Kalyani (West Bengal): Fans who turned up to watch a M S Dhoni special returned disappointed even as Jharkhand cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Services for their second victory in the Vijay Hazare Trophy here on Tuesday.
Chasing a stiff 277, Jharkhand did not require services of their captain 'cool' as Saurabh Tiwary (102 not out off 103 balls; 3x4, 6x6) and Ishank Jaggi (116 not out off 92 balls; 10x4, 4x6) put together an unbroken 214-run partnership to script a fluent chase with 22 balls to spare.
He may not have played a role with the bat but Dhoni's tips during the drinks break played a big role in their win, Jaggi later revealed.
"Mahi bhai advised us to play in a calm and composed manner. He told us, 'If you play with patience runs will come. It's about staying there and finish the game'," Jaggi said.
Jharkhand had a shaky build-up and were reduced to 65/3 inside 17 overs but poor fielding from Services let the duo build on a firm stand. Yet to open his account, Tiwary was dropped at mid-off by Shakti Malviya off Poonam Poonia, while Jaggi got a reprieve on 25.
The crowd kept on shouting his name in anticipation but Tiwary and Jaggi did not take a step wrong and complemented each other in their solid left-right combination.
Thousands gathered outside the venue unable to enter, while a few hundreds managed to get in with passes, while rooftops of the residential buildings and a school surrounding the stadium wore a packed look since 9 am in a never-before atmosphere
But the only action they could have of Dhoni was his two run-outs and a caught-behind dismissal on a flat deck of Bengal Cricket Academy in the small industrial township of Kalyani about 50 kilometres from Kolkata.
But Dhoni returned on the field during the customary handshake after the win and walked midway on to the boundary rope near the spectators and waved at them.
Cuttack: Skipper Kedar Jadhav led from the front with a blistering 113 as Maharashtra pounded a hapless Delhi by 195 runs in a Group B match to knock them out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, here on Tuesday.
After being invited to bat, Maharashtra treated the Delhi bowlers with disdain to put on board formidable 367 for eight and then shot out the rivals for a mere 172 inside 34 overs.
It was third defeat in a row from Delhi, being led by young Rishabh Pant, and they are now out of the tournament.
It was not a great start for Maharashtra as seasoned Ashish Nehra removed Ruturaj Gaikwad (9) but Vijay Zol (35) and Naushad Shaikh (52) firmed up the innings with a 52-run stand.
After Shaikh was undone by Nitish Rana, captain Jadhav came on the crease and took the Delhi attack by the scruff of its neck, making an 83-ball 113 that was laced with 11 fours and eight sixes.
With keeper Nikhil Naik (63), Jadhav raised a quickfire 59-run stand for the fourth wicket before being dismissed by Pawan Negi.
Delhi had a relatively better start with India discards Gautam Gambhir (53) and Shikhar Dhawan (24) putting on 64 inside 10 overs but once the latter was run out, the innings continued to slump.
Only Milind Kumar (38) and Manan Sharma (21) resisted the Maharashtra attack a bit bit others faded as Delhi middle order crumbled. Dhruv Shorey (1), captain Pant (6) and Rana (0) all got out cheaply.
In other Group B matches, Tamil Nadu got the better of Himachal Pradesh by eight wickets, chasing a modest 217 to win in Cuttack while Tripura edged Uttar Pradesh by two wickets, chasing 198 in Bubaneshwar.
Opener Kaushik Gandhi hit an unbeaten 107 in Tamil Nadu's emphatic win after Himachal Pradesh were all out for 216.
It was Sarfraz Khan who helped UP post 197 and the bowlers too fought well but Gurinder Singh led Tripura to the finish line with his gritty 64 in a tight climax.