Vijay Hazare Trophy 2015-16: Saurashtra register consolation 6-wicket win over Bengal

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2015-16: Saurashtra register consolation 6-wicket win over Bengal

Rajkot: Youngster Samarth Vyas struck 94 on his List A debut as Saurashtra beat Bengal by six wickets in their Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day cricket Group D match on Friday. The win was, however, not enough for Saurashtra to qualify for the knockouts as they finished third in Group D with 12 points behind Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh (both on 16 points). Only top two teams from each of the four groups make it to the knock-out phase. Bengal finished fifth in the six-team group with four points from five matches. Electing to bat, Bengal notched up 243 for 5 in their allotted 50 overs but Saurashtra chased down the target with four overs to spare at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. UPDATES: Vijay Hazare Trophy 2015-16, Bengal vs Saurashtra, Group D match at Rajkot

None of the Bengal batsmen scored a half century and they were guilty of frittering away starts — as many as three of them got out in the 40s. Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran top-scored with a 48 while captain Manoj Tiwary (43) and Shreevats Goswami (42) were the other notable contributors for Bengal.

Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja did bulk of the damage, finishing with 3 for 46 off 10 overs. Saurashtra’s chase was driven by Vyas, who put on a 136-run opening stand with Sheldon Jackson (50), before Cheteshwar Pujara’s unbeaten 50 steered them home by reaching 246 for 4 in 46 overs.

The matches are being played virtually every day which means that teams do not have enough time to recover from losses. Conversely, a team that is on a roll will be helped because their momentum stays intact. Karnataka are the current defending champions of Vijay Hazare Trophy, but the 2015-16 edition could see a new champion.