BENGALURU: Vidarbha secured their place in the Vijay Hazare Trophy semifinals with a commanding 76-run victory over Delhi on Tuesday. The match unfolded at the TIMES NEWS NETWORK BCCI Centre of Excellence under clear skies.
Rathod anchors Vidarbha's innings
Yash Rathod delivered a standout performance for Vidarbha. He scored 86 runs from just 73 deliveries, hitting eight boundaries and two sixes. His fluent knock provided the backbone for Vidarbha's total.
Rathod reached his half-century in 49 balls. He maintained momentum even as wickets fell regularly at the other end. Despite Nitish Rana taking two wickets in the 44th over, Rathod continued finding gaps in the field. Prince Yadav eventually dismissed him late in the innings, with Tyagi completing the catch.
Vidarbha posted a competitive 300 for 9 in their allotted 50 overs. Atharva Taide contributed a valuable 62 runs to the total. Delhi's Ishant Sharma and Navdeep Saini each claimed two wickets, but they could not contain the scoring rate.
Delhi's chase falters early
Delhi began their chase with positive intent. Priyansh Arya looked in good touch, striking boundaries with ease as Delhi raced to fifty. However, Nachiket Bhute provided the crucial breakthrough for Vidarbha.
Arya attempted a pull shot but only managed to feather a catch to debutant wicketkeeper Rohit Binkar. The dismissal sparked loud celebrations from the young keeper and his teammates.
Anuj Rawat fought hard for Delhi, scoring a determined 66 runs. But Vidarbha's bowlers maintained a tight grip on the match. Bhute finished with impressive figures of 4 for 51, while Harsh Dubey supported well with 3 for 36.
Delhi's innings eventually folded for 224 in 45.1 overs, falling well short of the target.
Punjab dominates in other quarterfinal
In the other quarterfinal match, Punjab delivered a crushing performance against Madhya Pradesh. Prabhsimran Singh led the charge with a powerful 88, supported by Anmolpreet Singh's 70.
Punjab posted an imposing 345 for 6 in their 50 overs. Madhya Pradesh struggled in response, collapsing to 162 all out in just 31.2 overs. This gave Punjab a massive 183-run victory.
The win sets up a semifinal clash between Punjab and Saurashtra. Vidarbha will await the winner of the remaining quarterfinal to determine their opponent in the last four.
Brief scores from both matches
Vidarbha vs Delhi:
- Vidarbha: 300/9 in 50 overs (Atharva Taide 62, Yash Rathod 86; Ishant Sharma 2-47, Navdeep Saini 2-68)
- Delhi: 224 in 45.1 overs (Anuj Rawat 66; Nachiket Bhute 4-51, Harsh Dubey 3-36)
- Result: Vidarbha won by 76 runs
Punjab vs Madhya Pradesh:
- Punjab: 345/6 in 50 overs (Prabhsimran 88, Anmolpreet Singh 70; Tripuresh Singh 2-61)
- Madhya Pradesh: 162 in 31.2 overs (Rajat Patidar 38; Gurnoor Brar 2-27, Sanvir Singh 3-31)
- Result: Punjab won by 183 runs
