Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], December 13 (ANI): Ajinkya Rahane and Rajat Patidar shined as Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh secured massive wins in their respective Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) semifinals over Baroda and Delhi to set up a title clash on Friday.
In the first match, Baroda was in action against Mumbai. Mumbai won the toss and elected to field first. Except for a second wicket 50-run stand between skipper Krunal Pandya (30 in 24 balls, with four boundaries) and Shashwat Rawat (33 in 29 balls, with four boundaries), there were not any big partnerships for Baroda. Even star all-rounder Hardik Pandya failed to deliver, scoring just five runs.
A quickfire stand of 49 runs from Atit Sheth (22* in 14 balls, with two fours and a six) and Shivalik Sharma (36* in 24 balls, with two fours and two sixes) powered Baroda to 158/7 in their 20 overs.
Suryansh Shedge (2/11) was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai while Mohit Avasthi, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian and Atharva Ankolekar got a wicket each.
During the run-chase, Mumbai lost Prithvi Shaw early for just eight runs, extending the batter’s fifty-less run in the tournament spanning eight innings with the best score of 49. An 88-run second-wicket stand between Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Shreyas Iyer (46 in 30 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) powered Mumbai to a five-wicket win. Rahane scored 98 in just 56 balls, with 11 fours and five sixes, becoming the leading run-getter in the tournament. In seven innings, Rahane has made 432 runs at an average of 61.71, with a strike rate of 169.41 and five fifties. His best score is 98.
Suryakumar Yadav could score just one run. However, Shivam Dube (0*) and Suryansh (6*) ended the game in style, with Suryansh hitting the match-winning six.
Hardik, Atith, and Shashwat were among wicket takers for Baroda, getting one each.
In the match between Delhi and MP, MP won the toss and elected to field first. Delhi could not get any big partnerships as Anuj Rawat (33* in 24 balls, with three fours and a six), Priyansh Arya (29 in 21 balls, with three fours and a six) and Mayank Rawat (24 in 21 balls, with a four and six) took the team to 146/5 in their 20 overs.
Venkatesh Iyer (2/12) was the pick of the bowlers for MP. Tripuresh Singh, Avesh Khan and Kumar Kartikeya got a wicket each.
MP was 46/3 during the run-chase, however, a century stand between skipper Rajat Patidar (66* in 29 balls, with four boundaries and six sixes) and Harpreet Singh (46* in 38 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) powered them to a win with 26 balls left.
Rajat climbed up to the third spot in the run-scoring charts, with 347 runs in eight innings at an average of 49.57, a strike rate of over 182 and four half-centuries. His best score is 78.
Ishant Sharma (2/12) was the pick of the bowlers for Delhi.
Rahane and Rajat walked away with ‘Player of the Match’ awards and will now feature in the finals on Sunday. (ANI)
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