Several India regulars used round six of the Vijay Hazare Trophy as a tune-up for the looming ODI series against New Zealand. Tuesday threw up a spread of form lines – some encouraging, others still very much a work in progress.
Shreyas Iyer – 82 v Himachal Pradesh
Cleared by the National Cricket Academy after the spleen injury that cut short his Australia tour, Iyer looked in a hurry at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Walked in after a fog-delayed start, walked off 82 from 55 balls later, and Mumbai had 299 for 9 from just 33 overs. Musheer Khan’s 73 lent support; Suryakumar Yadav’s 24 (18) kept the tempo brisk, even if the T20I skipper is still searching for a defining knock this winter.
Himachal’s reply was spirited – half-centuries for Pukhraj Mann, Ankush Bains and Mayank Dagar – yet Shivam Dube’s 4 for 68 squeezed a seven-run victory. Mumbai, five wins from six, are already safe in the Group C quarter-final slots with a match to spare.
Shubman Gill – 11 v Goa
Gill’s first appearance in this season’s competition lasted 12 balls: 11 runs, one mistimed pull, dismissal, done. Punjab still eased past Goa by six wickets, taking top spot in Group C, but their captain now departs for India duty. Prabhsimran Singh will lead for the remainder.
KL Rahul – 25 v Rajasthan
Karnataka kept the foot down – six wins on the bounce – by seeing off Rajasthan by 150 runs. Rahul again dropped to No. 5, again arrived with a platform (Devdutt Padikkal and Mayank Agarwal had piled on 184 in 28.2 overs) and again cruised without quite cutting loose: 25 from 28, lbw to Manav Suthar. The defending champions will not complain while Padikkal piles on the numbers – 91 on Tuesday took him past 600 runs for a third VHT season, the first man to manage that particular hat-trick.
Mohammed Siraj – 4 for 58 v Bengal
Aman Rao’s unbeaten 200 – his first List-A hundred in only his third outing – pushed Hyderabad to 352, and Siraj did the rest. A hostile new-ball burst of 5-0-32-3 removed Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami, effectively sealing Bengal’s chase inside the opening powerplay. Siraj closed with 4 for 58 and, more importantly, looked rhythm-ready for the Black Caps.
Rishabh Pant – 24 v Railways
Pant’s final hit-out before re-joining the national squad brought nine balls of mayhem: 24 runs, three fours and a six, Delhi romping home with overs to spare. It was not the extended stay at the crease the wicketkeeper might have desired, but the hands, at least, appeared quick.
Group picture
Mumbai and Punjab are already certain to progress from Group C; Karnataka are unbeaten leaders in Group B. Hyderabad’s surge keeps their section alive heading into Thursday’s final round. For several India squad members, though, the domestic stop-over served its purpose: time in the middle, overs in the legs, and, in Iyer’s case, the reassurance that the body is once again willing.
