Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Baroda defeats Haryana by 8 wickets in the 3rd quarter-final

In a cracker of a finish, Baroda defeated Haryana in the 3rd quarter-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Needing 15 runs off the last 3 balls, Baroda batsman Vishnu Solanki held his nerve and hit 2 sixes and a boundary to help the team complete the chase in a last-ball thriller.

Vishnu Solanki hit Haryana pacer, Sumit Kumar, for a six with an MS Dhoni-like helicopter shot as Baroda needed 5 from the last ball to seal a win. Solanki remained unbeaten on 71 as he anchored the chase and finished it off in style after captain Kedar Devdhar fell for a well-paced 43.

Chasing a tricky target of 149 at renewed Motera Stadium, Devdhar and Smit Patel gave Baroda a fine start, stitching a 33-run opening stand. However, India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal broke the stand by picking up the first



wicket for Haryana.

Devdhar and Solanki batted 9.4 overs together and added 68 runs for the 2nd wicket before Kumar broke the 2nd-wicket stand in the 15th over. The asking rate crept up following the dismissal but Abhimanyu Rajput and Solanki held their nerves to ace the chase.

Yuzvnedra Chahal came up with a miserly spell, conceding just 14 runs in 4 overs but it went in vain as Solanki launched a blazing attack, scoring 71 in just 46 balls, hitting 4 sixes and 5 boundaries.

Earlier in the day, Himanshu Rana and Shivam Chauhan stitched an 80-run stand for the 3rd wicket for Haryana but there was very little contribution on either side of the partnership. Star batsman Rahul Tewatia failed to get going as he was dismissed for 10. Karthik Kakade was the pick of the bowlers for Baroda as he picked up 2 wickets in his 4-over spell.