File photo of Yuzvendra Chahal
Pulkit Narang dished out a fine all-round display as Services survived some anxious moments to get past Goa by one wicket in a low-scoring Group E match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy national one-dayers here on Saturday.
Chasing a paltry 155, Services lost half their side inside 15 overs and kept on losing wickets but a steely Narang held his nerve batting at no 8 with an unbeaten 67 to steer his side home.
Narang, the Services off-spinner, who returned with an impressive 2/35 in his seven overs earlier in the day, held on to his end in his 93-ball knock, studded with three sixes and seven boundaries.
Goa medium pacer Felix Alemao grabbed a career-best 4/34 and almost sealed the issue for them after he trapped Services no 10 Raj Bahadur for five in 32.5 overs.
Services still needed a mammoth 58 runs with Narang having the company of last man Trivendra Kumar as the duo showed fine composure to seal their third successive win.
With the last pair in company, Narang cleverly rotated strikes, while Trivendra also showed dogged resistance, facing 12 deliveries for his 1 not out.
Earlier opting to field at the JSCA International Stadium here, Services bowled Goa out for a 154 in 40.1 overs with left-arm pacer Raj returning with an impressive 3/42 from 7.1 overs.
Diwesh Pathania, Rahul Singh and Narang claimed two wickets each.
Rajasthan also kept their winning run intact, defeating Railways by six wickets to make it three in a row and remain ahead of Services on net run-rate.
Shubham Sharma (3/39) and Aniket Chaudhary (3/49) claimed three wickets each, while left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed bowled a tidy 1/36 from his 10 overs to restrict Railways to a below-par 233/9.
In reply, Rajasthan cruised home in 45.1 overs riding on an unbeaten 109-run stand between Mahipal Lomror (85 not out) and Samarpit Joshi (53 not out).
Brief Scores
Goa 154; 40.1 overs (Raj Bahadur 3/42, Rahul Singh 2/13, Diwesh Pathania 2/19, Pulkit Narang 2/35) lost to Services 155/9; 44 overs (Pulkit Narang 67 not out; Felix Alemao 4/34, Lakshay Garg 3/29) by one wicket.
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Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, Rajkot
Kerala won by 4 wkts
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St Xavier's College Ground, Thiruvananthapuram
Baroda won by 5 wkts
Tamil Nadu vs Bengal, Round 3, Elite group B
Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Tamil Nadu won by 136 runs
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KCA Cricket Ground, Mangalapuram, Thiruvananthapuram
Karnataka won by 7 wkts
Uttar Pradesh vs Delhi, Round 3, Elite group C
Sector 16 Stadium, Chandigarh
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Railways vs Rajasthan, Round 3, Elite group E
Metallurgical and Engineering Consultant Ltd Sail Stadium, Ranchi
Rajasthan won by 6 wkts
Goa vs Services, Round 3, Elite group E
JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi
Services won by 1 wkt
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JSCA Oval Ground, Ranchi
Punjab won by 10 wkts
Andhra vs Jammu and Kashmir, Round 3, Elite group A
Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
Andhra won by 2 wkts
Tripura vs Sikkim, Round 3, Plate
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Tripura won by 8 wkts
Bihar vs Nagaland, Round 3, Plate
KL Saini Ground, Jaipur
Bihar won by 138 runs
Meghalaya vs Manipur, Round 3, Plate
Jaipuria Vidyalaya Ground, Jaipur
Meghalaya won by 111 runs
Arunachal Pradesh vs Mizoram, Round 3, Plate
Soul Feel Cricket Stadium, Jaipur
Mizoram won by 5 wkts
Madhya Pradesh vs Uttarakhand, Round 3, Elite group D
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium C, Rajkot
Madhya Pradesh won by 77 runs
Chhattisgarh vs Chandigarh, Round 3, Elite group D
Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
Chhattisgarh won by 44 runs
Gujarat vs Himachal Pradesh, Round 3, Elite group A
Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai
Himachal Pradesh won by 97 runs
Vidarbha vs Odisha, Round 3, Elite group A
Dadoji Konddev Stadium, Thane
Odisha won by 6 wkts
Tamil Nadu vs Bengal, Round 3, Elite group B
Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram
Tamil Nadu won by 136 runs
Hyderabad vs Saurashtra, Round 3, Elite group C
Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
Saurashtra won by 7 wkts
Jharkhand vs Haryana, Round 3, Elite group C
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh
Haryana won by 28 runs
