Vijay Hazare Trophy: Patidar century powers MP to 8-wicket win over TN

Madhya Pradesh rode on Rajat Patidar's brilliant 158 to inflict an eight-wicket win over Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy clash on Friday.

Rajat Patidar celebrates his century with Rameez Khan on Friday.

Rajat Patidar struck a brilliant 158 (111b, 20x4, 4x6) to set up an emphatic eight-wicket win for Madhya Pradesh over Tamil Nadu in a Group C Vijay Hazare Trophy match at the Pachaiyappa’s ground here on Friday.

Patidar added 209 runs for the second wicket with Rameez Khan (78 n.o., 115b, 8x4) to floor the opposition.

There was a phase when Patidar was at his most aggressive. He hit off-spinner Washington Sundar for his first six over long on, drove and whipped for back-to-back fours to covers and deep midwicket off K. Vignesh, and hit back-to-back fours again to deep midwicket off left-arm spinner Rahil Shah.

READ: Blazing Gautam century stuns Mumbai

He raised his century with a pulled six over deep midwicket off leg-spinner Ganga Sridhar Raju. When stand-in skipper Baba Aparajith brought himself to bowl, Patidar reverse swept him for a four, repeated the shot for nought, and swept to deep midwicket for another four.

He was, however, dropped on 39 by K. Vignesh off R. Ashwin. It was a tough chance though - the fielder had to run towards long off from mid off and attempt the catch on course. Right-arm pacer Aswin Crist got a hand to his lofted straight drive when he was on 112. He followed it up with a pull to deep backward square leg, and a straight drive, for fours.

From 144, he hooked Vignesh - loosening an arm as he did so that it seemed a one-handed shot - for a six to bring up his 150 off 106 balls.

Tamil Nadu coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar later said the team ought to take even tough chances in the field. “It was a very good pitch to bat on. But we should’ve converted the chances. When you are defending a target, you can’t defend by just bowling well. You have to get wickets and we didn’t get wickets,” he added.

Earlier, N. Jagadeesan’s 99 (108b, 11x4, 1x6) and Vijay Shankar’s 84 (62b, 7x4, 2x6) helped Tamil Nadu to 302 for nine. Jagadeesan added 107 runs for the third wicket with Aparajith (43, 54b, 4x4), and 65 for the fourth wicket with Vijay.