TN clinch last-ball thriller against Saurashtra to make final

Chennai: In a semi-final that saw a host of top performances, it was only fitting that the result was decided off the last ball of the clash. Tamil Nadu held their nerve to defeat Saurashtra by two wickets and set up the Vijay Hazare Trophy final against Himachal Pradesh in Jaipur on Friday. Himachal defeated Services by 77 runs in the other last-four tie at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.The summit clash on Sunday. Baba Aparajith (122, 12x4, 3x6), Washington Sundar (70, 8x4) and Baba Indrajith (50, 5x4, 1x6) led the show with the willow for Tamil Nadu. But it all came down to the last ball before Tamil Nadu aced Saurashtra’s target of 311.
Tamil Nadu needed 7 off the last over bowled by medium-pacer Chirag Jani. R Sai Kishore (12 n.o.) and R Silambarasan (2 n.o.) rotated the strike between themselves to bring the equation down to 2 off 2 balls. Silambarasan took a single off the next delivery and Sai Kishore was saddled with the task of seeing TN cross the finish line. The allrounder hit a boundary off the final ball to spread cheer across the TN camp.
Saurashtra notched up a 300-plus total thanks to Sheldon Jackson’s well-compiled 134. Left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya’s 5 for 62 kept Saurashtra in the battle right till the end. Sakariya’s top effort with the ball ---both at the start and towards the end --- put brakes on Tamil Nadu’s scoring rate. Sakariya dismissed N Jagadeesan (0) and skipper Vijay Shankar (4) in his opening spell before accounting for the dangerous M Shahrukh Khan (17, 1x4, 1x6), a well-set Washington and M Siddharth (1) to keep his side in the game.
Earlier, Aparajith was his fluent self while opening the innings. The 97-run stand between Aparajith and Indrajith for the third wicket kept Tamil Nadu’s scoreboard ticking. Aparajith played shots on both sides of the wicket and switched gears at will during his 124-ball knock. Once Indrajith departed, Aparajith added 48 and 76 with Dinesh Karthik (31, 4x4, 1x6) and Washington for the fourth and fifth wickets respectively. Aparajith departed with Tamil Nadu needing 67 in the last 46 deliveries. “It was a very satisfying hundred for me and I am pleased because it came in a winning cause. The contributions by Indrajith, Dinesh Karthik and Washington were vital during the chase,” Aparajith told TOI.
Summarised Scores: Saurashtra 310-8 in 50 overs (Sheldon Jackson 134, Arpit Vasavada 57; Vijay Shankar 4-72, R Silambarasan 3-54). Tamil Nadu 314-8 in 50 overs (B Aparajith 122, Washington Sundar 70, B Indrajith 50; Sakariya 5-62). Tamil Nadu won by 2 wickets
Himachal Pradesh 281/6 in 50 overs (Rishi Dhawan 84, Prashant Chopra 78). Services 204 all out in 46.1 overs (Rajat Paliwal 55, Rishi Dhawan 4-27). Himachal won by 77 runs