Vijay Hazare Trophy: Nalkande, Karun ensure Vidarbha comfortably leaps over TN hurdle
Vijay Hazare Trophy: Nalkande, Karun ensure Vidarbha comfortably leaps over TN hurdle
Darshan Nalkande’s brilliant spell (six for 55) followed by Karun Nair’s scintillating unbeaten century (111 n.o., 103, 14×4, 1×6) powered Vidarbha to a comprehensive six-wicket win over Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy league match at the Dr. Y.S.R ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
Chasing 257, Karun led from the front, shepherding the chase alongside valuable contributions from the other batters to help his side effortlessly chase down the target in just 43.5 overs.
Opener Dhruv Shorey gave his side a good start, stroking a quick 31 (33b) before Karun took centre stage. The former Karnataka player then found able allies in Yash Kadam and later Shubham Dubey, stitching crucial partnerships.
Karun and Shubham’s 76-run unbroken stand for the fifth wicket ensured Vidarbha cruises to the target and receives a healthy boost to its Net Run Rate.
However, the victory was set up earlier by the bowlers whose disciplined efforts ensured Tamil Nadu was bowled out for 256 in the 49th over.
After being asked to bat first, opener Tushar Raheja got TN off to a flyer, smashing a quick 75 (74b, 4×4, 6×6). But Nalkande got Vidarbha back in the hunt, striking thrice in three overs to reduce the southern side from 104 for one to 123 for four.
Youngsters C. Andre Siddharth and S. Mohamed Ali got down to the repair job during their 70-run alliance for the sixth wicket before the former was dismissed. From there, TN’s innings collapsed as the five-time champion added just 29 more runs before being bundled out. Nalkande took two wickets off consecutive deliveries to close out things and complete his five-wicket haul.
This was Vidarbha’s fourth straight win in as many matches. The central Indian squad is now at the top of Group D with 16 points, ahead of Uttar Pradesh (14 from five games) and Tamil Nadu (10 from four games).
