Aman Mokhade's Stellar Century Leads Vidarbha to Vijay Hazare Trophy Final

Vidarbha Secures Spot in Final

Vidarbha has advanced to the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy following a commanding six-wicket victory over Karnataka in Bengaluru. Aman Mokhade emerged as the star of the match, scoring an impressive 138 runs off 122 balls, which included 12 boundaries and two sixes.

Mokhade Equals Record with Fifth Century

This remarkable innings not only propelled Vidarbha into the final but also allowed Mokhade to equal a significant record. His century marked the fifth of the season, tying him with N Jagadeesan for the most centuries in a single Vijay Hazare Trophy season, a record set during the 2022-23 campaign.

Key Partnerships Fuel the Chase

Vidarbha faced an early challenge in their chase when opener Atharva Taide was dismissed for just 6 runs by Abhilash Shetty, leaving the team at 9/1 in 3.3 overs.

Dhruv Shorey then partnered with Mokhade, stabilizing the innings with a solid 98-run partnership. Shorey contributed a steady 47 runs off 64 balls before his dismissal.

Mokhade continued to dominate the bowling attack and received excellent support from Ravikumar Samarth. Together, they formed a formidable 147-run partnership that effectively sealed the match for Vidarbha.

Mokhade eventually fell after his century, having set a strong foundation for victory. Samarth remained not out at 76 runs off 69 balls, leading the team to chase down a target of 281 runs in 46.2 overs.

Karnataka's Bowling Efforts

For Karnataka, Abhilash Shetty was the standout bowler, achieving figures of 3/48, but his efforts were insufficient to halt Vidarbha's progress to the final.

Nalkande's Bowling Heroics

Earlier in the match, Vidarbha's Darshan Nalkande delivered a stellar bowling performance, taking five wickets and limiting Karnataka to a total of 280 runs in the first semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Karnataka's innings began poorly, with their openers struggling to find form. Captain Mayank Agarwal was dismissed for 9 runs, followed shortly by Devdutt Padikkal, who managed only 4 runs, leaving Karnataka at 20/2 in 6.2 overs.

Middle-Order Resilience

Karun Nair and Dhruv Prabhakar attempted to stabilize the innings, adding 54 runs together. Prabhakar scored 28 runs before becoming Nalkande's first victim.

Nair then found a reliable partner in Krishnan Shrijith, and the duo constructed a vital 113-run partnership that steadied the innings. Nair played a crucial role, scoring 76 runs off 90 balls, including eight fours and a six, before being dismissed by Nalkande.

Shrijith followed soon after, contributing 54 runs off 53 balls with seven boundaries before falling to Yash Kadam. Shreyas Gopal and Abhinav Manohar added 55 runs to the total.

However, Nalkande returned to break this partnership, dismissing Gopal for his third wicket. He later took down Vidyadhar Patil and Abhinav Manohar, completing his five-wicket haul with impressive figures of 5/48 from ten overs.

Final Bowling Figures

Vijaykumar Vyshak was the last batter dismissed, scoring 17 runs off 11 balls before falling to Yash Thakur. Other notable bowling performances included Thakur with 2/64, Nachiket Bhute with 1/46, and Yash Kadam with 1/39, as Vidarbha effectively contained Karnataka's scoring.