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Hardik Pandya made a sensational comeback to competitive cricket, scoring an unbeaten 77 off 42 balls to lead Baroda to a thrilling seven-wicket win over Punjab in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) on Tuesday in Hyderabad, while Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest batter to score a century in SMAT at the age of 14 years and 250 days. He made a brilliant hundred against Maharashtra in Kolkata.
His impressive knock included seven fours and four sixes, showcasing Pandya's explosive batting style. He also contributed with the ball, taking one wicket in his four-over spell, although it was an expensive one, conceding 52 runs. Hardik put together a crucial third-wicket partnership of 101 with Shivalik Sharma, who was tactically retired out on 47 off 32. This allowed Jitesh Sharma, Baroda's new recruit, to join Hardik with the side needing 30 off 15 balls. Baroda needed just nine more balls to seal victory. Punjab's innings got a boost from Abhishek Sharma's 19-ball fifty and Anmolpreet Singh's explosive 69 off 32 balls, but it wasn't enough as Baroda chased down the target with ease, winning by seven wickets. Both teams now have two wins from two matches in Group C, with Gujarat currently topping the group with three wins from four games. In Kolkata, Vaibhav Suryavanshi turned heads with an unbeaten 61-ball 108, hitting seven fours and seven sixes, after a slow start with scores of 14, 13, and 5 in his first three SMAT knocks. This impressive innings helped Bihar post 176 for 3. Suryavanshi's three centuries in 2025 are the joint-most by an Indian, alongside Abhishek Sharma, while Ayush Mhatre and Ishan Kishan have two hundreds each. Suryavanshi's impressive knock wasn't enough to secure Bihar's win, as Maharashtra captain Prithvi Shaw led the charge with a blistering 30-ball 66, powering his team to a thrilling three-wicket victory with one over to spare. Shaw's aggressive batting, featuring 11 fours and a six, set the tone for Maharashtra's successful chase of 177. This was Maharashtra's second win in four games, while Bihar remained winless. In Ahmedabad, Devdutt Padikkal's explosive unbeaten century, scoring 102 off just 46 balls, which powered Karnataka to a commanding 245/3, ultimately led to a massive 145-run victory over Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. This win marks Karnataka's second victory in four matches, keeping their hopes of advancing to the Super Fours alive. TN's chase never got going; they were eventually bowled out for 100 in 14.2 overs, with N Jagadeesan's 21 being the top score. B Sai Sudharsan managed just 8. Karnataka's legspinning duo of Shreyas Gopal and Pravin Dubey picked up three wickets apiece. In Kolkata, Arjun Tendulkar, freshly traded to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), shone bright in Goa's impressive win over Madhya Pradesh, taking 3 for 36 and helping restrict MP to 170 for 6. His crucial wickets included Venkatesh Iyer for 5. Goa chased down the target with ease, winning by seven wickets with nine balls to spare, thanks to Abhinav Tejrana's 55 off 33 and Suyash Prabhudessai's unbeaten 75 off 50. Both MP and Goa have two wins in four games in Group B. (ANI)
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