Deepak Hooda struck his maiden T20 century in a match-winning effort © BCCI
Deepak Hooda struck the third fastest T20 century in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to helped Baroda beat Gujarat by 15 runs and register their first win in the inter-state T20 competition.
Hooda struck three fours and nine sixes in his 51-ball 108 to fire Baroda to 201 for 8. A majority of those runs were accrued during the course of a third-wicket stand of 119 with Vishnu Solanki (42). Three Gujarat bowlers picked up two wickets each: Ishwar Chaudhary was the most economical among them, taking 2 for 12 off four overs.
Gujarat lost openers Dhruv Raval and Priyank Panchal in the space of three deliveries in the fourth over. When Manprit Juneja fell for 20, they were 61 for 3 in 6.2 overs. Rujul Bhatt (34) and Chirag Gandhi (56) briefly kept the chase alive, but the asking rate spiraled beyond 10 runs an over when Tushar Arothe sent back Bhatt in the 15th over. Rohit Dahiya struck an unbeaten 29-ball 11 to eventually reduce the margin of victory. Gujarat finished on 186 for 7.
Mumbai recovered from 95 for 5 in 15 overs to overhaul Saurashtra’s 175 for 6 with two balls to spare and four wickets in hand in a thriller. Abhishek Nayar, who struck an unbeaten 76, helped bring the chase into the realms of possibility. He was aided by Shashank Singh, who made 47 not out off 22 balls, in a 102-run stand for the sixth wicket to help Mumbai remain unbeaten.
Saurashtra, who elected to bat, were driven by Cheteshwar Pujara’s 42-ball 47 that bailed the team out of a precarious 53 for 3. Sheldon Jackson made 30, while Rajdeep Darbar struck 37 off just 24 balls before retiring hurt to give the innings a flourish in the end overs. Saurashtra batsmen were particularly harsh on Prathamesh Dake, who conceded 55 off his four overs.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo