NAGPUR: Vidarbha's campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has shaped up well as the tournament progressed. There is no department that has not clicked this season. The batting, which was a worry at the beginning of the tourney, has joined the party, and now the side is just a win away from a knockout berth.
The Akshay Wadkar-led side will face Railways in the last league match, which happens to be a must-win game for Vidarbha, on Saturday.
Vidarbha and Uttarakhand are both on 16 points and at the second and third positions respectively, behind Mumbai. Uttarakhand will play Mumbai, while Vidarbha will play Railways, who have 12 points. Vidarbha need a victory to avoid last-minute rush involving net run-rate calculations.
The reason Vidarbha are standing at second position on the points table is the trio of pacers - Umesh Yadav, Yash Thakur and Darshan Nalkande - playing their best. Each one of them has played his role so perfectly that no team is looking challenging for the Wadkar-led side.
Nalkande, who became the fastest to pick 50 wickets in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s on Thursday, has been consistent with the new ball. His skills in power play and in the middle overs have been phenomenal.
From openers to no.7 all the Vidarbha batters have delivered and they would look to continue in the same fashion. Though it is a pressure game, Vidarbha just needs to keep things simple to book the next round ticket.
