Shourya Pancholi, Nihal Patel Lead Gujarat to Veenu Mankad Trophy Victory

Saturday's Veenu Mankad Trophy match at the Dr. PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex in Vijayawada ended with Gujarat Under‑19 cruising to a 91‑run win over Jharkhand Under‑19. The hosts posted 341 for 8 after a spectacular top‑order partnership.

Opening batsmen Shourya Pancholi unleashed a ferocious onslaught, scoring 79 runs off 61 balls and smashing six fours and six sixes. His partner, Nihil Patel, provided stability with 83 runs from 95 balls, also striking six fours and two sixes. Their combined effort laid the foundation for the total.

Further runs came from Ved Patel (66, 3 fours, 4 sixes) and Kush Patel (38, 2 fours, 2 sixes). In the death overs, Sameer Bhandari contributed a rapid 30 off 22, while Kavya Patel added 19 in just eight balls and Keval Patel finished with 13 off seven.

Jharkhand's innings began brightly, thanks to Tanmay’s 85 runs featuring nine fours and three sixes, and Amarty Chaudhary’s 53 from 48 balls, together forging a 99‑run stand for the first wicket. However, after their dismissal the batting order unraveled. Manmeet Singh offered a brief resistance with 43 runs, but the rest fell cheaply.

Gujarat's bowlers, especially Keval Patel (3 wickets for 52 runs in 10 overs) and Nihal Patel (2 wickets for 33 runs), wrapped up Jharkhand's chase at 250/9. The comprehensive performance, both with bat and ball, secured Gujarat's dominant victory in the tournament.