NEW DELHI: Danish Malewar’s resilient 79 and Dhruv Shorey’s stylish 74 anchored Vidarbha to 308/5 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal against defending champions Mumbai in Nagpur on Monday.
While Vidarbha’s innings lacked a massive partnership, a series of steady stands ensured they crossed the 300-run mark after facing 88 overs. Karun Nair (45) played a composed knock before falling to Shivam Dube, visibly frustrated with the caught-behind decision despite opting for DRS.
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Mumbai’s bowlers struggled to make inroads, conceding 13 no-balls in the day, with their frontline pacers failing to capitalise on the Jamtha track.
Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (2/44 in 18 overs) was the pick of the bowlers, extracting bounce and turn from the surface. Dube (2/35 in 9 overs) chipped in with two wickets, one courtesy of a stunning one-handed catch by Suryakumar Yadav in the slip cordon.
However, Mumbai’s new-ball pair Shardul Thakur (0/57 in 14 overs) and Mohit Avasthi (0/61 in 14 overs) struggled for rhythm, failing to trouble the batters with both the new and second new ball.
Vidarbha’s innings was set up by opener Dhruv Shorey, who capitalized on the erratic bowling of Avasthi and Thakur. Shorey punished half-volleys, hitting nine boundaries in his 74-run knock.
His opening partner Atharva Taide (4) fell early, shouldering arms to a sharp delivery from Royston Dias. However, Shorey found a steady partner in Parth Rekhade (23), adding 54 runs for the second wicket before Dube struck just before lunch, with Suryakumar taking a sharp low catch at third slip.
Malewar, Vidarbha’s breakout player of the season, took charge after lunch, dominating a 51-run stand with Shorey before the latter fell to Mulani, edging one to Ajinkya Rahane at slip.
In-form Karun Nair played with confidence, using his feet well against Mulani and off-spinner Tanush Kotian. He stitched a 78-run fourth-wicket stand with Malewar, keeping Vidarbha in control.
Nair’s innings, which included six boundaries, ended in controversy when Dube found the edge to keeper Akash Anand. While the on-field umpire took a moment before raising his finger, Nair reviewed the decision, only for DRS to uphold it, leaving the batter frustrated.
Malewar’s 159-ball stay finally ended when he edged a forward defence to Mulani, giving keeper Anand his second catch.
With Mumbai looking to restrict Vidarbha below 300, Yash Rathod (47) and skipper Akshay Wadkar (13)** played a crucial role in the final session. Their unbroken 47-run stand for the sixth wicket pushed Vidarbha past the milestone, ensuring they ended the day in a strong position.
With a well-set Rathod at the crease, Vidarbha will aim to extend their total on Day 2, while Mumbai will look for early breakthroughs to claw back into the contest.
Brief Scores
