Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024: Punjab ends Rajasthan’s unbeaten streak to spice up Group A knockout race

Punjab chased down a modest 162-run target with more than two overs to spare to register its fourth win in six matches.

Punjab’s Nehal Wadhera in action during Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Punjab and Rajasthan at Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C in Rajkot on Tuesday December 03, 2024. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI/ The Hindu

Punjab opened up the permutations and combinations of group-A in the race to knockouts after ending Rajasthan’s unbeaten streak by five wickets during a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture at the Niranjan Shah Stadium Ground C here on Tuesday. 

The defending champion chased down a modest 162-run target with more than two overs to spare to register its fourth win in six matches. Punjab’s chances to qualify are the lowest among the four teams in contention, but its win over Rajasthan has increased hopes for Madhya Pradesh and Bengal to finish in the top two. 

For Punjab, despite the first over dismissal over Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh and Anmolpreet Singh gave a solid start to the chase. The slow nature of the surface made the square region a key target for both the batters who used Rajasthan pacers’ speed to play pickup shots. 

In the middle overs, captain Mahipal Lomror kept a pacer from one end and used Rahul Chahar from the other but couldn’t create enough pressure. 

Kamlesh Nagarkoti uprooted Prabhsimran’s off stump when the batter played a cross-batted shot. Naman Dhir and Nehal Wadhera got starts but poor shot selection meant they couldn’t finish the game. While Dhir couldn’t time his ramp, Wadhera failed to connect his reverse sweep and was bowled. 

Ramandeep Singh and Sanvir Singh scored the final 13 runs to take the team home. 

Earlier, Rajasthan’s innings was set up by a stroke-filed fifty by the 18-year-old Kartik Sharma during which he hit four sixes and three fours. 

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The ball kept low at times and even gripped off the surface keeping Rajasthan batters in flux. But Kartik, who has been in a good rhythm this tournament, played straight-batted shots to feed the scoreboard from one end. 

He found an able ally in Deepak Hooda after Rajasthan lost both its openers - Abhijeet Tomar and Bharat Sharma - to spectacular grabs. While Prabhsimran stretched full on his right to catch the edge off Tomar’s bat in the first over, Bharat lofted the ball towards wide mid-on for Ramandeep Singh to dive forward and grab the ball. 

Hooda allowed Kartik to play freely during their 65-run stand for the third wicket but the experienced India batter couldn’t utlise his own start and fell for 23. Shubham Garhwal hit three sixes later to get Rajasthan past the 150-run mark, which was still not enough to confirm its place in the knockouts.