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Fans on X praised Bengal all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed, who scored a brilliant match-turning century (100 off 118 balls) against Haryana in the first quarter-final of the 2023 Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) in Rajkot on Monday. Some also took digs at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who recently traded him out to SunRisers Hyderabad (RCB) in return for uncapped all-rounder Mayank Dagar.
Shahbaz came to bat when Bengal was struggling at 70/3 despite a good opening stand. Haryana's spin twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Nishant Sindhu were dominating the batters with tight lines and lengths without giving anything away.
Shahbaz played late, stabilized the innings, and only looked for the occasional boundaries as wickets continued to fall at the other end. He built small partnerships with Karan Lal and Pradipta Pramanik, hogging the strike more and more as the innings went on, before eventually exploding in the final three overs.
He reached the three figures in the last over with a double against Rahul Tewatia and got out two balls later. Bengal finished with a respectable 225/10, with the second-highest score being opener Abhishek Porel's 24.
Check the top reactions on the knock here:
This was Shahbaz's third List-A hundred. The left-arm spin all-rounder has often played the role of savior for Bengal across formats.
More work to do for Bengal despite Shahbaz Ahmed's 100
When the match started, it looked like it would be the Haryana pacers who'd make merry on the greet top in Rajkot. But the fast bowlers struggled for control and it took a brilliant four-wicket haul from Yuzvendra Chahal to keep Bengal down to a par score.
Now, the 226-run target looks sub-par because there's a bit for everyone on the pitch if they bowl in the right areas. But once the batters settle, they can get the true value of their shots with a bit of patience and timing.
While Haryana are unbeaten in the tournament so far, Bengal have a bit of momentum thanks to Shahbaz, making up for a cracking contest.
Catch the live-action here!
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