VHT: Saurashtra storms into semi-finals after beating Uttar Pradesh by 17 runs

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 12 (ANI): Saurashtra stormed into the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26 semi-finals with a thrilling 17-run win over Uttar Pradesh, courtesy of the VJD Method, in a rain-affected quarter-final clash at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Monday.
UP posted 310 for 8 in their 50 overs, propelled by a strong middle-order display in the first innings. While chasing 311, Saurashtra's chase was rock-solid, anchored by opener Harvik Desai's brilliant century.
He steered the visitors to 238 for 3 in 40.1 overs, but rain brutally cut short their innings. When the umpires called it quits due to worsening weather, the VJD calculation kicked in, handing Saurashtra a 17-run victory and securing their spot in the semi-finals.
Apart from Desai's hundred, Prerak Mankad also chipped in and made a brilliant 67 off 66 balls before Prashant Veer removed him.
Chirag Jani also played a vital quick cameo of 40 runs off 31 balls, which played a major role in keeping Saurashtra ahead in the VJD method.
Earlier in the match, Sameer Rizvi and Abhishek Goswami played crucial knocks to guide Uttar Pradesh to a competitive total of 310/8 in their allotted 50 overs.
Left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya struck in the very beginning by dismissing opener Aryan Juyal for a duck. Sakariya soon added another wicket to his tally, removing Rituraj Sharma for 12 to put Uttar Pradesh under pressure.
Following the early setbacks, Abhishek Goswami steadied the innings with Priyam Garg, with the pair adding 57. Garg played a fluent knock of 35 off 39 balls before being dismissed, bringing Uttar Pradesh captain Rinku Singh to the crease. However, Rinku endured a rare failure in the tournament and was dismissed for 13 by Prerak Mankad.
Goswami continued to anchor the innings and looked set for a century, but fell short of the milestone. The opener scored a fine 88 off 82 balls, hitting 12 boundaries, before being dismissed by Parswaraj Rana. At that stage, Uttar Pradesh were placed at 179/5 in 33.2 overs.
The responsibility then fell on Sameer Rizvi, who found support from Prashant Veer as the duo added a vital 50-run partnership. Veer contributed 30 off 31 balls before becoming Sakariya's third victim of the match. Vipraj Nigam joined Rizvi next but managed 13 runs before being bowled by Ankur Panwar.
Towards the end, Zeeshan Ansari provided some late momentum with a quick 20 off 11 balls, striking a few boundaries to push the total further. Rizvi, however, remained the key figure, finishing unbeaten on 88 off 77 balls, an innings that included 10 fours and two sixes, as he ensured that Uttar Pradesh crossed the 300-run mark.
For Saurashtra, Chetan Sakariya was the standout bowler, returning figures of 3/54 from his 10 overs. Prerak Mankad (2/47) and Ankur Panwar (2/75) chipped in with two wickets each, while Parswaraj Rana finished with 1/24. (ANI)