Vijay Hazare Trophy 2023-24: Darshan Nalkande’s five-wicket haul helps Vidarbha beat Maharashtra

Nalkande broke the back of the innings, picking four wickets in two overs. The pacer completed his first List A five-wicket haul after castling Prashant Solanki in the next over.

Darshan Nalkande took five wickets against Maharashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. | Photo Credit: The Hindu/Anish Pathiyil

A fifer from Darshan Nalkande and a clinical run-chase helped Vidarbha beat Maharashtra by five wickets in the Group B Vijay Hazare Trophy match in Jaipur on Monday.

In a game shortened to 40 overs each after bad light delayed the start of play, Harsh Dubey and Shubham Dubey put on an unbeaten century partnership to take the team across the line in a 256-run chase.

Vidarbha’s innings suffered an early jolt when Pradeep Dadhe had opener Sanjay Ramaswamy caught at second slip for nought in the first over.

Captain Atharva Taide and young batter Aman Mokhade resurrected the chase with a 111-run partnership for the second wicket. Taide was dismissed for 60, caught at deep midwicket going for a slog-sweep against left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal.

Experienced batter Karun Nair was unlucky to be dismissed for three right after, with the ball from slow left armer Azim Kazi keeping very low and rattling the stumps.

Kazi then dismissed the impressive Mokhade, caught at cover for 61, and Akshay Wadkar in a similar fashion to dent Vidarbha’s chances before Harsh and Shubham saw the team across the line with five balls left.

Earlier, after the delayed start, Maharashtra lost Naushad Shaikh for three when he edged behind wafting outside off against Umesh Yadav in the seventh over. 

Captain Kedar Jadhav was then bowled, trying to go for a sweep against ambidextrous spinner Akshay Karnewar to leave Maharashtra at 38 for two in the 10th over. 

Om Bhosale continued his purple patch in the tournament, punishing the wide lines from the pacers early on, before going after the short balls from the spinners. 

The southpaw stitched a 123-run stand off just 113 balls along with Ankeet Bawne. Bhosale completed his fifty with a pull shot over midwicket off Nalkande, while Bawne reached his milestone with a slog sweep for four against Harsh. 

Yash Thakur ended Bhosale’s stay at the crease on 82, finding the leading edge with a slower short ball, easily pouched at backward point.

Kazi’s positive start was cut short by Nalkande after the batter mistimed an attempted lofted shot down the ground, with Shubham completing an excellent catch running back from mid-off.

Nalkande then broke the back of the innings, picking four wickets in two overs. After trapping Bawne in front with a slower ball, Ostwal and Ramakrishna Ghosh were castled with two quick deliveries in the same over. 

The pacer completed his first List A five-wicket haul after castling Prashant Solanki in the next over.

Wicketkeeper-batter Nikhil Naik smashed six sixes in the last two overs, including four off the last over bowled by Karnewar to take Maharashtra to 255 for eight, which Vidarbha eventually chased down.