Haryana emerged victorious by 72 runs against Bengal in the 1st Preliminary Quarter-Final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 at the Moti Bagh Stadium, Vadodara. (Match Highlights | More Cricket News)

Opting to bat first, Haryana posted an impressive 298/9 in 50 overs with the innings anchored by opener Parth Vats (62 off 77 balls). Nishant Sindhu played a crucial knock of 64 off 67 balls. Contributions from Rahul Tewatia (29 off 25) and Sumit Kumar (41 off 32) provided the necessary momentum in the latter half of the innings.

For Bengal, Mohammed Shami remained standout bowler, claiming 3/61 in his 10 overs. Mukesh Kumar and Sayan Ghosh also picked up two wickets each but struggled to contain the Haryana batters in the death overs.

BY Outlook Sports Desk

Chasing a challenging target, Bengal faced early blows as their captain Sudip Gharami (36 off 39) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (10 off 17) fell cheaply. Wicketkeeper Abishek Porel fought valiantly, scoring 57 off 78, but lacked support from the middle order.

Anustup Majumdar (36 off 34) and Karan Lal (28 off 30) tried to rebuild the innings, but Haryana’s bowlers kept striking at regular intervals. Bengal was eventually bowled out for 226 in 43.1 overs.

Anshul Kamboj and Nishant Sindhu each chipped in with two wickets, but the real danger for Bengal was Parth Vats, who gave an exceptional spell of 3/33.

Haryana came into the contest after completing the group stage fixtures, only below Gujarat in Group A with 24 points.

Bengal, on the other side, entered the knockouts, having been second best in a tough group with 18 points.

India's resilience saw them defeat the Dutch and Spain in shootouts, earning valuable bonus points

Haryana will now face Gujarat in their BHT 2024-25 quarterfinal match on January 12. betjili