VIDARBHA seamer Shanmesh Deshmukh did a good job with the ball as defending champions restricted Madhya Pradesh to 241-7 on Day One of their Col CK Nayudu Trophy semi-final that got under way at Alembic 2 Cricket Ground in Vadodara on Monday.

Vidarbha won the toss and elected to field against familiar rivals Madhya Pradesh.

MP openers Harsh Gawali (12; 30b, 2x4) and Mohd Arham Aquil (35; 140b, 3x4) started very cautiously against seamer Deshmukh and off-spinner Yash Kadam, who was given the new ball ahead of left-arm spinner Parth Rekhade as Aquil bats left-handed. Both the bowlers were on the money and were hard to score off in their opening spells. But it was Rekhade who gave team the opening breakthrough. He had Gawali caught by Yash Rathod on first ball of the 8th over when the team score was 13.

Aquil and new batsman Yash Dubey (41; 85b, 7x4) played with purpose taking the team close to three-figure mark. Deshmukh removed both of them within nine runs to bring the team back on track. Some thirty runs later, Harsh Dubey and Rekhade struck again to reduce MP to 137-5.

Rishabh Chouhan (33) and Irfan Ali (32) had a little partnership that was broken when Nachiket Bhute cleaned up the former. Deshmukh, who gave away just 13 runs in his 12 overs, then picked his third wicket of the day getting rid of Ali.

Rahul Batham (14*) and Ritesh Shakya (19*) were the not out batsmen when the play ended.