Vijay Hazare Trophy | Panchal, Nagwaswalla-powered Gujarat book semi-final berth with convincing QF victory

After opting to bat first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Gujarat openers Dhruv Raval and skipper Priyank Panchal batted cautiously, but KV Sasikanth found himself in the game immediately, sending Raval back for 18. But in a game where scoring runs were a bit tough from the beginning, Panchal should be credited for delivering an almost flawless knock even though he never looked like accelerating. 

He bided his time, negotiated the tricky left-arm spin of Lalith Mohan in company with Rahul V Shah to take the score to 113 when Mohan caught the latter plumb in front. A couple of useful innings from Het Patel (28) and Delhi Capitals’ latest recruit Ripal Patel (35) ensured Harishankar Reddy’s late burst didn’t have a big impact on the overall score. Panchal was the last batsman to be dismissed, scoring 134, as the 2015-16 Champions gave Hanuma Vihari-led Andhra Pradesh a target of 299 runs.

With Andhra Pradesh already being reduced to 21/3, Hardik Patel decided to join the fun and leverage his own part in the story. Complimented by Piyush Chawla’s experiences from the other end, Hardik, who started his spell with a barrage of half-trackers, sent Nitish Reddy back to the hut but the threat was anything but over.