Vidarbha colts have one leg in Cooch final

 

 

JUST three more sessions of cricket and former champions Vidarbha will once again be one of the finalists of the Cooch Behar Trophy. Though it is said that cricket is game of glorious uncertainties, it is almost sure that Vidarbha colts have one leg in the summit clash. With a massive overall lead of 456 runs with eight second innings wickets in hand, there is just one team moving up.

In response to Vidarbha’s first innings score of 450, Karnataka were shot out for a meagre 197 in 89.5 overs and then Vidarbha batsmen made 203-2 in 45 overs by third day stumps at VCA’s Kalamna ground on Monday.

Starting with their overnight score of 107-2, Karnataka reached 144 when left-arm spinner Gaurav Farde (25-7-65-3), who picked both Karnataka wickets on Sunday, took his and team’s third wicket by cleaning up Swaroop Hipparagi (74; 168b, 13x4). The third wicket pair of Hipparagi and Prakar Chaturvedi (66; 168b, 10x4) produced 72 runs and was the best effort from the visitors.

Bespectacled pacer Pratham Maheswari (19.5-8-30-6) then took the centre-stage taking all but one wicket to fell. Jagjot Singh Sasan ran rival skipper Yashovardhan Parantap out for 29-ball nine.

In their second essay, Vidarbha had a poor start as first innings centurion Neel Athaley departed without troubling the scores and stumper Rohit Binkar, who posted a fifty, could make just five. That gave an opportunity to Danish Malewar to make up for his first innings’ moderate score. Danish (136*; 134b, 22x4, 2x6) and opener

Zubairoddin (60*; 121b, 7x4) were going strong. Danish, who crossed the 800-run mark this season in the first innings, has a great opportunity to reach to that magical four-digit figure in one season.

In all probability Vidarbha will give their batsmen chance to have some good batting practice ahead of the final!