FORMER two-time champions Vidarbha continued with their superb show this season and have all but booked their spot in semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy for the third time. In their quarter-final against Karnataka under way at VCA’s Civil Lines ground, Vidarbha took a handy 174 runs first innings lead and by end of the third day’s play in the five-day match, swelled it to 224. Vidarbha openers Atharva Taide (21*; 35b, 3x4) and Dhruv Shorey (29*; 49b, 5x4) gave the team a solid start adding 50 runs for the unfinished opening wicket partnership on Sunday. The left-right combination of in-form Taide, who scored an important hundred in the first essay, and Shorey, who missed out in the first innings scoring 12, looked at ease against Karnataka seamers. Shorey’s two straight drives late in the evening bore stamp of authority. After conceding a big lead, it looked like Karnataka bowlers had given up. They did not look motivated and were just going through the motions. The energy and the zeal was clearly missing. The trio of right-arm pacers — Vijaykumar Vyshak (35 wkts), Vasuki Koushik (28) and Vidwath Kaverappa (19), who had rival batters on their knees in the league stage, looked clueless. Earlier in the day, overnight not out batters Karnataka’s seasoned opener Ravikumar Samarth (59; 97b, 7x4) and young Nikin Jose (82; 212b, 11x4), who began the season with a hundred against Goa, started confidently. Soon, Samarth completed his 29th First-Class fifty.

 

Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar’s bowling changes have been spot on in many a game this season and Sunday was no different. On last ball of his second over of the day left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey trapped Samarth lbw. In came another out of favour India batter Manish Pandey (15; 27b, 2x4). After settling down, he smacked two fours off Dubey but offered a defensive stroke on wrong line as Yash Thakur disturbed his furniture. It was a huge wicket for Vidarbha and left Karnataka at 148-4 miles behind hosts’ 460. Young southpaw Hardik Raj (23; 45b, 5x4), who would be 18 on March 10, joined Jose. The duo played more than 13 overs adding 46 before going to lunch. The long break broke the momentum and 1.3 overs into the second session when the pair had accumulated 50 of the partnership, Raj edged a Thakur delivery and Karun Nair at first slip picked a fine low catch just above the grass. In the meantime, Jose was his fluent self and looked in complete control against both seamers and spinners hitting odd boundaries. New man stumper Srinivas Sharath (29; 70b, 4x4) was never comfortable in the middle.

 

He was beaten quite often and the players had a couple of mix up while taking singles. They were lucky as Umesh Yadav threw at the wrong end once while they survived yet again as tea approached. One over before the break, Atharva Taide spilled Jose off the bowling of Thakur at first slip when the batter was 75. On last ball of the session, Sharath attempted a sweep off left-arm orthodox Aditya Sarvate only to glove it to Wadkar who collected well down leg-side for sixth Karnataka wicket. The last four wickets did not trouble Vidarbha much except for lusty hits by Vijaykumar Vyshak (23; 31b, 3x4, 1x6). Sarvate removed Dheeraj Gowda (5; 7b, 1x4) and later Jose in identical fashions. With tailenders at the pitch, Wadkar tossed the ball to Yadav and he delivered cleaning up Vyshak and Vasuki Koushik for first ball duck.