Ranji Trophy: Fort Vidarbha breached after 8 years, lose to J&K by 39 runs | Cricket News – Times of India
NAGPUR: No occasion comes to mind in the last decade when four changes were made to a winning combination by Vidarbha. But the selectors and team management thought otherwise ahead of the Jammu & Kashmir match. They changed a settled team too much and now must be ruing the decision as Vidarbha faced a defeat after 8 years at home in Ranji Trophy on Thursday.
Jammu & Kashmir’s Abid Mushtaq (8-2-18-8) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by taking six of the last seven wickets that fell within 5 runs and 28 balls in the third session. Vidarbha batters surrendered without showing any intent against Abid and lost by 39 runs at Civil Lines stadium on Day 3. Chasing 141, they were bowled out for 101 in 34 overs. Vidarbha’s last defeat at home was in the 2013-14 season against Gujarat.
The hosts were sitting pretty at 96 for 3 in 29 overs at tea. They looked comfortably placed for their 3rd straight win with Atharva Taide (42) and Akshay Wadkar (28) seeing the ball like a football.
With both reliable batters in the middle and just 45 runs to go, everyone in the dugout was at ease. However, the scenario changed when the men who matter — Taide, Wadkar, Sarwate (0) and Kale (1) — crumbled like a house of cards. It is such an embarrassing collapse for the two-time champions that it would take years to fade from memory.
Abid was awestruck by his spell. “I do not know what has happened just now. It is unbelievable,” said Abid, who recorded the best figures in an innings and also in the match (11-84).
The left-arm spinner Abid may have bowled the spell of his life but it was the batters who did not negate him by putting a long foot forward like they did in the first innings.
Abid was bowling accurately to the stumps and quicker in the air than the first innings. The spinner cramped as many as six batters at the crease with his you-miss-I-hit line. He castled three batters including Ganesh Satish (6) and caught as many plumb in front out of the eight batters that fell to him.
The result has shaken the team, which has been confidently taking the field since they became champions in 2017-18. Now, questions will be asked, and the only way to stop them would be to overcome Madhya Pradesh in the next encounter at Indore.
“When Vidarbha won two matches, we saw four changes being made. Now we have lost badly, how many changes can we expect? Something is not going right. It will be interesting to see who travels to Indore now,” said a former VCA office-bearer.
Khajuria’s ton helped J&K set up 141-run target
27-year-old skipper Shubham Khajuria (109 off 177b) showed why he is playing the format for the last 12 years. Despite J&K having conceded a 81-run lead, Khajuria believed that a target beyond 150 would be challenging on that pitch. The opener hit 15 fours and 4 sixes. He batted with all his teammates before becoming the last man to get out. His magnificent knock was impressively complemented by Abid.
Jammu & Kashmir’s Abid Mushtaq (8-2-18-8) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by taking six of the last seven wickets that fell within 5 runs and 28 balls in the third session. Vidarbha batters surrendered without showing any intent against Abid and lost by 39 runs at Civil Lines stadium on Day 3. Chasing 141, they were bowled out for 101 in 34 overs. Vidarbha’s last defeat at home was in the 2013-14 season against Gujarat.
The hosts were sitting pretty at 96 for 3 in 29 overs at tea. They looked comfortably placed for their 3rd straight win with Atharva Taide (42) and Akshay Wadkar (28) seeing the ball like a football.
With both reliable batters in the middle and just 45 runs to go, everyone in the dugout was at ease. However, the scenario changed when the men who matter — Taide, Wadkar, Sarwate (0) and Kale (1) — crumbled like a house of cards. It is such an embarrassing collapse for the two-time champions that it would take years to fade from memory.
Abid was awestruck by his spell. “I do not know what has happened just now. It is unbelievable,” said Abid, who recorded the best figures in an innings and also in the match (11-84).
The left-arm spinner Abid may have bowled the spell of his life but it was the batters who did not negate him by putting a long foot forward like they did in the first innings.
Abid was bowling accurately to the stumps and quicker in the air than the first innings. The spinner cramped as many as six batters at the crease with his you-miss-I-hit line. He castled three batters including Ganesh Satish (6) and caught as many plumb in front out of the eight batters that fell to him.
The result has shaken the team, which has been confidently taking the field since they became champions in 2017-18. Now, questions will be asked, and the only way to stop them would be to overcome Madhya Pradesh in the next encounter at Indore.
“When Vidarbha won two matches, we saw four changes being made. Now we have lost badly, how many changes can we expect? Something is not going right. It will be interesting to see who travels to Indore now,” said a former VCA office-bearer.
Khajuria’s ton helped J&K set up 141-run target
27-year-old skipper Shubham Khajuria (109 off 177b) showed why he is playing the format for the last 12 years. Despite J&K having conceded a 81-run lead, Khajuria believed that a target beyond 150 would be challenging on that pitch. The opener hit 15 fours and 4 sixes. He batted with all his teammates before becoming the last man to get out. His magnificent knock was impressively complemented by Abid.
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