Deepak Hooda played a captain's innings, smashing a magnificent 180 to propel Rajasthan to a six-wicket victory over Karnataka and secure a spot in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final.
Hooda's spectacular 128-ball knock featured 19 fours and five sixes, guiding Rajasthan to chase down the target of 283 with 38 balls to spare in the second semifinal.
Partnering with Karan Lamba (73 not out off 112 balls), Hooda resurrected the innings after an early setback, forming a colossal 255-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Rajasthan will face Haryana in the final.
Opening the innings in the second over after the early departure of Ram Chouhan (0), Hooda cautiously navigated the initial phase before launching a ruthless assault on the Karnataka bowlers.
Hooda reached his fifty in 52 deliveries and accelerated to his hundred in just 33 balls, displaying a dominant batting performance. He continued in the same vein, reaching 150 in the 38th over, ultimately playing a pivotal role in Rajasthan's convincing victory. Hooda's exceptional innings ended just five runs shy of the target, leaving Rajasthan victorious.
For Karnataka, Vasuki Koushik, Vijaykumar Vyshak, and Manoj Bhandage took a wicket each. In Karnataka's innings, lower-order batsmen Abhinav Manohar (91 off 80 balls) and Bhandage (63 off 39 balls) played crucial roles, reviving the innings after an early stumble.
Manohar's innings included 10 fours and three sixes, while Bhandage provided the final flourish with an aggressive knock featuring five sixes and three fours. Rajasthan bowlers Aniket Choudhary and Kukna Ajay Singh took two wickets each, contributing to their team's bowling effort.
