Virat Kohli shines in last Vijay Hazare Trophy game as Delhi edge Gujarat by seven runs in thriller | Cricket News
Star batters Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant struck composed half-centuries before Gujarat unravelled under pressure, allowing Delhi to sneak home by seven runs in their Elite Group D Vijay Hazare Trophy clash on Friday. Kohli was named player of the match after a fluent 77 off 61 balls, while Pant contributed a measured 70 from 79 deliveries as Delhi posted 254 for nine in their 50 overs. Gujarat, despite being well placed for long periods of the chase, were bowled out for 247 in 47.4 overs.
Kohli once again had to walk in early following the dismissal of opener Priyansh Arya and immediately looked at ease. After defending his first delivery, he drove pacer Chintan Gaja straight down the ground for four, setting the tone for a stylish innings. While Delhi’s other batters struggled to break free against disciplined bowling, Kohli found rhythm with ease in his favoured white-ball format. A pulled six off Gaja and a wristy flicked boundary off Arzan Nagwaswalla followed as Kohli stepped up the tempo. The 37-year-old brought up his fifty in just 29 balls, an innings that featured 10 fours and a six. He later registered his 85th List A half-century by carving Ravi Bishnoi over the covers. Kohli looked set for back-to-back hundreds before left-arm spinner Vishal Jayswal brought his innings to an end. Reading Kohli’s movement early, Jayswal fired one through to have him stumped by Urvil Patel, leaving Delhi at 108 for four. The spinner had earlier removed Nitish Rana and Arpit Gupta, tightening the screws further. With wickets falling, Pant took it upon himself to stabilise the innings. Resisting his natural attacking instincts, the Delhi captain focused on strike rotation and partnerships. He crossed fifty in 64 balls, with his first moment of invention coming via a falling scoop off Bishnoi, which he attempted again later against Gaja. Pant’s stay ended when he lost his stumps to Jayswal, bringing an end to a vital 73-run stand with Harsh Tyagi, who made 40. Late runs from Simarjeet Singh and Ishant Sharma helped Delhi cross the 250 mark, giving their bowlers something to defend. Gujarat’s chase began promisingly on a slightly tacky surface at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. Urvil Patel and Aarya Desai put on 67 for the opening stand, before Aarya and Abhishek Desai added another 54 to take Gujarat to 121 for one after 25 overs. From there, the chase derailed rapidly. Aarya, Abhishek, Jaymeet Patel and Hemang Patel fell in quick succession as Gujarat slipped to 144 for five, adding only 23 runs in the process. Saurav Chauhan, who once represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, revived hopes with a counter-attacking 49 off 43 balls, adding 69 runs with Vishal Jayswal for the sixth wicket. Chauhan struck Arpit for two sixes to keep the asking rate manageable, but Simarjeet Singh returned to dismiss him, triggering another collapse at a crucial stage. A late run-out of Gaja left Gujarat needing 12 runs from 17 balls with one wicket in hand. The final blow came when Prince Yadav produced a sharp delivery to dismiss Bishnoi, finishing with figures of three for 37. Kohli sprinted in from cover to take the catch, celebrating emphatically as Delhi sealed a hard-fought victory. Brief scores Delhi: 254/9 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 77, Rishabh Pant 70, Harsh Tyagi 40; Vishal Jayswal 4/42) Gujarat: 247 all out in 47.4 overs (Aarya Desai 57, Saurav Chauhan 49; Prince Yadav 3/37, Ishant Sharma 2/28)
