A file image of Sandeep Sharma
Pacer Sandeep Sharma wrecked havoc with a career-best figures of 7 for 19 as Punjab beat Haryana by three wickets in a low scoring Elite Group B match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy National One-Day tournament on Sunday.
Sharma alongside Sidharth Kaul (3 wickets) saw Haryana get bundled out for a paltry 49 runs in 16 overs.
The Haryana batting was in shambles with only two of their batsmen managing to reach double digits and as many as five being dismissed for a duck.
Opener Nitin Saini top-scored for Haryana with 22 runs while Sumit Kumar chipped in with 13.
In reply, Punjab made hard work of a simple task. They lost wickets at regular intervals with pacer Ajit Chahal getting early breakthroughs for Haryana.
The duo of Chahal 4/32 and Harshal Patel 2/12 claimed six wickets but the total tuned out to be too low in the end.
Opener Abhishek Sharma stood his ground and anchored his team to victory. He was the top scorer and remained unbeaten at 22.
All of the other Punjab batsmen failed to reach double digits with four them heading back to the pavilion without opening their accounts.
Brief scores:
Haryana: 49 in 16 overs (Nitin Saini 22; Sandeep Sharma 7-19)
Punjab: 50/7 in 15.1 overs (Abhishek Sharma 22 not out; Ajit Chahal 4-32).
