2024-03-04 11:00:02
Nagpur: In the semi-final match of Ranji Trophy, fast bowler Avesh Khan dominated with his powerful bowling. For Madhya Pradesh, Avesh took four excellent wickets for 49 runs in the match against Vidarbha. Due to his strong bowling, Vidarbha team was limited to only 170 runs in the first innings. Apart from Avesh, Kulwant Khejroliya took two wickets for 38 runs and Venkatesh Iyer took two wickets for 28 runs in the match.
Madhya Pradesh had scored 47 runs after losing one wicket in the first innings till stumps, due to which it is still behind by 123 runs. The pitch at VCA Stadium was so green that Madhya Pradesh bowled only 2.4 overs from the spinners out of the total 56.4 overs in the day. Left arm spinner Kumar Karthikeya took the wicket of Vidarbha’s last batsman Umesh Yadav. Other spinners like Saransh Jain remained spectators.
Karun scored fifty for Vidarbha
While batting for Vidarbha, only Karun Nair could stay at the crease and score a half-century of 63 runs with nine fours in 105 balls. Indian fast bowler Avesh gave a good start to Madhya Pradesh by uprooting the stumps of opener batsman Dhruv Shorey (13 runs). Then Vidarbha lost wickets at regular intervals and the biggest partnership for the team was 36 runs between Arthav Tayde (39 runs, eight fours) and Aman Mokhade (13 runs, 75 balls).
Tayde (63 balls), who scored a century in the quarterfinal against Karnataka, was caught by wicketkeeper Himanshu Mantri on the ball of Iyer. Karun, who scored the most runs for Vidarbha this season, now came to the crease. But they did not get support at the other end and Avesh dismissed Mokhade. The host team then soon lost the wickets of Yash Rathore and captain Akshay Wadkar within the span of five runs, leaving the score at 106 runs for five wickets.
Madhya Pradesh started smoothly
Vidarbha’s hopes of reaching at least 200 runs also ended when Karun was bowled by Khejroliya while trying to play a pull shot. Then Vidarbha bowlers also could not get the right line length like Madhya Pradesh bowlers, due to which the visiting team lost the only wicket in the form of Yash Dubey (11 runs). By the end of the day’s play, Himanshu Mantri remained at the crease after scoring 26 runs and Harsh Gawli scored 10 runs.