ROHTAK: Himanshu Rana and Dheeru Singh held their nerve as Haryana defeated Himachal Pradesh by seven wickets on the final day of their Group D Ranji Trophy match at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.

Resuming their second innings at 26 for three on the fourth day, Haryana chased down the 71-run target in 18.1 overs, with Rana scoring 37 and Singh remaining unbeaten on 24. The duo added 51 runs off 63 balls to ensure there were no further hiccups as Haryana secured six points.

Both batters had managed only single-digit scores in the first innings but stepped up when it mattered, guiding the hosts to victory after Himachal Pradesh had briefly raised hopes by taking three quick wickets on the third day.

Haryana had taken a 43-run first-innings lead after scoring 296 in reply to Himachal Pradesh's 253. Ankit Rajesh Kumar (59), Yashvardhan Dalal (72) and Kanishk Chouhan (50) scored half-centuries for the hosts.

Haryana then bowled out Himachal Pradesh for 113 in the second innings to set up the modest chase.

Anshul Kamboj was the pick of Haryana's bowlers, returning with figures of 4/56 and 2/18 across the two innings. Parth Vats claimed three wickets for 22 runs, while Kanishk Chouhan and Aman Kumar took two wickets each.

Brief scores: Himachal Pradesh 253 and 113 lost to Haryana 296 and 74/3 in 18.1 overs (Himanshu Rana 37, Dheeru Singh 24; Arpit Guleria 2/36) by seven wickets.