Jharkhand notches up 4th straight win

The Jharkhand juggernaut rolled on as the team defeated Nagaland by 54 runs for its fourth straight victory in a Group 'A' match in the Syed Musthaq Ali Trophy cricket tournament here Wednesday.

Jharkhand piled up 197 for 3 in 20 overs riding on good knocks by captain Ishan Kishan (52, 39 balls, 11X4), Kumar Deobrat (69 not out) and Anukul Roy (47 not out) and then restricted Nagaland to 143 for 3.

Electing to bat, Kishan started off on a brisk note before losing opening partner Anand Singh (14, 3X4) at 20.

But, the aggressive left-hander stepped up the pace and took the attack to the Nagaland bowlers, adding 42 runs with Virat Singh (9, 15b).

After Virat's exit, Kishan and Deobrat, who smashed five fours and six sixes in his swashbuckling 32-ball 69,put on 24 runs.

The 111-run partnership for the fourth wicket in a little over eight overs between Deobrat and Roy, who hit four boundaries and three sixes, shut out Nagaland as they bowlers wilted under the onslaught.

In reply, the Nagaland batsmen couldn't force the pace and ended up 54 runs short.

Sedezhalie Rupero, who made 38 from 54 balls, struggled to get the big hits while captain Rongsen Jonathan made 47 (33 balls, 4X4, 2X6).

Paceman Varun Aaron bowled his four overs conceding just 13 runs and picked up one wicket.

In other matches, Kerala thrashed Jammu and Kashimr by 94 runs, bundling out its rival for 65 after making 159 for 7 while Delhi defeated Andhra Pradesh by 32 runs to notch up its fourth victory.

Brief scores: Kerala 159 for 7 in 20 overs (Vinoop Manoharan 52, Mohd Azharudeen 32, Irfan Pathan 2 for 32, Parvez Rasool 2 for 34) beat J&K 65 all out in 14.2 overs (Jatin Wadhwan 24, Sudeshan Midhun 3 for 9). Points: Kerala: 4, J&K: 0.

Jharkhand 197 for 3 in 20 overs (Kumar Deobrat 69 not out, Ishan Kishan 52, Anukul Roy 47 not out) beat Nagaland 143 for 3 in 20 overs (Rongsen Jonathan 48, S Rupero 38). Points: Jharkhand: 4, Nagaland: 0.

Delhi 175 for 8 in 20 overs (Unmukt Chand 70, Lalit Yadav 31) beat Andhra Pradesh (Ashwin Hebbar 38, Shoaib Mohd Khan 26 not out, Subhodh Bhati 4 for 27). Points: Delhi: 4, Andhra: 0.