Opening batters Priyansh Arya and Tejasvi Dahiya played attacking knocks to help Delhi overcome a modest contribution from captain Rishabh Pant and beat Saurashtra by three wickets in a Group D match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) in Bengaluru
Chasing a stiff 321 target, Delhi got off to a strong start thanks to Arya’s quick 78 off just 45 balls and Tejasvi’s well-paced 53 from 51 deliveries. Despite Kohli's absence, Delhi chased down the target in 48.5 overs, losing seven wickets at the Alur 2 Ground.
Saurashtra's innings
Earlier, Saurashtra posted a mammoth 320 for seven in their 50 overs. Opener Vishvarajsinh Jadeja led the charge with a solid 115 off 104 balls, while Ruchit Ahir remained unbeaten on 95 from 65 balls to give the innings a strong finish.
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Pant's modest performance
Pant had a quiet day with the bat, scoring 22 from 26 balls before being caught by Jay Gohil off Chirag Jani. Kohli, who had been instrumental in Delhi’s first two wins with a century and a half-century, was not part of the playing XI. He is expected to rejoin the side for their next match against Railways on January 6 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
Delhi continued the momentum despite losing wickets
Delhi stayed on top of the chase despite losing wickets at regular intervals. Arya shared a 66-run stand for the second wicket with Ayush Doseja before being dismissed by Chetan Sakariya. At that stage, Delhi were well placed at 115 for two in just over 13 overs.
Tejasvi then played a key role in keeping the chase on track. He added 48 runs with Pant for the fifth wicket and followed it up with a 40-run partnership with Harsh Tyagi after Delhi slipped to 160 for four.
Delhi on the Group D points table
When Tejasvi was dismissed by Ankur Pawar, Delhi still needed 73 runs from 12 overs with four wickets in hand. Harsh Tyagi (49 off 45 balls) and Navdeep Saini (34 not out) calmly guided the team home with a determined seventh-wicket stand. With this win, Delhi moved to the top of Group D with 12 points from three matches.
Saini also impressed with the ball earlier in the day, picking up three wickets for 41 runs in his 10 overs. For Saurashtra, Jadeja was involved in two important partnerships, adding 79 runs with Gajjar Sammar for the second wicket and later putting on 80 runs for the sixth wicket with Ahir.