Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh on Friday made it to the final of Vijay Hazare Trophy– the premier Indian one-day domestic tournament. Tamil Nadu cruised past Saurashtra in a nail-biter while Himachal got better of Services in the semi-finals.
In the Tamil Nadu vs Saurashtra encounter, Baba Aparajith fired a match-winning 122, helping them chase a mammoth total of 310 runs. He was well-supported by Washington Sundar who struck quick 61-ball 70 runs.
Earlier, batting first an in-form Saurashtra batting line-up posted a huge score of 310 runs on board. Sheldon Jackson was the willow-wielder as he scored a magnificent knock of 134 runs in 125 balls. Vasavada gave the innings the finishing touch with his 40-ball 57.
In reply, Tamil Nadu lost a few early wickets. However, Baba Aparajith stood tall, ensuring he kept his team in the match. The batter scored a hundred, taking TN home with two wickets in hand.
Brief scores: Saurashtra 310/8 in 50 overs (Sheldon Jackson 134, Arpit Vasavada 57, Vishvaraj Jadeja 52; Vijay Shankar 4-72, R Silambarasan 3-54) lost to Tamil Nadu 314/8 in 50 overs (Baba Aparajith 122, Washington Sundar 70, Baba Indrajith 50; Chetan Sakariya 5-62) by 2 wickets
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In the other semi-final, a scintillating knock by skipper Rishi Dhawan handed Himachal Pradesh the ticket to the finals. The all-rounder smashed 77-ball 84 runs to help Himachal post a formidable total of 281 runs. Aakash Vasisht also made quick-fire 45 off 29 balls.
Then in the bowling department, Rishi Dhawan was again the star. He picked as many as 4 wickets to take Himachal home by 77 runs.
Brief scores: Himachal Pradesh 281/6in 50 overs (Rishi Dhawan 84, Prashant Chopra 78, Akash Vasisht 45*; Raj Bahadur 2-52) beatServices 204 all out in 16.1 overs (Rajat Paliwal 55, Ravi Chauhan 45; Rishi Dhawan 4-27, Akash Vasisht 2-28) by 77 runs
The two teams will lock horns in the final on Sunday, December 26.