Vidarbha storm into quarters Thump Assam by 160 runs in must-win game to finish second ahead of Baroda; To play Delhi on Jan 13

 

 

 

 

 

VIDARBHA once again showed their batting prowess and then the bowlers complemented well as the team entered knock-out stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a massive win over Assam in Rajkot on Thursday. They needed a victory in their final round with comfortable margin to make the cut and the players did not disappoint doing it with aplomb. After the batters helped them make 308-7, Vidarbha bowlers took the centrestage with a wonderful exhibition of seam and spin to bundle out the opponents for a paltry 148 with 15 overs to spare. In the Elite Group B, last year’s finalists Vidarbha finished second behind Uttar Pradesh to move up in the tournament.

 

Till the last round, three teams were in the fray for that second spot. Baroda did record a win and end with 20 points like Vidarbha but their inferior net run rate pushed them to third place while Bengal were beaten square by table toppers UP. Asked to take first strike under testing conditions by Assam, Vidarbha top-order batters showed patience early on and then finally exploded to once again cross the three-hundred run mark. Vidarbha’s prolific scorer opener Aman Mokhade (3; 15b) was an early casualty. Vidarbha were one down for four at end of four testing overs. By the tenth over, they were barely into the twenties. But southpaw opener Atharva Taide (80; 88b, 6x4, 3x4) and senior pro Dhruv Shorey (40; 56b, 3x4, 1x6) combined patience and attack to first see through that difficult early phase and then give the team a solid platform adding 95 runs for the first wicket before Shorey perished.

 

Ravikumar Samarth (94*; 76b, 7x4, 1x6) then joined Taide and the duo took the score to 139 when Taide, after hitting three big sixes, got out. Yash Rathod (2; 4b) got run out soon and Vidarbha were 142-4 in 30.3 overs. Vidarbha skipper Harsh Dubey (4; 7b), too, did not last long. Samarth showed his class by binding together Vidarbha batting. He along with all-rounders Yash Kadam (41; 38b, 4x4) and Nachiket Bhute (33; 15b, 2x4, 2x6), stitched two important partnerships taking the team past that magical figure of 300. With Samarth holding one end, Kadam and particularly Bhute used that long handle.

 

Unbeaten Samarth, named Player of the Match, was unlucky to miss his second ton of the season by just one stroke. Assam were also dealt an early blow with Bhute getting Saurav Dihingia caught by Taide. Opener Swarupam Purkayastha (25; 39b, 4x4) and skipper Sumit Ghadigaonkar (80*; 79b, 5x4, 2x6). Left-arm spinner Parth Rekhade (4-45) took two quick wickets and Assam never really covered from those jolts. Yash Thakur picked a couple of wickets while Dubey, who started the proceedings and was the most economical bowler, and Taide chipped in with one each. In the fourth quarter-final, Vidarbha will take on Delhi at CoE 2 in Bengaluru on January 13.