Harshal Patel opens bowling AND batting for Haryana during Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match

Haryana captain Harshal Patel, who also represents the Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL, has been opening with the bat for this side in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT 2021). The IPL 2021 purple cap winner has scores of four, 21 and 20 respectively in the three innings so far. The player also during today's game against Jammu and Kashmir opened with the ball. 

Just months earlier, Harshal Patel clocked his best-ever run in the IPL picking up 32 wickets from 15 games at an average of 14.34 at an economy of 8.14 and the player has looked good picking up five wickets in ten overs.  As for Haryana, the team won their first two matches of the SMAT 2021 Elite Group C but went down to Jammu and Kashmir earlier today at the F.B. Colony Ground in Vadodara.

Jammu and Kashmir won the toss and opted to bowl first and Harshal Patel scored a quick 15-ball 20 while H Rana and Rohit Parmod Sharma scored 28 and 29 for them respectively, but every other batter failed to cross the single-digit mark and Haryana were bowled out for 108. For J&K, Umran Malik was the pick of the bowlers picking up four wickets for 22 runs and found support from former Indian international Parvez Rasool, who picked up three wickets for 18 runs from his quota of four overs. Mujtaba Yousuf (two for 17) and Auqib Nabi (one for 16) picked up the remaining wickets.

In the following inning, Jammu and Kashmir chased down the total with seven wickets and three overs to spare. Jayant Yadav picked up a couple of wickets while Rahul Tewatia picked one, but the likes of Chahal and Harshal Patel went wicketless as Haryana's perfect start to the season came to an end.

As things stand, Haryana finds themselves at the third spot, with eight points only behind Karnataka who are on 12 points and Andhra, who too have eight-point in three but are ahead on the NRR (Net Run Rate). The team is up next against Jharkhand, who are winless in this tournament having lost three in three.

Image: Haryana Cricket Association