Vijay Hazare: Rajasthan rides on Manender's ton to register first win

Chasing 218 runs to win, Assam was off to a good start but as the innings progressed, it succumbed to pressure and was bowled out for 161.

Published : Oct 01, 2018 19:13 IST , Chennai

Rajasthan broke its fast as it registered its first win at the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Monday. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)
Rajasthan broke its fast as it registered its first win at the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Monday. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)
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Rajasthan broke its fast as it registered its first win at the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Monday. (REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)

Manender Singh scored a match-winning century and Tanveer-ul-Haq took three wickets as Rajasthan defeated Assam by 56 runs in a Vijay Hazare Elite Group 'C' match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. 

While Rajasthan broke its losing streak and registered its first win, Assam's search for an elusive win continued as it failed to capitalise on key moments.   

As it happened

On a surface where strokeplay was a touch difficult, Assam did well to restrict Rajasthan to 217 for the loss of seven wickets.  

Chasing 218 runs to win, Assam was off to a good start but as the innings progressed, it succumbed to pressure as it was bowled out for 161.

Opener Riyan Parag (45, 49b, 5x4, 2x6) was off the blocks in a flash and along with Abhishek Thakuri put on a 50-run opening stand as he targeted the fast bowlers.

As Assam gained momentum, the sudden introduction of spin saw a change in fortunes.  

Thakuri failed to read a Rahul Sharma googly and was trapped plumb in front. Moments later, a miscommunication saw Assam lose its second wicket as Gokul Sharma took the long walk back to the pavilion.      

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Right-arm off-break bowler Chandrapal Singh then joined the party by taking two back-to-back wickets of Parag and Sibsankar Roy - both caught and bowled - to turn the tide firmly in Rajasthan's favour. 

However, skipper Amit Sinha injected hope in Assam's run chase with a crafty 70-ball 52. Sinha's innings finally came to an abrupt end too as he was caught short of his crease. 

Earlier, Rajasthan slipped to 5-89 after Assam elected to bowl first. But Manender held the batting together and notched his third List-A century. 

Manender (101, 126b, 8x4, 1x6) along with Mahipal Lomror (54, 53b, 3x4, 3x6) kept the Assam bowlers at bay with some smart batting and forged an important 63-run stand for the sixth wicket. 

The duo swiftly changed gears after seeing off a tricky period of play and accelerated to take Rajasthan past the 200-run mark. Both Manender and Lomror occupied the crease, played shots on either side of the wicket and disposed the bad balls to the fence.   

While Manender departed soon after his century, it was the vice-captain Lomror who upped the ante at the end. 

Chasing a paltry target of 217 was always going to be tricky on a surface that assisted turn and bounce. Assam had its moments but Rajasthan cashed in on its opponent's lack of batting experience to register its first points on the board. 

 

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