Combined effort helps Punjab make winning start to their campaign

Good bowling performances coupled with some superb innings from their batsmen helped Punjab recorded an easy 10-wicket win over Haryana.

Good bowling performances coupled with some superb innings from their batsmen helped Punjab recorded an easy 10-wicket win over Haryana in Vinoo Mankad Trophy played at Amtar in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday. Gurinder Singh and Sandeep Sharma were among the wickets (three wickets each) while Pargat Singh and Manan Vohra remained unbeaten to help Punjab thrash Haryana.

Earlier,Punjab skipper Anil Sihag invited Haryana to bat first after winning the toss. His gamble paid off as Haryana were bowled out for a paltry 102 in 34 overs. Medium pacer Sandeep Sharma,a member of the Under-19 World Cup,bowled a tidy spell and grabbed three wickets for 18 runs to reduce Haryana to 45 for 3 in 12 overs.

Left arm spinner Gurinder Singh also castled a web around the Haryana batsmen and picked up three wickets for just 11 runs. RR Yadav showed some grit during his knock of 36 runs,while RM Saini chipped in with 21 runs. Apart from these two,none of the other Haryana batsmen were able to face the opposition bowlers with confidence.

Chasing the target,Punjab were in no trouble as Pargat and Manan played the Haryana bowlers without any difficulty and scored 103 in just 17.4 overs. Pargat innings of 51 came off 52 balls with the help of six boundaries and one towering six,while Manan scored an unbeaten 41 off 57 balls laced with five boundaries.

Brief scores:
Haryana: 102 all out in 34 overs (R.R.Yadav 36,R.M Saini 21,Gurinder Singh 3 for 11,Sandeep Sharma 3 for 27,Amritpal Singh 2 for 26,Kamal Passi 1 for 24); Punjab: 103 for no loss in 17.4 overs (Pagat Singh 51 no,Manan Vohra 41 no).

Punjab seniors lose
Meanwhile,Punjab seniors suffered loss at the hands of Haryana in the North Zone Twenty20 Tournament on Wednesday. They lost to Haryana by 19 runs.

Earlier,Punajb opeted to field first after winning the toss. Their decision proved right as medium pacer manpreet Gony removed Haryana opener Rahul Diwan on the third ball of the match.

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However,MB Dagar,the other opener,carried the momentum forward and scored an unbeaten 92 off just 54 balls with the help of 14 boundaries and one towering six. PR Sahu chipped in with useful 34 off 25 balls. Haryana ended their innings at 174 for 4 in 20 overs. Gony,Jaskaran Singh,Karan Goel,Rahul Sharma all bagged one wicket each.

In reply,Punjab fell short by 19 runs as they could muster 155 for 9 in 20 overs. Bipul Sharma almost steered the team to victory with an unbeaten 79 off 54 balls but lost the steam in the dying minutes. SS Badhwar bagged three wickets,while Amit Mishra took two wickets.

Brief scores:
Haryana: 174 for 4 in 20 overs (MB Dagar 92 no,P.R. Sahu 34 no,Karan Goel 1 for 13,M.S. Gony 1 for 36,Jaskaran Singh 1 for 44,Rahul Sharma 1 for 35); Punjab: 155 for 9 in 20 overs (Bipul Sharma 79 no,S.S. Badhwar 3 for 34,Amit Mishra 2 for 34).

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