Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021, Group A: 3 top batting performances on November 9

The group stage matches of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021/22 culminated earlier today. The two teams from Elite Group A that qualified for the next round are defending champions Tamil Nadu and Ruturaj Gaikwad's team Maharashtra.

Three Elite Group A matches took place on the last day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021/22 group stage. Defending champions Tamil Nadu faced Punjab in a virtual eliminator, while Maharashtra met Goa in a must-win encounter. Pondicherry and Odisha's match decided which team finished last in Elite Group A.

Tamil Nadu secured their berth in the next round by defeating Punjab by seven wickets at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium B, while Maharashtra qualified for the next round by registering a 73-run victory against Goa. Lastly, Pondicherry avoided the wooden spoon with a six-wicket win against Odisha.

Many batters had a good time in the middle during the three Elite Group A matches in Lucknow earlier today. In this article, we will look at the top three batting performances from those fixtures.

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#3 Paras Dogra - 54* (44) vs. Odisha

Veteran batter Paras Dogra continued his fine form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021/22 by scoring a match-winning half-ton against Odisha at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium.

Odisha set a 133-run target for their opponents after being invited to bat first. Pondicherry lost their openers in the powerplay, but Dogra's half-century ensured the team ended their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021/22 campaign with a win.

Dogra had a 34-run third-wicket partnership with Ragu before stitching up an unbeaten 48-run fifth-wicket stand with Sagar Trivedi to guide Pondicherry home. Paras hit two fours and four sixes in his match-winning inning.

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#2 Narayan Jagadeesan - 67 (47) vs. Punjab

Wicket-keeper Narayan Jagadeesan scored a fantastic half-century to help Tamil Nadu finish number one in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021/22 Elite Group A standings. Had Tamil Nadu failed to win against Punjab, they would have finished third in the standings.

Tamil Nadu's bowlers did a fine job in the first innings and restricted Punjab to 145/6. Chasing 146 for a place in the next round, Tamil Nadu lost two wickets in the powerplay.

Jagadeesan opened the innings and held one end. He built a 105-run third-wicket partnership with captain Vijay Shankar to place Tamil Nadu in a comfortable position. Although Jagadeesan lost his wicket in the 14th over, his 67-run knock ensured that Punjab had little chance of winning.

Vijay Shankar then completed the formalities with Shahrukh Khan as Tamil Nadu qualified for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy's knockout phase.

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#1 Yash Nahar - 103* (68) vs. Goa

Maharashtra became the second team to qualify for the knockouts from Elite Group A after they beat Goa by 73 runs in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021/22 earlier today. Yash Nahar was the hero for Maharashtra as he aggregated 103 runs off 68 deliveries.

Batting first, Maharashtra got off to a brilliant start. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had a 104-run opening stand with Nahar. While Gaikwad lost his wicket in the 13th over, Nahar remained unbeaten until the end and completed his first century of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021/22.

Nahar's knock comprised six fours and five sixes. His innings guided Maharashtra to a 177-run total in the first innings.