Haryana blow away TN in SFs

Chennai: Right-hander Himanshu Rana hit 116 not out as Haryana beat Tamil Nadu by 63 runs to make the Vijay Hazare Trophy final on Wednesday. Haryana will either face Rajasthan or Karnataka in the final. On a placid batting surface in Rajkot, No. 3 batter Rana and opener Yuvraj Singh (65 off 79 balls) were involed in a 132-run partnership in 22.1 overs that put Haryana on pole position. The Tamil Nadu attack comprising of the likes of medium-pacer T Natarajan (3-73) and spinner Varun Chakravarthy (2-67) could not make much of an impact on the duo as they piled on the runs at a fast pace. Though Yuvraj was dismissed by Natarajan, Himanshu held one end up as Haryana posted a challenging 293-7. After the departure of Yuvraj, Haryana lost a few quick wickets but No. 8 batter Sumit Kumar’s quickfire 48 off 30 balls gave the team a much-needed momentum.To overhaul a 294-run target, TN needed a good start but once they were reduced to 76-4 by the 20th over, things had really become uphill. It was crucial that Dinesh Karthick, probably playing for the last time for TN, play a memorable knock for the team to go through. But medium-pacer Harshal Patel removed him for 31 and things went from bad to worse for TN. B Indrajith (64) kept up the fight, but it was too little too late.With right-arm medium pacer Anshul Kamboj taking 4/30, TN were finally bundled out for 230 in the 47th over, adding to the disappointment of their early exit from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The other semifinal will take place on Thursday with Rajasthan and Karnataka locking horns.Brief scores: Haryana 293-7 in 50 overs (Himanshu Rana 116*, Yuvraj Singh 65, Sumit Kumar 48; Natarajan 3-73). Tamil Nadu 230 in 47.1 overs (B Indrajith 64; Anshul Kamboj 4-30). Haryana won by 63 runs.