Vijay Hazare trophy: UP registers fifth consecutive victory by defeating J&K

Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh continued their dominant run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, registering their fifth consecutive victory by defeating Jammu & Kashmir by 58 runs in a pool match at the Niranjan Shah stadium ground in Rajkot on Saturday.Put in to bat, UP posted an imposing total of 322 for 5 in 48 overs, riding on half-centuries from Dhruv Chand Jurel (55), Priyam Garg (54) and an unbeaten 80 by Sameer Rizvi. It was the fifth occasion in as many matches that UP crossed the 300-run mark in the tournament.UP's innings did not begin on a positive note as they slipped to 43 for 2. However, Jurel and Garg steadied the innings with a crucial 114-run partnership for the third wicket, which proved to be the backbone of the total. Jurel was dismissed by Aqib Nabi after scoring 55 off 55 balls, laced with 6 fours and 2 sixes, while Garg fell soon after for 54.Sameer Rizvi, who was quiet in earlier matches, played a sparkling knock. He added 80 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Rinku Singh (41). Rinku was dismissed by M Ashwin, caught by Kawalpreet at deep, after hitting 2 boundaries and a six. Rizvi later forged an explosive unbeaten 76-run stand in just 32 balls with Prashant Veer, taking UP past the 300-run mark. Rizvi remained unbeaten on 80 off 45 balls, including 6 fours and 5 sixes, while Prashant Veer scored an unbeaten 37 off 18 balls with 6 fours and a six. Aqib Nabi was the most successful bowler for J&K, claiming 2 wickets.Chasing a stiff target, J&K made a steady start through Kamran Iqbal and Shubham Khajuria, who added 76 runs for the opening wicket. Kamran was unfortunate to be run out for 32 following a sharp throw by Kuldeep Singh Yadav. One-down batter Yavar Hassan then played a valiant unbeaten knock of 85 off 78 balls, striking 4 fours and 4 sixes.Shubham Khajuria contributed a well-made 60 off 59 balls with 8 boundaries before being caught behind by Jurel off Zeeshan Ansari, who broke the second-wicket stand. Yavar anchored the innings thereafter, adding small but useful partnerships, including a 52-run stand for the eighth wicket with Aqib Nabi (30 off 21 balls) and an unbeaten 32-run partnership with M Ashwin for the ninth wicket. Despite the resistance, J&K were restricted to 264 for 8.For UP, Zeeshan Ansari was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets, while star spinner Kuldeep Singh Yadav chipped in with 2 wickets.UP coach Arvind Kapoor told The Times of India that although there was no century, the top-order batters contributed valuable runs and built key partnerships to post a strong total. He added that Kuldeep and Zeeshan bowled effectively to defend the target.Brief score:UP-322 for 5 (Abhishek Goswami 13, Aryan Juyal 22, Dhruv Chand Jurel 55, Priyam Garg 54, Rinku Singh 41, Sameer Rizvi 80 not out, Prashant Veer 37 not out, Aqib Nabi 2 for 73, Lone Nasir Muzaffar 1 for 48, M Ashwin 1 for 79).J&K-264 for 8 (Kamran Iqbal 32, Shubham Khajuria 60, Yavar Hassan 85 not out, PK Dogra 13, Kawan Preet Singh 1, Rydham 15, Lone Nasir Muzaffar 0, Abid Mushtaq, Aqib Nabi 30, M Ashwin 16 not out, Prashant Veer 1 for 33, Vipraj Nigam 1 for 51, Kuldeep Singh Yadav 2 for 47, Zeeshan Ansari 3 for 49).