A KEEN tussle for first innings lead is in the offing when third day’s play resumes in the Cooch Behar Trophy match between Uttarakhand and Vidarbha at the Highlanders Sports Academy Ground, Kashipur, Uttarakhand, on Friday. At close of play on Day 2, Vidarbha were 208-8, 27 runs short of Uttarakhand’s first innings tally of 235.

 

After Vidarbha bowlers had done a splendid job of dismissing the hosts for the addition of 12 runs to their overnight score, their batters had a mixed day. Vidarbha lost two wickets at the score of 22 and two more at 61 and a fifth at 95 before Vedant Dighade (45) and Iknoor Singh (55*) added 59 runs for the sixth wicket to revive the innings. Iknoor then added another 53 runs for the seventh wicket with Sanskar Chavate (26) before the latter fell at the score of 207, leaving Vidarbha tantalisingly poised. Brief scores: Uttarakhand 1st innings: 235 all out in 90.3 overs (Samarth Semwal 56, Lakshya Raichandani 96; Sarthak Dhabadgaonkar 4-28, Sanskar Chavate 2-37, Devansh Thakkar 2-53). Vidarbha 1st innings: 208-8 in 70 overs (Sarvesh Ikhankar 35, Iknoor Singh 55 batting, Vedant Dighade 45, Sanskar Chavate 26; Aditya Rana 3-36, Lakshya Raichandani 2-27). Vidarbha trail by 27 runs.