Mayank Agarwal's blistering 79-ball 90 helped Karnataka lift the Vijay Hazare trophy for the third time after a 41-run win over Saurashtra in the final at the Feroz Shah Kotla yesterday
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal's blistering 79-ball 90 helped Karnataka lift the Vijay Hazare trophy for the third time after a 41-run win over Saurashtra in the final at the Feroz Shah Kotla yesterday. Agarwal's standout performance powered Karnataka to 253 in 45.5 overs. In reply, Saurashtra were never in the reckoning despite skipper Cheteshwar Pujara's 94, an innings that was laced with 10 boundaries and a six. "The total was very chaseable, but we lost too many wickets in the middle and that was the difference," said Pujara.
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Saurashtra were ahead in the chase until 77 for two, but after opener Avi Barot departed, they lost three quick wickets without adding a run. Top-scorer of the tournament Agarwal (723) thanked his team management and selectors for backing him. "It has been a dream run for me — a crazy season. I thank the Karnataka selectors for showing faith in me when I was going through a tough time. I feel a lot more confident," Mayank said. A day before the final, the Indian team for Sri Lanka was announced and Agarwal's name didn't feature in the squad. "To be honest, I've got to focus on things I have in hand and today's final was our focus. I am batting well and that's good," he added. Karnataka skipper Karun Nair hailed his team's performance. "We were really eager to win this tournament. Throughout the 2017-18 season, we performed well," he said.
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