Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20, Quarter-final 2: Delhi v Gujarat – Preview, Prediction

Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019-20, Quarter-final 2: Delhi v Gujarat – Preview, Prediction

cricket generic

Among all the quarter-final line-ups of the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy, it is this clash – the one between Gujarat and Delhi – that perhaps lacks the same dazzle, at least on first glance.

The Karnataka-Puducherry clash has the Vinay Kumar return factor going for it. Tamil Nadu head into their match against Punjab on the back of a nine-game winning streak, and given how enticing Chhattisgarh’s clash with Mumbai in the league stages was, the quarter-final has added focus.

However, the same can’t be said of the Gujarat-Delhi clash. Given how rain had affected Group A and B, leading to a restructuring, Gujarat had already sealed their place in the quarterfinals and had to wait till the final day to know of their opponents. It turned out to be Delhi, who beat Himachal Pradesh by three wickets to seal their qualification.

However, that was too close for comfort. Delhi just about crawled past a 177-run target against Himachal, and a reflection of their struggles was that their top-scorer – Shikhar Dhawan – managed just 31. Even then, they finished level on points with Punjab, and only qualified as No.2 on the basis of their head-to-head encounter.

As far as the quarter-final qualification goes, things can be a lot smoother. Gujarat, however, had a much better time of it. They finished their league campaign with eight wins out of nine. They lost just the one match, against the unstoppable Tamil Nadu, and given the form the likes of Bhargav Merai (410 runs at 68.33 in eight innings) and Roosh Kalaria (20 wickets at 14 in nine matches) are in, Delhi will have to be on their toes.

Key players

Bhargav Merai (Gujarat): The 27-year-old has notched up some big scores in Gujarat’s fine run so far in the Vijay Hazare trophy. There have been three half-centuries to go with his 125 against Tripura, and during his 44 against Tamil Nadu, Gujarat looked good to finish the chase. At No.3 he bats in a crucial position, and he’ll be key to his side’s hopes.

Shikhar Dhawan (Delhi): The stylish opener is due a big one. He has played six matches for Delhi in the tournament so far, but has aggregated just 130 runs at 21.66, including a half-century against Uttar Pradesh. More is expected of India’s limited-overs opener, and when the going gets tough, he usually delivers.

Likely XIs

Delhi: Shikhar Dhawan, Kunwar Bidhuri, Anuj Rawat (wk), Dhruv Shorey, Nitish Rana, Himmat Singh, Lalit Yadav, Manan Sharma, Pawan Negi, Simarjeet Singh, Navdeep Saini

Gujarat: Parthiv Patel (c/wk), Priyank Panchal, Bhargav Merai, Manpreet Juneja, Rujul Bhatt, Axar Patel, Karan Patel, Piyush Chawla, Roosh Kalaria, Tejas Patel, Arzan Nagwaswalla

Prediction

Gujarat are on a good bit of form. Expect them to have a little too much in their kitty for Delhi to handle.