Kanpur: Pacer Vijay Kumar wreaked havoc as Uttar Pradesh registered a massive innings-and-15-run win over hosts Uttarakhand in their Col CK Nayudu Trophy tie at the Kaushiki Cricket Ground in Ramnagar on Sunday. With this emphatic win, UP moved to the top of the pool with 40 points. They will next face Chandigarh in their final league match, scheduled to be played in Kanpur from Feb 6. Resuming the day, Uttarakhand needed 48 runs with six wickets in hand to avoid an innings defeat. However, the hosts could manage only 33 runs as UP bowlers ran through the batting line-up, bundling them out for 133 to seal the match comfortably. Vijay Kumar was the standout performer, returning impressive figures of 6 for 47. His new-ball partner Prashant Yadav provided excellent support, claiming 3 wickets for 32 runs, while Akshu Bajwa chipped in with one wicket. Bajwa had earlier played a crucial role with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 51 in UP’s first innings to extend the visitors’ lead. Lauding Vijay Kumar, UP coach Gyanendra Pandey said, “Vijay bowled exceptionally well along with Prashant. Akshu Bajwa’s contribution with the bat earlier helped in building a decisive lead.” Brief scores: Uttarakhand first innings – 170, second innings 4/100 (Aditya Naithani 43, Ishagra Jagoori 43; Prashant Yadav 3/32, Vijay Kumar 6/47) UP first innings – 318.
