NEW DELHI: Wicketkeeper-batsman Anuj Rawat smashed six sixes in his unbeaten 95 off 85 balls as an under-pressure Delhi made a remarkable recovery to beat Uttarakhand by four wickets in the pre-quarter final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Sunday.
Delhi will meet Uttar Pradesh in their quarter-final match on Monday.
Batting first, Uttarakhand posted 287 for 8 in 50 overs, riding on opener Kamal Singh‘s 77 off 83 balls, while former Delhi Ranji Trophy opener and current visiting team skipper Kunal Chandela managed a patient 62 off 83 balls.
In reply, Delhi surpassed the target in 48.3 overs after being reduced to 146 for 6 in the 33rd over.
Left-handed dasher Rawat found an able ally in his skipper Pradeep Sangwan (58 off 49 balls) as they added 143 runs in only 16 overs to clinch the issue at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
IPL specialist KKR batsman Nitish Rana (81 off 88 balls) was the only batsman among the top order, who managed a good score.
The pressure on the Delhi team had increased when Khistiz Sharma (13 off 23 balls) and Lalit Yadav (9 off 12 balls) failed to force the pace and once Rana got out, a lot depended on Sangwan and Rawat.
The Delhi captain had a successful outing with the ball too, getting 3 for 59 in 8 overs.
The lack of pace off new ball bowlers like Samad Fallah (2/64) and Dikshanshu Neg (0/43 in 5.3 overs) also helped the duo as they hit eight sixes between them apart from the 13 boundaries.
Brief Scores:
Uttarakhand 287/8 in 50 overs: (Kamal Singh 77 off 83 balls, Kunal Chandela 62 off 83 balls, Pradeep Sangwan 3/59, Nitish Rana 2/40).
Delhi 289/6 in 48.3 overs: (Ntish Rana 81 off 88 balls, Anuj Rawat 85 no off 85 balls, Pradeep Sangwan 58 no off 49 balls, Samad Fallah 2/64).