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Vaibhav Suryavanshi's superb hundred didn't prove to be enough for Bihar on the day as the Prithvi Shaw-led Maharashtra side went on to win the game by three wickets in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). Suryavanshi 58-ball hundred saw Bihar post a decent total of 176/3 in 20 overs, but the 177-run target didn't prove to be enough on the day as Maharashtra chased it down with five deliveries left to spare.
After being invited to bat first, Bihar didn't have a great start to their innings and lost opener Bipin Saurabh in the first over itself. They then went on to lose their second wicket in the fifth over as Piyush Singh departed cheaply for seven. The duo of Suryavanshi and Akash Raj formed a solid partnership, but the Maharashtra bowlers ensured that they didn't bowl too many expensive overs.
Suryavanshi's hundred massively helps Bihar
Even though Suryavanshi tried his level best, he wasn't able to score runs at his usual pace and found it hard to increase the team's run-rate. Akash would be dismissed for a disappointing cameo of 26 runs from 30 deliveries in the 14th over as the 71-run stand came to an end. The duo of Suryavanshi and Ayush Loharuka ensured that Bihar didn't lose any more wickets in their innings, but weren't able to score freely either. The 14-year-old reached his hundred in the 20th over and finished the innings unbeaten on108 runs from 61 deliveries. It was his knock that ensured that Bihar got to a fighting total.
Shaw provided Maharashtra with a great start
In reply, Maharashtra also lost opener Arshin Kulkarni early in the second over, but skipper Prithvi Shaw ensured that the team got off to a strong start. He formed a 57-run stand alongside Manish Bhandari where the latter only scored four runs. Shaw smacked boundaries all around the stadium and went on to complete his half-century in no time. He eventually was sent back to the pavilion for 66 runs in the 10th over, but the damage was already done.
His dismissal didn't stop Maharashtra's run-flow as cameos from Niraj Joshi (30), Ranjeet Nikam (27) and Nikhil Naik (22) were enough to see them reach the target in the final over of their innings. This was Maharashtra's second victory of the SMAT and they will be hoping to keep up this form in their next fixture that will be against Madhya Pradesh on December 4.
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