Opener Unmukt Chand did not let a broken jaw stand in the way as he slammed a sublime century and powered Delhi to a 55-run victory over Uttar Pradesh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Monday. Chand was dropped from the semifinal and final of the Ranji Trophy after a poor run of form, but regained his confidence with a half-century in the title clash of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, which his team won.
Sent into bat after UP won the toss, Delhi rode on Chand's 116 off 125 balls to notch up a competitive 307 for six in the allotted 50 overs. A former U-19 World Cup winning captain, Chand was injured in the nets, just before the start of the match.
But he showed courage and belted 12 boundaries and three sixes during his stay in the middle. Chand's opening partner, Hiten Dalal, was the next best scorer with 57 off 64 balls, hitting eight fours.
The two added 107 runs for the first wicket, laying a solid foundation for Delhi to make a big total. Dhruv Shorey and Nitish Rana contributed 31 each, while Rishabh Pant smashed a brisk 18-ball 28 with the help of three fours and two sixes.
For Uttar Pradesh, middle-order batsman Umang Sharma scored a fine 102 off 104, but his effort went in vain as left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya grabbed four wickets, including that of the centurion, to help Delhi bowl out their opponents for 252 in 45.3 overs at the Luhnu Cricket Ground.
UP skipper Akshdeep Nath made a breezy 54 off 49 balls, hitting five boundaries and a six, while Sharma found the fence seven times and cleared it thrice.
Delhi captain Pradeep Sangwan, who struck twice early, finished with 3/28 in seven overs, while Khejroliya had figures of 4/34 in 8.3 overs.
Brief Scores:
Delhi: 307 for 6 in 50 overs (Unmukt Chand 116, Hiten Dalal 57; Kartik Tyagi 2/50, Ankit Rajpoot 2/61).
Uttar Pradesh: 252 all out in 45.3 overs (Umang Sharma 102, Akshdeep Nath 54; Kulwant Khejroliya 4/34, Pradeep Sangwan 3/28).
