VHT 2025-26: Dhruv Jurel's 160, Ramakrishna Ghosh's 7 wicket-haul, Shardul Thakur's 4-fer highlights so far

New Delhi [India], December 29 (ANI): Dhruv Jurel's 160 and Rinku Singh's 63 for Uttar Pradesh, Shardul Thakur's four-wicket haul and Shams Mulani's five-fer for Mumbai, Ramakrishna Ghosh's seven-fer for Maharashtra, among others, were the highlights from the first innings of the Vijay Hazare Elite matches on December 29 so far.
In the first innings of the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group D clash, Railways delivered a strong batting performance to post a massive total of 365/7 in their 50 overs. After being put in to bat by Services, the Railways batters took full advantage of the conditions, with the middle order providing the bulk of the scoring. Ravi Singh's 46-ball 88 was the standout knock, which included six fours and seven sixes.
Despite the early breakthroughs, the consistency of the Railways' batting lineup ensured they maintained a run rate of over 7 runs per over.
In another fixture, VHT, Odisha won the toss and elected to field, a decision that initially paid dividends as they restricted Andhra to a modest total of 221 runs. Andhra's innings struggled to find momentum early on, losing opener Ashwin Hebbar for just two and Nitish Kumar Reddy for just six, leaving them reeling at 35/2. While several middle-order batters got starts, the Odisha bowling attack remained disciplined throughout, preventing any major partnerships from flourishing.
Odisha's bowlers picked up wickets at regular intervals, ensuring Andhra never reached a commanding position. Despite some late-order resistance to push the score past 200, Andhra was eventually bowled out, setting Odisha a target of 222 to win.
In another fixture of the VHT, Uttarakhand won the toss and elected to field. Punjab found themselves in a precarious position at 111/6, with star openers Abhishek Sharma (30) and Prabhsimran Singh (28) failing to convert their starts and the middle order crumbling under pressure. However, a gritty lower-order resurgence led by Salil Arora, who scored a vital 65 off 83 balls, anchored the innings and allowed Punjab to claw their way back.
Supported by a resilient knock from Krish Bhagat (51), Arora's half-century ensured Punjab batted out their full 50 overs to post a competitive total of 269/8. The Uttarakhand bowling unit, led by Jagmohan Nagarkoti and Mayank Mishra (2 wickets each), remained disciplined for the majority of the innings.
In the Maharashtra vs Himachal Pradesh match, Maharashtra won the toss and elected to field, a decision that appeared masterful as they tore through the Himachal Pradesh top order, leaving them reeling at 34/4. However, a heroic rescue act by Pukhraj Mann transformed the innings. Mann played a superb knock of 110 runs (nine fours and three sixes), as he anchored multiple partnerships to drag his side back into the contest.
Supported by useful contributions from Amanpreet Singh (30) and a late flourish from Vaibhav Arora (40), Himachal Pradesh managed to recover significantly to post a total of 271 all out. For Maharashtra, Ramakrishna Ghosh was the standout performer with the ball, providing the early breakthroughs and finishing with impressive figures of 7-42 in 9.4 overs.
In another Group C encounter of the VHT, Mumbai won the toss and elected to field. Shardul Thakur dismantled the Chhattisgarh top order in a blistering opening spell. Chhattisgarh's innings got off to a disastrous start, losing their first four wickets for just 10 runs, with Thakur claiming all four early scalps, including the wickets of Anuj Tiwary and Mayank Verma. The side was left reeling, but captain Amandeep Khare staged a resilient recovery alongside Ajay Mandal, putting on a century partnership that saved the team from a total collapse.
Khare anchored the innings with a patient 63 off 103 balls, while Mandal provided crucial support with a steady 46. However, once Musheer Khan broke the partnership, the lower order struggled to stay at the crease against the spin of Shams Mulani. Mulani was particularly effective in the later stages, cleaning up the tail to finish with five wickets as Chhattisgarh was eventually bowled out for 142 in 38.1 overs
Chasing 143, Mumbai made light work of the chase as they finished the match in just 24 overs with Angkrish Raghuvanshi scoring 68 off 66 balls and Siddhesh Lad scoring a 42-ball 48.
In another contest, Baroda won the toss and elected to field, but they were soon met with a batting masterclass from Uttar Pradesh. Led by a breathtaking, unbeaten 160* off just 101 balls from Dhruv Jurel, Uttar Pradesh posted a colossal total of 369/7 in their 50 overs. Jurel's innings was the centrepiece of the innings, featuring a powerful partnership with Rinku Singh, who contributed a brisk 63. Useful half-centuries from Abhishek Goswami (51) at the top of the order further fortified the foundation, allowing the middle order to play with freedom.
Baroda's bowlers struggled to contain the onslaught. Raj Limbani was the most successful bowler for Baroda, picking up two wickets, but the batting of the UP lineup ensured that the run rate remained high throughout the death overs.
Bengal won the toss and elected to field, but they were soon put on the back foot by a commanding batting performance from Chandigarh. Riding on a superb century from captain Manan Vohra, who played a steady yet authoritative knock of 122 off 127 balls, Chandigarh managed to post a formidable total of 319 runs. Vohra's innings was the cornerstone of the Chandigarh effort, as he anchored several key partnerships to ensure his side set a challenging target despite losing wickets in the final overs.
Bengal's bowling attack, featuring the likes of Mohammad Shami and Shahbaz Ahmed, found it difficult to break through consistently during the middle overs. Shami provided an early breakthrough by dismissing Arjun Azad for 31, but it was Shahbaz Ahmed who eventually got the prized wicket of Vohra to stem the flow of runs. However, a late-order collapse saw Chandigarh lose their final four wickets for just 14 runs, finishing at 319 all out in 48.2 overs. While Shami finished with three for 69, Mukesh Kumar claimed figures of 5/59.
In another VHT clash, Karnataka won the toss and elected to field. Tamil Nadu posted a solid total of 288 all out in 49.5 overs, headlined by a composed half-century from Narayan Jagadeesan, who top-scored with 65 off 67 balls. Karnataka's bowling effort was spearheaded by Abhilash Shetty, who was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/48.
Jharkhand posted a massive total of 368/7 in their 50 overs, driven by a sensational century from Kumar Kushagra, who struck 105 off 104 balls and Anukul Roy 98 off 53 balls. The foundation was laid by a blistering half-century from Utkarsh Singh (74 off 70 balls), who shared a significant partnership with Kushagra to put the Puducherry bowlers under immense pressure. Parth Vaghani was the standout bowler for Ponducherry with 3/55.
Kerala won the toss and elected to field and their bowlers delivered a disciplined performance to restrict Madhya Pradesh to 214 all out. The Madhya Pradesh innings struggled for consistency against a clinical Kerala attack, with wickets falling at regular intervals.
Kerala's bowling effort was led by Ankit Sharma, who was the pick of the bowlers with impressive figures of 4/38, consistently troubling the Madhya Pradesh lineup. Madhya Pradesh was eventually bundled out, leaving Kerala with a target of 215 to chase. (ANI)