VIDARBHA will like to better their record against old nemesis Karnataka when the two sides lock horns in a repeat of last year’s final in this year’s Vijay Hazare Trophy day-night semi-finals at the Centre of Excellence ground in Bengaluru on Thursday. In all their previous four encounters in the format, Vidarbha have been on the losing side and the defending Ranji Trophy champions would also like to avenge last year’s defeat in the summit clash. It will be easier said than done, though. Vidarbha have been playing some great all-round cricket in the tournament, second year in running. The batters, led by Aman Mokhade, Dhruv Shorey, Ravikumar Samarth, Atharva Taide and Yash Rathod have been piling runs as the team has crossed the three-hundred run mark on regular basis. Mokhade, who has scored four hundreds this season, has not fired in the last two games and he would be hoping to make amends. Against Delhi in quarters, home-grown talents Taide and Rathod scored vital fifties. The bowling department is also complementing them nicely ... be it seam or spin. Nachiket Bhute’s four-for and skipper Harsh Dubey’s three-wicket burst helped them drub Delhi. Seamers Yash Thakur and Praful Hinge have been doing well.

 

Yash Kadam has added teeth to the bowling as an off-spinner. Parth Rekhade has also been a go-to bowler for skipper Dubey. In last year’s final, Shorey’s third ton in a row (he also hit hundreds in quarters and semis) went in vain while Ravichandran Smaran’s century gave him Player of the Match award. Ironically, the man who scored in tons last season for Vidarbha and was declared Player of the Series, Karun Nair, has jumped to that side. Dubey, this time leading the side, will also not forget that match. Coming at number eight, Dubey had clobbered five sixes and as many fours in his 30-ball 63 that briefly scared Karnataka. He was the only bowler who had the economy of under five in that high-scoring game. Coming back to this season, Karnataka defeated Mumbai in their rain-curtailed quarters. They also had a fine run, not an unbeaten one though in the league phase. They topped the Elite Group A with six wins from seven games. Their only loss came against Madhya Pradesh in the last league match where they were shot out for a paltry 207 and were handed a seven-wicket thrashing.

 

Vidarbha must take a cue from that match. Their openers — Devdutt Padikkal and Mayank Agarwal, hard-hitter Abhinav Manohar and big domestic player Karun Nair, who was on the other side when the two sides met last time, will be the batters to watch out for. In fact, Padikkal is having an extended purple patch and Vidarbha will just be hoping that the law of averages catch up with him on Thursday. Abhilash Shetty, who took three wickets in the teams’ last meeting, and veteran Shreyas Gopal are their leading wicket-takers this season. Batter KL Rahul and seamer Prasidh Krishna (took three wickets in that final), who played a couple of league games, are on India duty. On way to their maiden Ranji Trophy title, Vidarbha had pipped Karnataka in quarter-final. Well, Vidarbha have not won a Vijay Hazare title yet!