RIDING on a record-equalling one-day hundred by Dhruv Shorey and a clinical performances with both bat and ball, last-year’s finalists Vidarbha recorded a thumping 89-run win over Hyderabad in their Elite Group B Vijay Hazare Trophy league match at Sanosara Ground B in Rajkot on Friday.

 

Chasing Vidarbha’s healthy score of 365-5, Hyderabad were shot out for 276 with four balls remaining. Hyderabad elected to field first and the decision backfired as Vidarbha batsmen continued from where they had left against Bengal in the tournament opener. The new opening pair of in-form Aman Mokhade (82; 78b, 7x4, 3x6) and Yash Rathod (68; 82b, 6x4) put on 148 before the former was out at the half way mark.

 

Twenty runs later, Rathod too departed. Shorey (109*; 77b, 9x6, 6x6), in company of another pro Ravikumar Samarth (63; 46b, 6x4, 1x6) added a further 140 runs for the third wicket taking the team past 300-run mark. Shorey struck nine fours and six sixes in his unbeaten knock. All the top four batters scored in excess of fifty runs. Little cameos by skipper Harsh Dubey (14; 8b, 3x4) and Nachiket Bhute (20; 8b, 1x4, 2x6) meant Vidarbha had a decent cushion of runs. Vidarbha started with young seamers Praful Hinge and Bhute.

 

Hinge gave the team the breakthrough getting rid of Tanmay Agarwal caught by Shorey. Dubey (3-39), his deputy Yash Thakur (1-23) and Yash Kadam (2-29) kept the top and middle order under check and then Bhute (2-54) polished off with a couple of wickets. For Hyderabad, Aelgani Varun Goud top-scored with a well-crafted 85 that came from 68 balls. Parth Rekhade had him stumped by Akshay Wadkar. Except for part-timer Samarth, all the Vidarbha bowlers had something to show for in the last column. After a break of couple of days, Vidarbha will take on Jammu and Kashmir on December 29.