Half-centurion Priyam Garg put the finishing touches to Uttar Pradesh’s well-paced run chase against Madhya Pradesh in the battle involving two bottom-placed teams in Group ‘B’ of Vijay Hazare Trophy on Sunday.
Chasing 278, UP crossed the line in the final over with five wickets to spare. The triumph also ended UP’s search for its first win after six matches. UP’s tally now stands at eight points. MP stayed at six points.
UP, playing without Suresh Raina who was nursing a stiff neck, never missed the services of the left-hander as Samarth Singh (70, 87b, 5x4, 1x6) and skipper Akshdeep Nath (51, 53b, 4x4) set the pace with a 105-run stand for the third wicket, built on a 76-run foundation laid by openers Upendra Yadav (45, 43b, 6x4, 1x6) and Abhishek Goswami (31, 45b, 4x4).
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When UP was closing in, MP was looking for wickets but in vain. Priyam (50 not out, 42b, 4x4) and Amit Mishra’s run-a-ball 13 raised 38 runs off 25 deliveries to dash MP’s hopes.
If MP set a challenging target, it was mainly due to Venkatesh Iyer who cracked an impressive 72-ball 83, inclusive of two sixes and five boundaries.
In the early part of the innings, skipper Naman Ojha (53, 3x4, 1x6) and Rameez Khan (35, 4x4) raised 84 runs for the second wicket.
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Thereafter, MP kept the UP bowlers at bay following a 117-run stand, off just 107 deliveries, between Iyer and Yash Dubey who hit a run-a-ball 66, including a six and six boundaries.
However, with the UP top-order coming good on a batting strip, there was very little MP could do to escape its fourth loss in six matches.
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