Vidarbha Secures Spot in Vijay Hazare Trophy Final with Dominant Win Over Karnataka
Vidarbha Advances to Final
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 16: Vidarbha has successfully reached the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy after a commanding six-wicket victory against 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. His performance not only propelled Vidarbha into the final but also allowed him to equal a notable record. This century marked Mokhade's 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.
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 joined Mokhade at the crease, and together they formed a solid partnership, adding 98 runs. Shorey contributed a steady 47 runs off 64 balls before his dismissal.
After Shorey's exit, Mokhade continued to dominate the bowling attack, receiving excellent support from Ravikumar Samarth. The duo built a substantial 147-run partnership, effectively taking control of the match. Mokhade eventually fell after his century, having set the stage for a comfortable victory.
Samarth remained not out at 76 runs off 69 balls, ensuring Vidarbha chased down the target of 281 runs in just 46.2 overs.
For Karnataka, Abhilash Shetty was the standout bowler, finishing with figures of 3/48, but his efforts were insufficient to halt Vidarbha's progress to the final.
Earlier in the match, Vidarbha's seamer Darshan Nalkande delivered a remarkable 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 settle in. Captain Mayank Agarwal was the first to go, scoring only 9 runs. Shortly after, the in-form Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed by Yash Thakur for just 4 runs, leaving Karnataka at 20/2 in 6.2 overs.
Karun Nair and Dhruv Prabhakar attempted to stabilize the innings, adding 54 runs together. Prabhakar scored 28 runs before becoming Nalkande's first victim.
Following Prabhakar's dismissal, Nair found reliable support from Krishnan Shrijith, and the pair constructed a vital 113-run partnership that steadied Karnataka's 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 being dismissed by Yash Kadam.
Shreyas Gopal and Abhinav Manohar added 55 runs to the total, but Nalkande returned to break the partnership, dismissing Gopal for his third wicket. He later took down Vidyadhar Patil and Abhinav Manohar, completing his five-wicket haul.
Nalkande concluded his impressive spell with figures of 5/48 from ten overs.
Yash Thakur also contributed with 2/64, while Nachiket Bhute and Yash Kadam took 1/46 and 1/39, respectively, as Vidarbha effectively contained Karnataka's scoring.