Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Prashant Chopra powers Himachal Pradesh to a win: Playing in his 14th game in the domestic T20 tournament, 23-year old Prashant Chopra, notched up an unbeaten 89* runs off just 62 deliveries with 7 fours and 2 sixes at a strike rate of 143.55 and coupled with his 90-run third-wicket partnership in 9.5 overs with Paras Dogra (36), helped Himachal Pradesh to register a win in their tournament opener against Gujarat.
Earlier, put in to bat, Gujarat managed to pile up 151 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. This was made possible by reasonably good batting performances displayed by skipper-wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel (35), Priayank Panchal (32) and Ruju Bhatt (40).
For Himachal Pradesh, Akshay Chauhan finished with figures of 4-0-32-2.
Chasing 152 runs for a win, Himachal Pradesh had a disastrous start, losing Ankush Bains in the very first delivery of the innings. With Dogra joining Prashant at the score of 24/2, the duo went on to establish a third-wicket partnership of 90 runs in 9.4 overs.
Dogra departed at the team score of 114 runs for the loss of 3 wickets after putting in 36 runs off 23 deliveries with 3 fours and a solitary six at 156.52 strike rate.
Chopra stayed on till the end of the innings and helped his team to achieve the target in 19.3 overs.
Though Gujarat bowlers were successful in picking wickets in between, they could not prevent Prashant Chopra from running away with the game.
Himachal Pradesh, with this win, picked up 4 useful points.