WHEN Jitesh Sharma arrived at the crease, Vidarbha needed 30 runs from 25 balls but the swashbuckling player made it a no-contest completing his team’s domination over Maharashtra with three consecutives sixes in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy pre-quarter-final at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi on Tuesday. After Vidarbha bowlers did well in the second half to restrict Maharashtra to a modest 157-8, Vidarbha raced to the target in 17.5 overs with seven wickets intact. Sharma smashed 28 from just seven balls hitting two fours and three maximums on last three balls. Skipper Akshay Wadkar (58*; 47b, 7x4), who remained unbeaten, played a matured knock and anchored the chase well. Even after Siddhesh Wath’s dismissal on third ball of the match without anything on the board, southpaw Atharva Taide (56; 38b, 6x4, 1x4) and Wadkar did not bog down and rotated the strike.

 

They punished loose deliveries and ran their singles hard. Shubham Dubey (18; 12b, 2x6) played a little cameo before that blast from Sharma. The thumping win will help Vidarbha when they take on Rajasthan in the quarter-final at Airforce Complex ground, Palam, New Delhi on Thursday. Earlier, Wadkar won the toss and decided to bowl first to benefit from early morning freshness. Yash Thakur (3-17) gave the team an early opening trapping skipper Naushad Shaikh for a first ball duck. Opener Yash Nahar (29) and IPL star Rahul Tripathi (66; 45b, 5x4, 3x6) fought back with a 64-run second wicket stand. Left-arm spinner Akshay Karnewar (2-25), who has been in top form this season, dealt double blows in his successive overs getting rid of Nahar and India player Kedar Jadhav (6). When Tripathi was looking dangerous, offie Akshay Wakhare removed him and the bowlers then dried up the runs. Thakur ended up as the most impressive Vidarbha bowler.