered an early setback after being sent in when Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s attempted flick lobbed back up off his pads with Vidyadhar Patil completing an easy return catch in his follow-through. Opener Ayush Mhatre (78, 82b, 6×4, 2×6) and Hardik Tamore (84, 94b, 7×4, 3×6) took their time early on before opening up against the spinners. The pair brought up the 100-run stand in 122 balls.
After Mhatre, playing his first List A game, fell while looking to pull a length ball from legspinner Dubey, Tamore took over the mantle of scoring quickly in the partnership with skipper Iyer. Shreyas Gopal struck in the 34th over, beating Tamore’s attempted slog sweep, a ball after being deposited over cover for six.
Suryakumar Yadav struck two sweeps and a trademark flick over square leg in a 56-run stand with Shreyas before being trapped in front by Dubey on 20. Shivam Dube (63, 36b, 5×4, 5×6) survived an early lbw shout and a direct hit at the non-striker’s end in a nervy start but got going against the short-pitch bowling employed by the pacers.
Shreyas stepped on the gas in the last 10 overs. The short balls were deposited beyond the boundary at midwicket and square leg while anything slightly full was duly lofted straight back over the bowler. The 30-year-old took just 50 balls to get to his hundred, which he brought up with a flat-batted shot down the ground for six. He put on 148 runs in 65 balls with Dube to push Mumbai to what seemed like a formidable total but proved inadequate at the end.
