The Rajasthan cricket team defeated Himachal Pradesh by two wickets in its third Group B match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai on Thursday.

The win lifted Rajasthan to third place in the eight-team Group B behind toppers Maharashtra and Andhra. Rajasthan had beaten Andhra two days ago after losing their opener against Maharashtra last week.

Electing to field first, Rajasthan were set a target of 287 by Himachal Pradesh, who were 138/2 after 25 overs but were pegged by Rajasthan bowlers in the later part of the innings. Ankit Kalsi top-scored for Himachal Pradesh with 89 runs from 106 balls.

In reply, Rajasthan’s openers Ram Chouhan and Abhijeet Tomar put on a century stand to ensure their team gets over the line despite a wobble in the final overs.

Aman Shekhawat struck early for Rajasthan, trapping Prashant Chopra leg-before-wicket in the sixth over. However, Ankit Kalsi anchored Himachal Pradesh’s innings with a steady 62-run stand alongside Mani Sharma.

Mani, after scoring 31 off 38, was sent back by Ajay Singh in the 17th over but Apoorv Walia joined Kalsi to keep the scoreboard ticking with an 83-run partnership off just 77 balls.

At 167/3 after 30 overs, Himachal Pradesh looked well-placed. Rajasthan, however, tightened the screws in the next 10 overs, keeping Kalsi and skipper Rishi Dhawan in check. Despite no breakthroughs, disciplined bowling restricted Himachal to just 46 runs in that period.

Rajasthan conceded 73 runs in the final 10 overs and picked up seven wickets. Aniket Choudhary (4/67 in 9 overs) and Kukna Ajay Singh (3/71 in 10 overs) did most of the damage for Rajasthan.

Rajasthan’s chase began well with Ram Chouhan and Abhijeet Tomar laying down a solid foundation with a 109-run partnership off 122 balls. Chauhan contributed with a 59-ball 46 before losing his wicket. Skipper Mahipal Lomror added a brisk 36 off 34 to keep the run rate on track.

Rajasthan were looking good at 163/1 at the 30-over mark. However, a double blow soon followed as Lomror fell in the 31st over and Tomar, after a composed 76 off 98, departed two overs later.

At 172/3 in 33 overs, Rajasthan still needed 115 runs from 102 balls.

Regular wickets tested the chase but Deepak Hooda’s 38 off 32, crucial cameos from Shubham Garhwal (13 off 10), Deepak Chahar (26 off 21) and Ajay Singh’s unbeaten 26 off 22, ensured Rajasthan crossed the finish line with three balls to spare.

On Saturday, Rajasthan will play Meghalaya in their next Group B match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the premier domestic 50-over tournament in India.

The top-ranked team from each of the five groups along with the best second-placed team will directly qualify for the quarter-finals. The other four second-placed teams meet in the preliminary quarter-finals with the winners filling the last two spots in the quarters.

Rajasthan vs Himachal Pradesh, Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, brief scores: HP 286/10 in 50 overs (Ankit Kalsi 89, Aniket Choudhary 4/67) lost to RAJ 287/8 in 49.3 overs (Abhijeet Tomar 76, Vaibhav Arora 3/65) by two wickets.