Uttar Pradesh’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign began on a deeply disappointing note as Rajasthan cruised to a six-wicket victory at the MCA Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai on Saturday.
Chasing 172, Rajasthan reached the target at the loss of just four wickets in 15.4 overs, completing the job with 26 balls to spare and exposing worrying gaps in UP’s batting as well as bowling.
UP’s total of 171/6 was respectable on paper, but it was never going to be enough on a good batting surface once Rajasthan’s openers found their rhythm. More concerning for the former champions was the manner in which their bowling attack, led by the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the returning Mohsin Khan, failed to apply any sustained pressure.
Bhuvneshwar’s poor run continued. After managing just one wicket in three T20Is against New Zealand earlier this month, the senior seamer went wicketless again, conceding 15 runs in his two overs. Mohsin, making his comeback after six months on the sidelines because of injury, had an equally forgettable outing, leaking 27 runs in two overs without a breakthrough.
Together, the two frontline pacers bowled four overs for 42 runs and took no wickets. That allowed Rajasthan’s opening pair of Abhijeet Tomar and Rohan Rajbhar to seize control from the outset. The duo added 114 for the first wicket in only 10.2 overs, effectively settling the chase before UP’s middle overs could make an impact.
Tomar was particularly ruthless, smashing 63 off 34 deliveries with 12 fours and three sixes at a strike-rate of 185. Rajbhar matched the aggression with 48 from 31 balls, laced with 11 fours. By the time Prashant Veer removed Rajbhar and Zeeshan Ansari accounted for Tomar in quick succession, Rajasthan needed fewer than 60 runs from nearly 10 overs.
UP did manage two wickets apiece through Veer, who finished with 2/31, and Ansari, who claimed 2/37. But the breakthroughs came too late and too few. Yash Garg proved expensive, conceding 47 in three overs, while Karan Sharma gave away 14 in his only over. With Bhuvneshwar and Mohsin unable to contain the flow of runs, Rajasthan’s batters were able to attack freely throughout.
Mahipal Lomror then ensured there was no late wobble, striking 33 from just 16 balls with five fours and two sixes. Kartik Sharma made 11 before Ansari bowled him, but Kunal Rathore and Himanshu Nehra saw Rajasthan home comfortably. The winning runs came in the 16th over, with Rajasthan finishing at 10.97 runs per over.
UP’s batting, too, left plenty to be desired. A total in the low 170s may have looked competitive, but it lacked the firepower needed to challenge a strong chasing side. The absence of a substantial partnership or a decisive late surge meant Rajasthan were never under real pressure during the pursuit. Barring Sameer Rizvi (74, 35b, 4×4, 7×6) and Siddharth Yadav (34, 33b, 3×4, 1×6) no other batter could show any resistance to Rajasthan bowlers.