Thakare, Dubey snap 4 each as host beat Andhra by 74 runs
NAGPUR: Vidarbha staged a remarkable comeback after being bundled out for 118 in just over a session on Day 1 to start their Ranji Trophy campaign on a winning note. Vidarbha defeated Andhra Pradesh by 74 runs in the Elite Group B match at VCA Civil Lines Stadium on Monday.
Day 4 started with both Vidarbha and Andhra in the hunt. Vidarbha were nine wickets away from a win while Andhra needed 239 runs. Starting the day on 79 for 1, Andhra's overnight unbeaten pair of Abhishek Reddy and Shaik Rasheed kept Vidarbha bowlers at bay for the entire morning session.
Both Reddy and Rasheed posted fifties as Andhra scored 84 runs in the 31 overs of the morning session to reach 163 for 1 by lunch. The second wicket pair frustrated the Vidarbha bowling attack for 45.5 overs before veteran offie Akshay Wakhare gave Vidarbha the much-needed breakthrough by trapping Reddy (78;166b;5x4;1x6) lbw in the 59th over.
"The two Andhra batters (Reddy and Rasheed) were batting well. They had the measure of the pitch, the amount of turn it was offering. But for the new batters coming in, it wasn't easy to adjust to the pitch. So, we knew that if one wicket fell, we had a chance," Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar said after the match.
Vidarbha bowlers made the most of all the chances after Reddy's dismissal. From 177 for 2, Andhra batters lost their way as the team folded for 243 in 86.4 overs. After the breakthrough provided by Wakhare, youngsters Harsh Dubey, the left-arm spinner, and Aditya Thakare, the lanky medium pacer, snapped up four wickets each to bring about Andhra's downfall.
Many had written off Vidarbha after they were bundled out for 118 on Day 1. Skipper Wadkar credited Vidarbha openers Atharva Taide, who was adjudged player of the match, and Aman Mokhade for reviving the team's fortunes. "The big opening partnership between Taide and Mokhade in the second innings was the turning point. Danish Malewar too played well, that made a big difference," Wadkar said.
Umesh ruled out for next 2 matches, Shorey joins team
Pace spearhead Umesh Yadav, who suffered an injury during the opening match, has been ruled out of the team for Vidarbha's next two matches. Professional opener Dhruv Shorey, who missed the opening match, has been included in the team. Selectors have included left-arm spinner Parth Rekhade while leaving out Mandar Mahale from the 17-member squad for away matches against Puducherry and Himachal Pradesh.
BRIEF SCORES
Vidarbha: 118 & 366 all out in 102.1 overs (Atharva Taide 118, Danish Malewar 61, Aman Mokhade 53, Karun Nair 43, Akshay Wadkar 40; Tripurana Vijay 4-98, Lalith Mohan 3-114, Satyanarayana Raju2-50) beat Andhra Pradesh: 167 & 243 all out in 86.4 overs (Abhishek Reddy 78, Shaik Rasheed 74; Aditya Thakare 4-47, Harsh Dubey 4-69, Akshay Wakhare 2-71) by 74 runs. Player Of The Match: Atharva Taide.
