Vishnu Solanki and MS Dhoni
An unbeaten 71 off 46 deliveries by right-handed batsman Vishnu Solanki helped Baroda beat Haryana by eight wickets in a quarter-final match on Wednesday and enter the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.
Baroda won the toss and sent Haryana in to bat. The Mohit Sharma-led side made 148 runs on the back of 49 from Himanshu Rana and 35 by Shivam Chauhan. Off-spinner Kartik Kakade took two wickets for seven runs in two overs.
In reply, Baroda got off to a decent start, scoring 33 in the first five overs. However, opener and wicketkeeper Smit Patel was dismissed in the sixth over.
Captain and opener Kedar Devdhar then added 68 for the second wicket with Solanki to put Baroda on track. While Devdhar was dismissed for 43 off 40 balls, Solanki remained unbeaten. His 71 contained five sixes and four fours. During the course of his match-winning knock, Solanki also reminded fans of ex-India skipper MS Dhoni's helicopter shot.
Baroda needed 18 runs to win off the last over when Solanki stepped up and hit a six and a four on fourth and fifth ball respectively. When Baroda needed five to win off the ultimate delivery, Solanki, standing deep in his crease, turned a near-perfect yorker to a half-volley.
Solanki slammed a last-ball six as Baroda stormed into the semi-final of the tournament. They'll now take on Punjab on Friday to book a berth in the final.
(With IANS Inputs)
