A collapse of 5 for 19 was not enough to halt Haryana’s march to the semi-finals

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2025A late collapse which saw them lose five wickets for 19 runs was not enough to prevent Haryana from beating Gujarat and advancing to the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.Haryana bowled Gujarat out for 196, thanks to an all-round display, before they completed the chase in 44 overs in Vadodara.Arsh Ranga had got Haryana off to a rapid start in their modest chase, scoring 25 off 16 in a 29-run opening stand. His opening partner, Himanshu Rana, then ensured Haryana stayed on course with half-century partnerships with captain Ankit Kumar and Parth Vats.Ravi Bishnoi gave Gujarat an important breakthrough with Rana’s wicket for 66, but Vats held steady at the other end, his 35-run stand with Nishant Sindhu putting the game beyond Gujarat’s reach.Sindhu’s wicket triggered a collapse as Haryana went from 173 for 3 to 192 for 8, with Bishnoi picking three of those wickets, but the contributions from their top five meant they managed to stay ahead of the game.Gujarat had started well, with the openers Urvil Patel and Aarya Desai racing to 45 in seven overs. Then, Gujarat lost three wickets in the space of two overs after which Chintan Gaja dropped anchor at one end.But when Saurabh Chauhan and Gaja fell in quick succession after a 34-run stand, and Bishnoi was dismissed not long after, it looked like Gujarat would struggle to cross 150. However, Hemang Patel dominated a 54-run partnership for the ninth wicket to take Gujarat close to 200. He finished with 54 off 62 balls.Sindhu and debutant Anuj Thakral took three wickets each, while Anshul Kamboj struck twice.