Vijay Hazare Trophy: Karnataka crowned champion for fifth time after outclassing Vidarbha in final
Vijay Hazare Trophy: Karnataka crowned champion for fifth time after outclassing Vidarbha in final
Karnataka’s resolve to invest in the future ahead of the season paid rich dividends as a young brigade, led by southpaw R. Smaran, stepped up to beat Vidarbha by 36 runs in a high-scoring final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Kotambi Stadium here on Saturday.
Dhruv Shorey’s third century on the bounce and Harsh Dubey’s late fireworks were not enough in the face of a 349-run target as Karnataka claimed a record-equalling fifth title, going level with Tamil Nadu.
Vidarbha’s unbeaten run while chasing in this tournament ended, as did Karun Nair’s hot streak and his hopes of redemption.
Earlier, crisis-management duties were squarely placed on Smaran’s young shoulders again, and the 21-year-old handled them with precocious composure.
KV Aneesh and skipper Mayank Agarwal had perished in identical fashion, checking a drive straight to the cover fielder, and Devdutt Paddikal’s prolific run was snapped early on. With Karnataka tottering at 67 for three, Smaran and Krishnan Shrijith joined hands for a 160-run partnership off 137 balls.
Armed with a high backlift, Smaran broke the shackles with a forceful drive down the ground. The left-handed duo cranked through the gears after the halfway mark, and found their bearings against offies Yash Kadam and Karun Nair, who conceded 43 runs in the six overs they bowled in tandem.
Smaran was strong off both his feet, and it wasn’t long before he pounced on Nair with a slog sweep and a pull, plundering 10 runs off two freebies.
Shrijith pressed forward with nimble feet to drive in the ‘V’ and cut with panache square of the wicket to leave the bowlers with little margin for error. After Shrijith fell, Abhinav Manohar was the aggressor in a 63-ball century stand with Smaran, who reached his second ton off 89 balls.
Manohar laid into Vidarbha’s pace trio. The short stuff was pulled or swatted away with disdain, and any correction in length was driven over the infield.
The Manohar-manufactured carnage yielded 79 runs off the last six overs, eliciting cheers from the sparsely populated stands and setting up an uphill battle for Vidarbha.
