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RANJI TROPHY 2023-24
Veteran Akshay Wakhare claimed three wickets in the second innings. (Image: VCA) © Agencies
Vidarbha registered a comfortable 62-run victory over Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy semi-final at the Vidarbha Cricket Association ground in Nagpur on Wednesday (March 6). Needing another 93 runs to win with four wickets in hand, Madhya Pradesh’s task was always going to be a tough one. The result was inevitable and Vidarbha ensured that the match was sealed in the morning session itself. They will now face Mumbai, who in their 48th appearance in the Ranji Trophy final will be seeking their 42nd title.
Aditya Thakare and Yash Thakur struck twice each, to clean up the Madhya Pradesh innings that crash-landed on the fourth day after starting well. Yash Dubey’s 94 and his century with Harsh Gawli (67) had put the visitors on the right track, but once the partnership was broken, Madhya Pradesh lost its head. Venkatesh Iyer and Saransh Jain tried to stop the slide but neither batsman could bat at a pace that would bother the Vidarbha bowlers. Apart from Umesh Yadav, all players in the hosts’ attack got wickets.
Madhya Pradesh would regret letting slip a solid 82-run first innings lead that was built thanks to Himanshu Mantri’s brave ton (126 off 265 balls). The opener’s efforts followed a strong performance by the Madhya Pradesh players in the first innings where Avesh Khan (4/49) led the show. Despite a sizeable deficit to contend with, Vidarbha did not panic in their second innings with the bat. Yash Rathod (141 off 200) produced a game-defining knock and added a stunning 158-run stand with Akshay Wadkar (77 off 139) to take the target to competitive levels.
A chase of over 300 runs in the last two days on a worn surface in India is never easy. A long partnership can often be followed by a clutch of wickets and that is precisely what happened for Madhya Pradesh when their middle order fell prey to the cunning of the Vidarbha attack.
Brief scores: Vidarbha 170 and 402 (Yash Rathod 141; Anubhav Agarwal 5-92) beat Madhya Pradesh 252 and 258 (Yash Dubey 94, Harsh Gawli 67; Akshay Wakhare 3-38, Yash Thakur 3-60) by 62 runs.
© Cricbuzz