Darshan Nalkande Shines with Five-Wicket Haul in Vijay Hazare Trophy Semi-Final

Nalkande's Bowling Masterclass

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 15: In a standout performance, Vidarbha's fast bowler Darshan Nalkande achieved a remarkable five-wicket haul, limiting Karnataka to a total of 280 runs during the first semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy held in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Karnataka's batting began on a rocky note, with their openers struggling to find their rhythm. Captain Mayank Agarwal was dismissed early for just 9 runs. Shortly after, his opening partner, the in-form Devdutt Padikkal, fell to Yash Thakur for a mere 4 runs, leaving Karnataka at 20 for 2 in just 6.2 overs.

Karun Nair and Dhruv Prabhakar then sought to stabilize the innings, contributing 54 runs together. Prabhakar managed to score 28 runs before becoming Nalkande's first wicket of the day.

Following Prabhakar's exit, Nair received solid backing from Krishnan Shrijith, and the duo formed a vital partnership of 113 runs that steadied the innings. Nair played a pivotal role, scoring 76 runs off 90 balls, which included eight fours and a six, before falling to Nalkande.

Shrijith also made a significant contribution, scoring 54 runs off 53 balls with seven boundaries, before being dismissed by Yash Kadam.

Shreyas Gopal and Abhinav Manohar then added 55 runs to the total, but Nalkande returned to disrupt their partnership by taking Gopal's wicket for his third of the match. He later dismissed Vidyadhar Patil and Abhinav Manohar, completing his five-wicket haul.

Nalkande concluded his impressive spell with figures of 5 wickets for 48 runs in 10 overs.

Vijaykumar Vyshak was the last batter to be dismissed, scoring 17 runs off 11 balls before falling to Yash Thakur.

In addition to Nalkande's brilliance, Thakur recorded figures of 2 for 64, while Nachiket Bhute and Yash Kadam took 1 for 46 and 1 for 39, respectively, helping Vidarbha maintain control over Karnataka's innings.