NAGPUR: The Vidarbha Under-19 side got another boost on Sunday ahead of their knockouts. Their skipper, Mohd Faiz, one of the fearless batters on the circuit, has hit form just at the right time. The southpaw missed a century by one run, but his 153-ball stay was a testimony of him getting into the groove.
Courtesy Faiz and his 139-run partnership with the in-form Jagjot Sasan, who hit 101, Vidarbha responded strongly to Odisha on Day 2 of the Cooch Behar Trophy tie. Vidarbha are leading by 294 runs and will press for an outright win in the remaining two days.
"Faiz is the side's key batter. Last season, he missed the Under-19 World Cup by a whisker. He was having a bad patch so far but in this match, he worked hard in the middle. He usually attacks but this time around, he defended and ensured his footwork was solid. With him coming back to form, all the middle-order batters are now in form. The knockouts would be interesting to watch," said a senior VCA official.
Faiz added 87 runs for the second wicket in the company of Danish Malewar who notched up 72 runs. This the first prominent innings from Faiz and the team management was waiting for such a knock from him.
"We knew that if he spends time in the middle for more than 70 balls, he will get his form back. Scoring runs is not at all an issue for him and that is the reason why we wanted Faiz to play more balls and spend time in the middle. He did it on Sunday and the result is in front. We were waiting for this," the official said.
BRIEF SCORES: Odisha 149 vs Vidarbha (overnight 69-2) 443 for 9 in 114 overs (Jagjot Sasan 101, Mohd. Faiz 99, Danish Malewar 72; Sohail Khan 2-69)
