Ranji Trophy: Vidarbhha backfires against Madhya Pradesh with to Rathod’s 97
On the third day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final here on Monday, Vidarbha pulled off an incredible comeback, reaching 343 for six in their second innings against Madhya Pradesh because to a brash, undefeated 97 from Yash Rathod. As the hosts rallied from a precarious 161 for five, Rathod, who faced 165 balls, had outstanding assistance from skipper Akshay Wadkar (77, 139 balls). Together, the two scored 158 runs for a resolute sixth-wicket partnership. Now, Vidarbha leads by a comfortable 261 runs.
When Vidarbha lost nightwatchman Akshay Wakhare in the second over of the day after restarting from 13-1, Dhruv Shorey (40, 65b) and Aman Mokhade (59, 100b) produced 84 runs for the third wicket, signaling the first sign of resistance. But when he forced Himanshu Mantri to take action behind the stumps by inducing an edge from Shorey, left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya broke the partnership.
At that point, Vidarbha was leading by only 79 runs at 161 for five after losing Mokhade and Karun Nair (38). However, Wadkar and Rathod—who are participating in only his eighth First-Class match—built a wall to withstand the MP attack’s waves.
Short scores: Madhya Pradesh 252 vs. Vidarbha 170 & 343-6 (Y Rathod 97*, A Wadkar 77, A Mokhade 59, D Shorey 40; A Agarwal 2-68, K Kartikeya 2-73).
