Saurashtra beat Maharashtra on back of Sheldon Jackson’s ton to clinch second Vijay Hazare Trophy

Ahmedabad: Senior batter Sheldon Jackson struck an unbeaten 133 as Saurashtra beat Maharashtra by five wickets to win their second Vijay Hazare Trophy title on Friday.

Chasing a below-par target of 249, Saurashtra looked comfortable for the most part of their chase as Maharashtra bowlers failed to make inroads in the Saurashtra’s batting order.

Jackson stitched a 125-run opening partnership alongside Harvik Desai and that led Saurashtra to cruise away in their run chase.

Batting first, Maharashtra rode on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s third consecutive hundred (108 off 131 balls) to reach 248 for 9 in 50 overs. Chirag Jani (3/43) took a hat-trick for Saurashtra.

Maharashtra batters boasted of heaps of runs coming into the final of the tournament, but apart from Gaikwad, none could replicate their previous outings against a formidable Saurashtra bowling. Maharashtra were chocked for runs as they reached 100 only in 30^th over.

In reply, Saurashtra reached the target in 46.3 overs with Jackson scoring his runs off 136 balls with 12 4s and five 6s.

Brief Scores: Maharashtra 248/9 in 50 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 108, Chirag Jani 3/43) vs Saurashtra 249/5 in 46.3 overs (Sheldon Jackson 133 not out). Saurashtra won by 5 wickets.

With inputs from PTI

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