Vidarbha entered the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy as the best among the eight teams (40 points), having dominated the group stages with six wins out of seven games.
Over the last four days, the two-time champion lived up to its billing after producing a clinical performance to thrash Tamil Nadu by 198 runs on the penultimate day of the quarterfinal encounter at the VCA ground here on Tuesday.
Vidarbha — resuming the day at 169 for five and 297 runs in the green — was bowled out for 272, riding on Yash Rathod’s brilliant century (112, 213b, 11×4) to set the visitor a target of 401.
Purple patch
Rathod continued his purple patch by slamming his fourth ton of the season and, alongside Harsh Dubey (64), forged a crucial 120-run alliance for the sixth wicket to almost bat TN out of the game.
Like in the first innings, the TN batters came a cropper against quality pace bowling again, losing five wickets in the second session after pacer Nachiket Bhutte (10-1-19-3) scythed through the brittle batting line-up.
Aditya Thakare first had opener Mohamed Ali caught in the cordon, poking away from his body.
To make things worse, TN pressed the self-destruct button when B. Sai Sudharsan was run out at the non-striker’s end while attempting a needless double thanks to a brilliant direct hit by Karun Nair from square-leg.
In the next over, Bhutte struck twice in three deliveries, trapping N. Jagadeesan and M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar leg-before with deliveries that came in sharply.
The pacer then delivered the knockout punch, removing Vijay Shankar, caught behind, to leave TN shell-shocked at 45 for five.
Pradosh Ranjan Paul (53) and R. Sonu Yadav (57) scored valiant half-centuries but could only delay the inevitable.
Close out the game
Left-arm spinner Dubey, who had scored two half-centuries in this game, scalped the last three wickets and closed out the game in style to set-up a semifinal clash against reigning champion Mumbai.
The scores:
Vidarbha — 1st innings: 353.
Tamil Nadu — 1st innings: 225.
Vidarbha — 2nd innings: Atharva Taide c Boopathi b Sonu Yadav 19, Dhruv Shorey b Sai Kishore 20, Danish Malewar c & b Sai Kishore 0, Karun Nair c Boopathi b Vijay Shankar 29, Yash Rathod c Andre Siddarth b Mohammed 112, Akshay Wadkar b Ajith Ram 8, Harsh Dubey c Mohamed Ali b Sai Kishore 64, Nachiket Bhute c Vijay Shankar b Sai Kishore 6, Aditya Thakare c Jagadeesan b Sai Kishore 0, Akshay Wakhare lbw b Ajith Ram 0, Yash Thakur (not out) 4; Extras (b-5, lb-2, nb-1, w-2): 10; Total (in 92.3 overs): 272.
Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-40, 3-61, 4-99, 5-114, 6-234, 7-244, 8-248, 9-249.
Tamil Nadu bowling: Mohammed 18.3-5-53-1, Sonu Yadav 11-2-32-1, Sai Kishore 26-4-78-5, Vijay Shankar 13-1-33-1, Ajith Ram 13-0-33-2, Mohamed Ali 8-0-27-0, Pradosh 3-0-9-0.
Tamil Nadu — 2nd innings: Mohamed Ali c Malewar b Thakare 10, N. Jagadeesan lbw b Bhute 18, B. Sai Sudharsan run out 2, Vijay Shankar c Wadkar b Bhute 5, M. Boopathi Vaishna Kumar lbw b Bhute 0, Pradosh Ranjan Paul c Taide b Wakhare 53, C. Andre Siddarth run out 15, R. Sonu Yadav b Dubey 57, R. Sai Kishore st. Wadkar b Dubey 13, M. Mohammed c Malewar b Dubey 12, S. Ajith Ram (not out) 11; Extras (b-4, lb-2): 6; Total (in 61.1 overs): 202.
Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-31, 3-32, 4-32, 5-45, 6-83, 7-125, 8-148, 9-191.
Vidarbha bowling: Yash Thakur 8-1-37-0, Thakare 12-4-20-1, Bhute 10-1-19-3, Wakhare 18-2-80-1, Dubey 13.1-2-40-3.
Published – February 11, 2025 08:53 pm IST
Content Source: www.thehindu.com