Mushtaq Ali T20: All-round Rajasthan cruise into QFs

JAIPUR: All-round Rajasthan defeated Saurashtra by 15 runs to storm into the quarterfinals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Tuesday. Captain Ashok Menaria anchored Rajasthan to a competitive target of 165/5 in 20 overs in the last Group D league match, while bowlers ensured no easy runs were given and created pressure.
After in-form Saurashtra batsman Avi Barot (25 off 13 balls) got run-out, leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi (1-20) trapped Samarth Vyas leg before off a sharp googly on the very next delivery of the same over.Jolted by twin blows in the fifth over, Saurashtra found it difficult to claw their way back into the game. Rajasthan's left-arm medium-pacer Aniket Choudhary scalped two wickets leaking 29 runs.
Earlier, opting to bat first, Rajasthan lost opener Bharat Sharma for 14 runs to left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya in the second over, prompting Menaria to take up responsibility thereafter. The skipper stitched a 94-run partnership with Ankit Lamba (40 off 38 balls) that brought stability and gave Rajasthan a solid platform to accelerate the scoring rate later. When Rajasthan were 138/4 in 17.6 overs, Mahipal Lomror played a ferocious unbeaten cameo of 24 off eight balls, fetching 20 runs from the last over bowled by Saurashtra's captain Jaydev Unadkat, to help the side reach the eventual total.
Brief Scores: Rajasthan 165/5 in 20 overs (A Menaria 67, A Lamba 40; C Sakariya 2-22) defeated Saurashtra 150/5 in 20 overs (P Mankad 61 not out; A Choudhary 2-29, R Bishnoi 1-20).