Vijay Hazare Trophy: Gaikwad's century wasted; Kerala, MP qualify for knock-outs
Maharashtra were unlucky to be eliminated as they finished third on net-run rate (+0.104) after they ended with 16 points with Kerala (+0.974) and Madhya Pradesh (+0.485).
Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his red hot form to smash his fourth hundred but Maharashtra despite their narrow win over Chandigarh couldn't qualify for the Vijay Hazare knock-out from group D of the Vijay Hazare Trophy here on Tuesday.
The win however was not enough for Maharashtra, who were unlucky to be eliminated finishing third on net-run rate (+0.104) after they ended with 16 points with Kerala (+0.974) and Madhya Pradesh (+0.485).
Kerala topped group D with a massive five-wicket win over Uttarakhand with 86 balls to spare to advance directly into the quarters where they will face Services at Jaipur on December 22.
Madhya Pradesh on the other hand finished second, ousting Maharashtra with a thrilling three-run win over Chhattisgarh to qualify for the pre-quarters where they will face Uttar Pradesh at Jaipur on December 19.
Chasing a tall 310 in a do-or-die group D clash, the Maharashtra skipper led from the front with a blistering 168 from 132 balls.
Later their No 6 Azim Kazi gave the finishing touches with a composed 79-ball 73 to win with seven balls to spare at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Ground C here.
This was the Maharashtra and Chennai Super Kings opener's fourth century in five matches -- his sensational form continuing since his record-breaking IPL 2021 run where he amassed 635 runs to bag the Orange Cap
The 24-year-old smashed 100 off 95 balls before cruising to his next 50 from 26 balls as he hammered 12 fours and six sixes before getting out in the 44th over.
With Yogesh Nahar, Gaikwad put on a 109-run opening stand but they went on to lose four wickets for 22 runs to be 131/4 in the 24th over. Then the left-handed allrounder Kazi gave fine company to his skipper with the duo putting on 139 runs for the fifth wicket to set up the chase.
Gaikwad earlier had scored a hattrick of centuries -- 136, 154*, 124 -- in the ongoing VHT to conclude the season with 603 runs with an average of 150.75. He also joined the likes of Virat Kohli, Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal to hit four centuries in one Vijay Hazare Trophy season.
Results
Railways vs Assam, Round 5, Elite Group E
JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi
Assam won by 62 runs
Rajasthan vs Services, Round 5, Elite Group E
JSCA Oval Ground, Ranchi
Services won by 16 runs
Goa vs Punjab, Round 5, Elite Group E
Metallurgical and Engineering Consultant Ltd Sail Stadium, Ranchi
Match tied
Chhattisgarh vs Madhya Pradesh, Round 5, Elite Group D
Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, Rajkot
Madhya Pradesh won by 3 runs
Tripura vs Meghalaya, Round 5, Plate
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Tripura won by 9 wkts
Sikkim vs Manipur, Round 5, Plate
KL Saini Ground, Jaipur
Manipur won by 2 wkts
Bihar vs Arunachal Pradesh, Round 5, Plate
Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground, Jaipur
Bihar won by 6 wkts
Nagaland vs Mizoram, Round 5, Plate
Soul Feel Cricket Stadium, Jaipur
Nagaland won by 80 runs
Maharashtra vs Chandigarh, Round 5, Elite Group D
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium C, Rajkot
Maharashtra won by 5 wkts
Kerala vs Uttarakhand, Round 5, Elite Group D
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Kerala won by 5 wkts
Hyderabad vs Jharkhand, Round 5, Elite Group C
Sector 16 Stadium, Chandigarh
Jharkhand won by 36 runs
Vidarbha vs Jammu and Kashmir, Round 5, Elite Group A
Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai
Vidarbha won by 5 wkts
Odisha vs Himachal Pradesh, Round 5, Elite Group A
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
Himachal Pradesh won by 63 runs
Gujarat vs Andhra, Round 5, Elite Group A
Dadoji Konddev Stadium, Thane
Andhra won by 81 runs
Karnataka vs Bengal, Round 5, Elite Group B
St Xavier's College Ground, Thiruvananthapuram
Bengal won by 4 wkts
Mumbai vs Puducherry, Round 5, Elite Group B
Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Puducherry won by 18 runs
Baroda vs Tamil Nadu, Round 5, Elite Group B
KCA Cricket Ground, Mangalapuram, Thiruvananthapuram
Baroda won by 41 runs
Uttar Pradesh vs Haryana, Round 5, Elite Group C
Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Uttar Pradesh won by 78 runs
Delhi vs Saurashtra, Round 5, Elite Group C
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh
Saurashtra won by 4 wkts