UP begin Vijay Hazare campaignwith easy win over Hyderabad

Kanpur: Openers Abhishek Goswami and Aryan Juyal struck fluent knocks of 81 and 80 respectively and shared a 152-run opening partnership to guide Uttar Pradesh to an 84-run victory over Hyderabad in their opening match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday.Invited to bat, UP posted an imposing total of 324 for 5 in their allotted 50 overs. In reply, Hyderabad were bowled out for 240 in 43 overs. UP's strong total was built on four half-centuries by Abhishek, Juyal, Dhruv Chand Jurel and Rinku Singh. Goswami and Juyal laid a firm foundation with their 152-run stand in 27.1 overs. Goswami was the first to depart, caught by Rakshann off Md Arfaz after scoring 81 runs from 81 balls, including 10 boundaries and a six. Juyal followed soon after, dismissed by Tanay Thyagarajan for 80 off 96 balls, with nine fours and a six. Dhruv Chand Jurel then accelerated the innings with a brisk 80 off just 61 balls, smashing four fours and four sixes. He also added a valuable 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket before being dismissed by Rakshann. Captain Rinku Singh provided the finishing touches with a quickfire 67 off 48 balls, hitting six boundaries and two sixes. For Hyderabad, Md Arfaz was the most successful bowler, claiming two wickets. Chasing 325, Hyderabad suffered an early setback when opener Abhirath Reddy was dismissed for a duck by Kartik Tyagi. Tanmay Agarwal and skipper Rahul Singh Gahlaut steadied the innings with a 94-run partnership, the highest stand for Hyderabad. Later, Varun and Buddhiraj added 73 runs for the fourth wicket to keep hopes alive. However, the innings lost momentum after Zeeshan Ansari removed Buddhiraj for 47. Varun scored 45 before falling to Prashant Veer, while the remaining batters failed to make significant contributions. Zeeshan Ansari was the pick of the UP bowlers, finishing with figures of 4 for 31, while Prashant Veer supported him well with 3 for 47. UP coach Arvind Kapoor, speaking after the match, praised the batting performances of Goswami, Juyal, Jurel and Rinku Singh, and also lauded the bowling efforts of Zeeshan Ansari and Prashant Veer for sealing a comprehensive victory. Brief scores: UP: 5 for 324 (Abhishek Goswami 81, Aryan Juyal 80, Dhruv Chand Jurel 80, Rinku Singh 67) Hyderabad - 240 (Tanmay Agarwal 53, Rahul Singh Gahlaut 32, Buddhi Rahul 47, Varun 45; Kartik Tyagi 2/45, Zeeshan Ansari 4/31, Prashant Veer 3/47)