Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma had a day to forget with the bat, but his domestic side Mumbai continued their winning momentum in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26. Sharma was dismissed for a first-ball duck, yet Mumbai secured a 51-run victory over Uttarakhand in a Group C clash in Jaipur on Friday.
Mumbai Overcomes Skipper's Early Exit
After being asked to bat first at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Mumbai suffered an immediate setback as Rohit Sharma was caught out off the very first delivery of the match. However, the team showcased its depth with significant contributions down the order.
Wicketkeeper-batter Hardik Tamore anchored the innings with an unbeaten 93 from just 82 balls. The Khan brothers, Sarfaraz and Musheer, provided solidity in the middle, both scoring 55 runs each. Valuable late-order cameos from Shams Mulani (48 off 35) and Shardul Thakur (29 off 21) propelled Mumbai to a formidable total of 331 for 7 in their 50 overs.
In reply, Uttarakhand's opener Yuvraj Chaudhary fought valiantly with a 96-run knock, supported by J Suchith's 51. But the chase lost steam as regular wickets fell. Uttarakhand finished their innings at 280 for 9, handing Mumbai a comfortable win. Shardul Thakur was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2 for 28.
Uttar Pradesh's Batting Powerhouse on Display
In a Group B match in Rajkot, Uttar Pradesh delivered a commanding performance to crush Chandigarh by a massive 227-run margin. The foundation was laid by a spectacular batting display led by opener Aryan Juyal and finisher Rinku Singh.
Aryan Juyal smashed 134 runs off 118 deliveries, hitting seven fours and eight sixes. Coming in at number five, Rinku Singh was equally destructive, blasting an unbeaten 106 from just 60 balls. His innings included 11 fours and four sixes. Dhruv Jurel continued his good form with a brisk 67 off 57 balls, helping UP post a daunting 367 for 4.
Chandigarh's response never gained momentum against UP's spin attack. The leg-spin duo of Zeeshan Ansari (4/29) and Vipraj Nigam (2/35) ran through the batting line-up, bundling Chandigarh out for a mere 140 in 29.3 overs.
Shorey Equals Historic List A Batting Record
Vidarbha's Dhruv Shorey entered the record books during his team's Group B match against Hyderabad in Rajkot. The right-handed batter scored a magnificent 109, marking his fifth consecutive century in List A cricket.
With this knock, Shorey equalled the record set by Tamil Nadu's N Jagadeesan, who also scored five hundreds in a row during the 2022-23 Vijay Hazare Trophy season. Shorey's innings was instrumental in Vidarbha posting 365 for 5. Hyderabad, despite a fighting 85 from Varun, could only manage 276, falling short by 89 runs.
Other Notable Performances Across Groups
The second round witnessed several other standout individual efforts. In Bengaluru, Haryana's Yashvardhan Dalal played a match-winning innings, scoring an unbeaten 164 off 135 balls to chase down Saurashtra's 253 with six wickets in hand.
In Ahmedabad, Karnataka's Devdutt Padikkal (124) and Karun Nair (130*) forged a brilliant 223-run partnership to chase down Kerala's 284 with eight wickets to spare. Padikkal's form in white-ball cricket continues to impress selectors and fans alike.
Brief Scores from other matches:
- Group A: Madhya Pradesh (283/8) beat Tamil Nadu (280) by 2 wickets.
- Group B: Baroda (209/6) beat Bengal (205) by 4 wickets.
- Group C: Punjab (254/1) beat Chhattisgarh (253) by 9 wickets.
- Group D: Odisha (84/6) beat Services (83) by 4 wickets.
The tournament action continues to heat up as domestic stars and international icons vie for supremacy in India's premier 50-over competition.
