LAST year’s Ranji Trophy top run-getter Yash Rathod continued with his form hitting hundreds in back to back matches as Vidarbha took massive first innings lead over Tamil Nadu in their Elite Group A match at Sri Ramakrishna College of Arts and Science Ground in Coimbatore on Monday. Starting the third and penultimate day of the match at 211-2, Vidarbha amassed 501 for 210 runs lead. By end of the day, the hosts made 6-0 in possible five overs. The day belonged to southpaw Rathod (133; 189b, 15x4) who had to come rather early at the crease in the first session. Overnight not out batters Dhruv Shorey (82; 207b, 7x4) and Ravikumar Samarth (56; 127b, 4x4) started cautiously playing out the first five overs. In sixth over of the day, Shorey got stumped off skipper Sai Kishore.

 

Samarth and Rathod complemented each other rotating the strike and punishing the loose balls. After completing his second fifty for the new side in as many innings, Samarth became right-arm medium pacer Trilok Nag’s first of the three wickets for the day. The seasoned former Karnataka opener added 70 runs with Rathod taking the team past Tamil Nadu’s score. Rathod was joined by skipper Akshay Wadkar (43; 109b, 4x4) and the duo took command in the middle stitching an important 130-run partnership for the fifth wicket. In Wadkar’s company, Rathod completed his second hundred in consecutive innings.

 

He had made an unbeaten 101 against Jharkhand at home. Both got out two runs apart and Vidarbha were 425-6 with Wadkar following Rathod to the pavilion missing out on a half century. All-rounder Akshay Karnewar (4) did not last long but the pair of Nachiket Bhute (51*; 52b, 4x4, 2x6) and Parth Rekhade (21, 21, 2x6), used the long handle to good effect with each tonking the ball over the fence twice. Bhute raced to his fifty and remained not out as he lost partners from the other end. Soon, Bhute and Rekhade shared the new ball but were not that lucky in the last few minutes of the day as Tamil Nadu openers SR Athish and Vimal Khumar survived the session. Vidarbha will be hoping that the bowlers hunt in un son exploiting the last day turf to record an outright win on Tuesday.