Vijay Hazare Trophy: Rajasthan cruise past Madhya Pradesh

CHENNAI: Rajasthan had a good day at the office as they scripted a comfortable seven-wicket win over Madhya Pradesh in their Group C Vijay Hazare Trophy clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Monday. Rajasthan, which was chasing Madhya Pradesh's target of 242, rode on Aditya Garhwal's 108 to finish things off with 16 deliveries to spare.
Aditya's run-a-ball knock contained seven fours and two sixes.Aditya mixed caution with aggression and added a well-compiled 161 runs for the second wicket from 186 deliveries along with Amit Gautam (62, 7x4) that set the tone for the chase. Skipper Mahipal Lomror's unbeaten 51 from 48 balls ensured Rajasthan didn't have much anxious moments to endure.
Earlier in the day, Madhya Pradesh skipper Harpreet Singh Bhatia came to the party striking a 56-ball 55 that helped the side finish with a respectable total on board. Others to contribute for the side include Anand Bais (51) and Ankit Sharma (65) who struck some lusty blows towards the latter phase of the innings and swelled the team's total. For Rajasthan, Syed Khaleel Ahmed (3 for 51), Abhimanyu Lamba (2 for 69) and Mahipal Lomror (2 for 15) led the show with the ball.
Rajasthan's win may not be enough to take them to the next stage of the competition. Rajasthan currently have 8 points from 5 outings and even a win in their final clash will only take their tally to 12 which may not be enough to overhaul the points notched up by Mumbai and Andhra.
Brief scores: Madhya Pradesh 241-9 in 50 overs (Harpreet Singh Bhatia 55, Anand Bais 51, Ankit Sharma 65; Syed Khaleel Ahmed 3-51, Abhimanyu Lamba 2-69, Mahipal Lomror 2-15). Rajasthan 245-3 in 47.2 overs (Amit Gautam 62, Aditya Garhwal 108, Mahipal Lomror 51 n.o.). Rajasthan won by seven wickets