The Mumbai juggernaut rolled on with a comfortable win over Hyderabad, in a rain-affected Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinal outing at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday.
Set a modest target of 247, Mumbai cruised to 155 for two in 25 overs, before rain stopped play. The VJD par-score for Mumbai stood at 95 for two, which gave the side a 60-run victory.
As it happened: Vijay Hazare Trophy: Mumbai beats Hyderabad, advances to final
Prithvi Shaw (61, 44b, 8x4, 2x6) and Shreyas Iyer (55 n.o., 53b, 5x4, 2x6) stood out for Mumbai. Shaw’s cameo, in particular, enlivened proceedings and delighted the crowd. The teenage opener, who returned to the State side after a successful Test stint, got going by clipping pacer Ravi Kiran over mid-on.
A few overs later, a comical sequence embarrassed Kiran and the Hyderabad side no end. With Shaw on 30, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj got him to top-edge a hook. Kiran, stationed at deep fine-leg, put down a regulation catch. Just a few deliveries later, an action replay occurred. Once again, Kiran dropped a simple chance, which left Siraj and skipper Ambati Rayudu doubly livid.
Shaw was eventually bowled by left-arm spinner Mehdi Hasan, who got one to stay low. Shaw was bothered by pain in his left shoulder, and took a few breaks to get treatment from the physiotherapist. The discomfort started immediately after he hit a powerful slog-sweep off leg-spinner Akash Bhandari.
Hasan also cleaned up the dangerous Rohit Sharma for 17. An unbroken 73-run second-wicket stand between Shreyas and Ajinkya Rahane (17 n.o.) kept Mumbai on the right path.
Earlier, Hyderabad put on a respectable score, thanks to a perfectly-paced century from Rohit Rayudu. A series of irresponsible and loose shots saw Hyderabad slip to 123 for six, and it was left to Rohit to save the day.
The elegant southpaw, Ambati Rayudu’s cousin, started cautiously. He brought up his fifty in 92 balls, and then opened up. Rohit moved from 50 to 100 in just 24 balls, smashing the bowlers to all parts of the ground. A delightful flick off medium-pacer Shivam Dubey stood out as the highlight — pure timing was enough to send the ball over the square-leg fence.
Rohit, in his second season in the senior State side, brought up his third List-A century with a straight four. “If I take my time to get in, it is very easy for me to accelerate later. I have the shots, but I wanted to stick around until the end today,” Rohit said. The 24-year-old, who batted at one-drop, described Ambati as his idol. “I was inspired to join a coaching camp and start playing cricket after watching my (cousin) brother (Ambati),” Rohit said.
Mumbai coach Vinayak Samant said, "It looks like Prithvi has pulled his shoulder muscle slightly. We will assess the situation tomorrow, and take an X-Ray if needed."
The score:
Hyderabad 246 for eight in 50 overs (Rohit Rayudu 121 n.o., B. Sandeep 29, Tushar Deshpande three for 55) lost to Mumbai 155 for two in 25 overs (Prithvi Shaw 61, Shreyas Iyer 55 n.o.) (by 60 runs via VJD method).
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