Rishabh Pant picked his moment well. After a run of uneven returns, the India wicketkeeper-batter produced an unbeaten half-century that put Delhi firmly back on track in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Delhi crushed Services by eight wickets in a fifth-round Group D match on Saturday, a result that also repaired the damage done to their net run rate in the previous game. Chasing a modest 178, Delhi finished the job in just 19.4 overs.
Openers set the tone early, with Priyansh Arya leading the charge through a fluent unbeaten 72 off 45 balls. Pant joined him after the fall of Nitish Rana and ensured there were no hiccups.
His 67 not out came off 37 deliveries, marked by clean hitting rather than caution, as Delhi raced past the target well before the 20-over mark.
The win lifted Delhi back to the top of the Group D table with 16 points and an NRR of +0.803, marginally ahead of Haryana. The innings mattered beyond the points.
This was Pant’s second half-century in five matches, arriving after two low scores and days after Delhi had slipped from first to fourth following a heavy defeat to Odisha. That loss had brought renewed focus on Pant’s domestic form and Delhi’s top order.
On Saturday, both responded. Arya absorbed the early loss of Sarthak Ranjan and stitched a steady stand with Nitish Rana, before adding an unbeaten 85-run partnership with Pant to complete the chase.
Earlier, Delhi’s bowlers ensured the contest was one-sided. Harshit Rana led the attack with figures of 4 for 47, while Prince Yadav backed him up with 3 for 28. Ishant Sharma added control and a wicket as Services struggled throughout their innings.
Reduced to 82 for 5 by the 26th over, Services were eventually dismissed for 178 in 42.5 overs, never finding momentum against disciplined bowling. Elsewhere, the day belonged to individual efforts that shaped tight contests.
Axar Patel struck his maiden List A century for Gujarat, scoring 130 off 111 balls in a seven-run win over Andhra. Walking in at 99 for 5, Patel rebuilt the innings and then accelerated, sharing a 142-run stand with Vishal Jayswal to push Gujarat past 300.
He later contributed with the ball as Andhra fell just short. Haryana pulled off a successful chase of 306 against Odisha, driven by a standout all-round performance from Parth Vats.
The 21-year-old first picked up three wickets to keep Odisha to 305 for 9, then anchored the chase with an unbeaten 157. Haryana recovered from an early collapse and crossed the line with eight balls remaining, staying close to Delhi in the standings.
Saurashtra also stayed in the mix with a 31-run win over Railways, built around Sammar Gajjar’s 147 and backed by timely wickets from their bowlers.
