238/5 (47.2)
CR : 5.03
237/9 (50.0)
CR : 4.74
Karnataka won by 5 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Devdutt Padikkal
86(113)
Over 48
Karnataka 238/5
Abhinav Manohar2(4)
Shreyas Gopal23(20)
Sumit Kumar0-33(4.2)
KAR won by 5 wickets
9:15 PM IST & Local Time: Karnataka thump Haryana by 5 wickets in the first Semi-Final and storm into the summit clash of Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. This is the fifth time Karnataka have secured their place in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. On the other hand, Haryana's journey in the ongoing event comes to an end.
Earlier, after being invited to bat first, Himanshu Rana (44) and Ankit Kumar (48) laid a solid foundation for Haryana by adding 70 runs for the second wicket. However, both set batters failed to convert their starts into big scores, falling just short of their respective fifties. Karnataka bowlers staged a solid comeback in the latter half of the innings as they didn’t allow the batters to settle for long on the crease and put Haryana under pressure. Haryana were reduced to 198/9 in the 46th over but a valuable 39*-run partnership between Anuj Thakral (23*) and Amit Rana (15*) propelled them to 237/9 in 50 overs.
Abhilash Shetty (4/34) shone with the ball for Karnataka, grabbing four crucial wickets. Prasidh Krishna and Shreyas Gopal chipped in with a couple of wickets each, while Hardik Raj celebrated a solitary wicket.
In response to 237 runs, Karnataka got an early blow as their skipper, Mayank Agarawal, was sent packing for a 3-ball duck by Anshul Kamboj in the opening over of the chase. Devdutt Padikkal and Aneesh KV rotated the strike cautiously and put things back on track, adding 62 runs for the second wicket. However, Aneesh (22) failed to convert his start into a big score and threw away his wicket playing a rash shot against Amit Rana.
Padikkal displayed maturity and relied on the singles and doubles to keep the scoreboard moving. The left-hander paired up with Smaran and took the game too far from Haryana as the pair added 128 runs for the third wicket.
Padikkal notched up his 7th consecutive Fifty in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and was inching towards his three-digit figures but unfortunately, fell 14 short of it. Shrijith also notched up his fifty, but he too failed to bat till the end, departing for 76 runs. Shreyas Gopal (23*) and Abhinav Manohar (2*) ensured victory for Karnataka without any further hiccups.
Haryana struggled to put pressure on the batters, allowing them to keep the scoreboard ticking. Although they managed to pick up a couple of quick wickets later, it was too little, too late. Nishant Sindhu claimed two wickets, while Anshul Kamboj, Amit Rana, and Parth Vats chipped in with one wicket each.
Stay tuned for the presentation.....
Earlier, after being invited to bat first, Himanshu Rana (44) and Ankit Kumar (48) laid a solid foundation for Haryana by adding 70 runs for the second wicket. However, both set batters failed to convert their starts into big scores, falling just short of their respective fifties. Karnataka bowlers staged a solid comeback in the latter half of the innings as they didn’t allow the batters to settle for long on the crease and put Haryana under pressure. Haryana were reduced to 198/9 in the 46th over but a valuable 39*-run partnership between Anuj Thakral (23*) and Amit Rana (15*) propelled them to 237/9 in 50 overs.
Abhilash Shetty (4/34) shone with the ball for Karnataka, grabbing four crucial wickets. Prasidh Krishna and Shreyas Gopal chipped in with a couple of wickets each, while Hardik Raj celebrated a solitary wicket.
In response to 237 runs, Karnataka got an early blow as their skipper, Mayank Agarawal, was sent packing for a 3-ball duck by Anshul Kamboj in the opening over of the chase. Devdutt Padikkal and Aneesh KV rotated the strike cautiously and put things back on track, adding 62 runs for the second wicket. However, Aneesh (22) failed to convert his start into a big score and threw away his wicket playing a rash shot against Amit Rana.
Padikkal displayed maturity and relied on the singles and doubles to keep the scoreboard moving. The left-hander paired up with Smaran and took the game too far from Haryana as the pair added 128 runs for the third wicket.
Padikkal notched up his 7th consecutive Fifty in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and was inching towards his three-digit figures but unfortunately, fell 14 short of it. Shrijith also notched up his fifty, but he too failed to bat till the end, departing for 76 runs. Shreyas Gopal (23*) and Abhinav Manohar (2*) ensured victory for Karnataka without any further hiccups.
Haryana struggled to put pressure on the batters, allowing them to keep the scoreboard ticking. Although they managed to pick up a couple of quick wickets later, it was too little, too late. Nishant Sindhu claimed two wickets, while Anshul Kamboj, Amit Rana, and Parth Vats chipped in with one wicket each.
Stay tuned for the presentation.....
Stay tuned for the presentation.....
Ankit Kumar (Haryana Captain): "We fell short by 20-30 runs, as our target was around 270-280. Their bowlers struck consistently, preventing us from settling into a rhythm. Himanshu and I were set, and we should have built a big partnership, but that's how the game goes sometimes. We started well with the ball, but the third-wicket partnership took the game away from us."
Player of the Match: Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal (Player of the Match): "(On strategy) Our approach was to keep it simple—play straight down the ground and focus on getting onto the front foot since the ball was keeping low. Smaran and I managed to execute that well, rotating the strike and picking up singles.
I advised everyone coming in to bat to move their body towards the ball because staying back makes it much harder on a pitch like this. Smaran batted beautifully.
(On missing the hundred) Scoring a hundred is always special, but as long as Karnataka is winning, I'm happy."
I advised everyone coming in to bat to move their body towards the ball because staying back makes it much harder on a pitch like this. Smaran batted beautifully.
(On missing the hundred) Scoring a hundred is always special, but as long as Karnataka is winning, I'm happy."
Mayank Agarawal (Karnataka Captain): "(On winning every VHT final they have reached) Well, I wasn't aware of this. Yeah, it's a good stat to have, and it shows that the team is consistently performing under pressure, taking ownership, and delivering when it matters most by winning those crucial moments.
(On the changes made after the Syed Mushtaq Ali) Just a few things about our preparation. We discussed the importance of winning crucial moments, and although we couldn't do that in that tournament, credit to the boys for focusing on it this time—both physically and mentally. We bowled really well.
At the start of the game, we would have been very happy with 240. Of course, there are areas to improve, and we aim to work on those after every match. It’s fantastic to see Dev return from Australia and deliver two match-winning performances—phenomenal. Smaran, too, has batted beautifully throughout the tournament. It’s great to see the young players stepping up, taking responsibility, and winning games for Karnataka."
(On the changes made after the Syed Mushtaq Ali) Just a few things about our preparation. We discussed the importance of winning crucial moments, and although we couldn't do that in that tournament, credit to the boys for focusing on it this time—both physically and mentally. We bowled really well.
At the start of the game, we would have been very happy with 240. Of course, there are areas to improve, and we aim to work on those after every match. It’s fantastic to see Dev return from Australia and deliver two match-winning performances—phenomenal. Smaran, too, has batted beautifully throughout the tournament. It’s great to see the young players stepping up, taking responsibility, and winning games for Karnataka."
That's all from the first semi-final of VHT 2024-25, folks! Karnataka secured their place in the grand finale and will await tomorrow's result to confirm their opponent in the final. For now, it's me Deepak Prakash signing off on behalf of co-commentators, Hiren Kumar, Arjun Bhalla, Sumeet Mate and scorer/analyst Sahil Khan. CHEERS!