Domestic giants Mumbai trounced Himachal Pradesh by 200 runs in their final Elite Group D game here on Monday to remain unbeaten in the league stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Mumbai had won their first four matches against Delhi, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Rajasthan.
Opting to bat at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Mumbai posted an imposing 321/9, courtesy Shardul Thakur’s 92, Suryakumar Yadav’s 91 and Aditya Tare’s 83 after a top-order failure.
Himachal were then bundled out for a meagre 121, with leg-spinner Prashant Solanki (4/31) shining with the ball.
After losing four for 49, Suryakumar began the rescue act and toyed with the Himachal attack, striking 15 boundaries on his way to a 75-ball 91.
He found an able ally in the experienced Tare (83 off 98 balls; 6x4; 1x6) who played the perfect second fiddle as the duo forged a 99-run fifth wicket stand to rally the innings.
After Suryakumar fell in the 31st over, Tare and Shardul added 112 runs for the sixth wicket, as they tackled the Himachal attack with ease.
Shardul, one of the heroes of the Brisbane Test against Australia, hammered six boundaries and as many sixes, as he cantered to 92 in just 57 balls.
Thanks to Shardul’s hitting, Mumbai crossed the 300-run mark, but Tare’s patient knock was equally important as he anchored the innings and supported the aggressors.
In the other two Elite Group D league games, Maharashtra thrashed Puducherry by 137 runs, while Delhi defeated Rajasthan by eight wickets.
Saurashtra in q/f
In Group E games at Kolkata, Saurashtra suffered a shocking 62-run loss at the hands of Services but still managed to finish as group toppers and qualified for the knock-out phase.
Saurashtra finished with 16 points, four clear of Chandigarh whose direct qualification hopes were dashed with an eight-wicket loss to Jammu & Kashmir at the Jadavpur University second campus in Saltlake.
At the 22 Yards Academy in Saltlake, Services rode on Rahul Singh Gahlaut’s career-best 158 to post a challenging 301 for seven and in reply Saurashtra were bundled out for 233 in 43.1 overs.
Elsewhere at Eden Gardens, hosts Bengal lose by five wickets against Haryana.
U’khand pip Assam
Uttarakhand thrashed Sikkim by 145 runs to remain unbeaten in the Plate group, and clinch a spot in the knockout phase, pipping Assam by virtue of a better net run-rate.
Assam completed its engagements with a crushing 182-run win over Mizoram.
Both Uttarakhand and Assam finished with an all-win record but the former qualified for the next stage due to a higher NRR (3.273) as against the latter’s 1.909. Meghalaya edged Nagaland to the third spot by virtue of a superior NRR despite securing 16 points. They were followed by Sikkim (4 points), Arunachal Pradesh (2), Mizoram (2) and Manipur (0).