Opening Statement: India crush Kiwis by 48 runs to go 1-up

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 21

THE lean frame which Abhishek Sharma presents does not reveal the actual power he possesses. The left-handed opener can clear any distance and his power-packed batting was on display on Wednesday night when the 25-year-old cracked 84 from 35 deliveries to help India post a total which New Zealand could not achieve here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium. The target of 239 was too steep for the Black Caps as they could muster 190-7 in 20 overs.

India showed a perfect blueprint of their attacking batting style which will be on display in next two months going into the home T20 World Cup as they went on to record a 48-run 

win to lead the five-match series 1-0.

New Zealand knew the chase wouldn’t be easy with India having world class bowlers in Arshdeep Singh (1-31), Hardik Pandya (1-20), Varun Chakravarthy (2-37), and Shivam Dube (2-28). Buried under a mountain of 238 runs, they succumbed. They perished as India avenged the decade-old defeat at the same venue with a commanding victory.

A packed explosive batting line-up attacked New Zealand bowlers with disdain hitting 14 sixes and 21 boundaries to make mockery of the visiting bowling line-up. Along with captain Suryakumar Yadav, who became the fourth player to play 100 T20Is for India, Sharma added 99 runs for the third wicket after India had lost Sanju Samson (10) and Ishan Kishan (8) by the third over. That partnership laid the foundation for a big score. With a late flourish from Rinku Singh, who hit an unbeaten 44 from 20 balls, India showed who’s the boss in the shortest format of the game.

Sharma was brutal on all New Zealand bowlers. After playing a couple of dot deliveries, he made his intentions clear with a straight six off the tall Jacob Duffy to set the ball rolling. From then on, his powerful shots were on display with Yadav being the spectator at the other end. Yadav, going through a lean patch, made sure he played second fiddle to his partner. He hit some of his trademark shots and did find gaps to pick up boundaries. Once, the captain stepped out and placed the ball into the gap to collect a boundary towards the long-on fence. Prior to that, he went on his knees to slog it over the square leg boundary for a beautiful four.

Meanwhile, Sharma was unstoppable. His six off Mitchell Santner in the 11th over sailed into the stands with the fielder becoming a spectator. There were shades of Yuvraj Singh in his batting. He bent on his knees a bit but kept his body straight as he sent the ball over the ropes for another six. His entertaining innings came to an end in the 12th over when he holed up a skier off Ish Sodhi to Kyle Jamieson. Surya made 32, Pandya important 25 but it was the late cameo from Rinku Singh, a 44 from 20 deliveries (4x4, 3x6) which kept the run rate high. Rinku took 21 from the last over bowled by Darly Mitchell which had two sixes and as many fours to put India in total control.

New Zealand’s chase was stuttering. They lost two quick wickets inside two overs with Arshdeep and Pandya striking in their respective first overs. Glenn Phillips (78; 40b, 4x4, 6x6) and Tim Robinson (21; 15b, 2x4, 1x6) tried to steady the ship with 51 runs from 31 deliveries for the third wicket but Chakravarthy gave India another breakthrough getting the latter’s scalp in the 7th over. Phillips and Mark Chapman (39; 24b, 4x4, 2x6) were involved in a crucial 79 runs stand for the fourth wicket.

Phillips tried to dominate. He hit Axar for a four and a six but the bowler had the last laugh as he got him caught by Dube at long-on boundary as New Zealand slumped to 131-4 and then 143 for five in the 15th over and then ended their innings at 190-7 in 20 overs.

Orange City Turns Sea Of Blue

 JAMTHA JOTTINGS  ---   By Paritosh Pramanik and Deval Kakde

IT WAS India Blue on the sale. With the T20 International coming to Nagpur after a long gap, fans made sure they didn’t miss to see their demigods. The India Blue T-shirts were sold like hot cakes by the vendors. They did not care for the cost of the tees which went up to Rs 800!

All they wanted was to look part of the Indian team. The T-shirt sellers were outside VCA Civil Lines where they were selling it at Rs 200. But as one moved towards the stadium, hundreds of such sellers occupied the footpaths and service lanes of the Hyderabad Highway, selling them at a premium rate.

PATRIOTS

There were several patriots who painted their faces in India tri-colours. The painters too made good money as a small three-dash flag cost around Rs 50. The price increased with the size of the tri-colour. The fans also wore tri-colour turbans and waved the flags showing their patriotism.

BEELINE

WITH no IPL matches conducted in the city, fans get few opportunities to watch Indian cricketers perform in Nagpur. They made sure they didn’t miss a single delivery and the 

moment and made a beeline outside the stadium much ahead of the scheduled start of play. The serpentine line grew as the time progressed.

HOUSEFUL SHOW

IT WAS a house-full show. Not a single seat was left vacant and the stadium was full to the brim. The 44,000 capacity stadium witnessed an international T20 match after a long gap and fans came in numbers to make it a memorable moment.

BLACK 

MARKETING

DESPITE tickets being sold online, there were many black marketers who made a few extra bucks by selling tickets at an exorbitant price. A spectator said that he brought a ticket of Rs 750 denomination for Rs 3000. There were many who paid much more for some other seats. All they wanted was to be inside the stadium and watch the cricketers play.

ROHIT, VIRAT STILL IN DEMAND

THEY might have retired from Tests and T20 Internationals, but star cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are still the heart-throb of millions of fans around the world. The two have lit up stadiums around the globe and fans could not fathom their departure from two formats of the game. The T-shirts are still on demand and the stadium was full with VIRAT and ROHIT T-shirts. So what they are not in the side, fans still love their favourite cricketers.

PUSH OR PULL

IT IS important to apply correct signage at the correct position during a big event like international matches. Wrong information might make things dangerous. During the match, one of the spectators in the corporate box was about to break the glass door unknowingly due to wrong sticker signage on it. The glass door was supposed to be pushed to open it but the signage read ‘pull’. The spectator following the ‘orders’ pulled it only to see it bang the huge door into the frame. Luckily, it did not break.

PRECIOUS LOSS

MATCH tickets are a precious commodity. It takes a humongous effort to get one. But tragedy strikes when one loses them. Such an incident happened outside the stadium when two bike-borne men snatched tickets from a youth. The ‘thieves’ sped away on their moped. The youth approached the police to register a 

complaint.

GAME OF A BILLION DREAMS

ONE enthusiastic little cricket fan was seen keenly observing each and every aspect of this beautiful stadium and asking array of questions to his father. He asked, ‘what it takes to be on that green playing surface?’ The father patiently replied as said it takes a lot of hard work to achieve success. Hope the kid takes the teachings seriously and achieves his goals.

‘TASKAREE’

DESPITE heavy checking at the turnstile posts, few spectators managed to smuggle Nagpuri ‘Kharra’ inside the stadium. Hiding them where nobody can reach, Nagpurians came out victors in dodging the volunteers at the gates. One of the spectators was seen taking it out from his socks and sharing it with a fellow Indian supporter. Their cricketing knowledge was too ‘commendable’ as they recognised ‘Rinku Yadav’ practicing with ‘Kuldeep Singh’.

Paisa Vasool: Fans hail team INDIA

By Paritosh Pramanik

THE Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Jamtha Stadium wore India Blue colours. Thousands of cricket aficionados thronged the venue and made their Wednesday a memorable one. It was a mid-week mania with spectators enjoying every bit of it as Indian batters, led by Abhishek Sharma, hit boundaries and sixes during the first T20 International. The favourable result made it a memorable evening for the sporting entertainment-starved Nagpurians. Cricket is the biggest international sporting event that takes place in this part of central India and citizens wanted to soak in the moment.

Abhishek Sharma made sure that fans enjoyed their evening to the hilt hitting a 35-ball 84 with eight marauding sixes and five boundaries. His sixes lit up the stadium as New Zealand bowlers failed to find solution to stop him. After his departure, Rinku Singh entertained the crowd late in the innings hitting three sixes and as many fours. With bowlers striking at regular intervals, New Zealand could not make a match of it. They succumbed.

The fans made a beeline at the venue situated in the outskirts of the city more than four hours before the start of the play. They all wanted to occupy their ‘coveted seats’ well in advance. They wanted to enjoy the ‘festival’ from ball one. By the time toss took place, the stands were almost packed to the capacity.

With Police on their toes to avoid any untoward incident, fans also made it sure that they remained disciplined.

The arrangements at the venue were perfect with volunteers guiding fans to their designated seats through turn-styles. Fans went berserk as the game started and sixes landed into the stands. They chanted names of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. But the biggest was reserved for Hardik Pandya. Haaardik…Haardik… chanted the fans, bringing back the memories of Saachiiin….Saaachiiin…

RECORD MATCHES: People often say that Vidarbha Cricket Association did not get matches as compared to other venues of the country. But the match between India and New Zealand was the 14^th T20 International at Jamtha Stadium, highest than any other venue.

Only VCA’s Jamtha Stadium has hosted more T20Is than any other centre in the country. One of the oldest centres of the country Eden Gardens has hosted 12 T20Is followed by Dharamsala (11), Bengaluru (10) and Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium (9). VCA authorities did a perfect job in conducting a hassle-free match as spectators returned home, albeit traffic jam, with happy memories.

Jamtha magic beckons Men in Blue

By Paritosh Pramanik

ALL ROADS will lead to Jamtha today. India’s preparation for the home T20 World Cup gets rolling from Nagpur when they take on New Zealand in first of the five T20 Internationals on Wednesday evening. The white ball will fly thick and fast to all parts of the stands. The crowd would go berserk when Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, captain Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan and others dispatch the ball into the night sky. Batters would go hammer and tongd while bowlers would relish hearing the sound of ball hitting the timber.

It is a sold-out encounter. Tickets were sold out in just two hours. The match will start at 7 pm but the stadium gates will be thrown open at 4 pm for the ease of spectators. The Traffic Police Department has made a few changes to the approach road in an attempt to avoid congestion. But with maximum spectators coming from one direction, there is a possibility of a jam. The authorities have appealed to spectators to use Metro and bus services to reduce congestion.

Spectators will make a beeline well in advance to get inside the stadium before the first ball is bowled.

Most Indian cricketers arrived in Nagpur well in advance and hit the nets at the right earnest.

They sweated out hard for three days and are ready for D-Day. They don’t want to leave any stone unturned as they know that India have a superior record against them. Out of the 25 encounters, India have won 14 while New Zealand emerge victors on 10 occasions with one odd game ending in a tie. India would love to extend their supremacy while New Zealand will aim to narrow the gap.

VCA Jamtha would be hosting 14th T20 International, more than any other Indian venues. India has won last three T20 matches played at this venue.

The iconic Eden Gardens has hosted 12 while Dharamsala hosted 11 and Bengaluru 10. Mumbai’s Wankhede has got a chance to host a T20 International on nine occasions.

India would hope to extend Jamtha’s record and give spectators something to cheer about.

All in all, it would be a treat for spectators who will be witnessing the cricketing gods in the city after quite some time.

Free drinking water

VCA will be providing free drinking water to the spectators. The association has requested them to make cash payment only for food items purchased, as internet and network issues make ‘on-line’ payment difficult.

Buses

Nagpur Municipal Corporation will be running additional buses from the city to and from Jamtha Stadium. Similarly, the Maha Metro will be running additional services up to New Airport Metro Station. Apart from this, VCA will also be arranging buses for pickup and drop of spectators from New Airport Metro Station and will also run shuttle bus services from the place of parking of VCA near Ultra Tech Cement Plant to and from the Jamtha Stadium T-Point.

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The other side of Surya 

By Paritosh Pramanik

INDIAN captain Suryakumar Yadav loves to pose a smile every time. He also makes the press conferences lighter with his style of replies. On Tuesday, the other side of Surya was on display as his replies evoked laughter in the press conference hall of VCA’s Jamtha Stadium.

As the skipper walked in the media room and took his seat, his antics started.

A ball-shaped broadcasters’ logo was kept on the table near the mic. Bemused, Surya picked up to check it. Somebody from the media said ‘ball hai’. “Wo to important hai (It’s the most important thing),” Surya quickly replied amidst laughter in the press conference hall to set the presser rolling.

When one of the scribes reminded him that India lost the Test series against New Zealand and recently the One-Dayers. “We have lost to them (Tests) some 10 years back, isn’t it?,” quipped the captain to another round of laughter. “Somebody just said 2026 aa gaya … so I thought it’s too old to talk. Let’s talk about the T20 format because we will be playing this format for the moment,” replied Surya.

However, the best was reserved for the last. When asked about the pitch and how it would behave on the match day, Surya said, “Achcha dikh raha hai … ekdum hara bhara … khali santre nahi uge hai udhar … but achcha hai. Ground is good … the crowd is good here,” he sarcastically said and left the room amidst laughter.

Final rehearsal for WC starts

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 20

PRELIMS starts for the Indian T20 team before the final exams. The five-match T20 series against visiting New Zealand, starting Wednesday here at Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Jamtha Stadium, will be the best possible preparation India would have asked for before the home T20 World Cup starting February 7.

In the precursor to the T20 World Cup, defending champions India will aim to rearrange themselves when they square off against a consistent New Zealand team, led by Mitchell Santner.

Even though most of the Indian players were not part of the One-Day side which suffered 1-2 defeat at the hands of Kiwis on Sunday, the T20 specialists would love to start the series on a positive note here.

Around 11 of the 15-member team landed in Nagpur well before the start of the series and got down to business immediately. They trained hard on Sunday and then the next day when the remaining players joined them from Indore.

This series would be the build-up for the forthcoming mega ICC event and title holders India will be more than eager to start in the right earnest.

With clean hitters in the side including Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan apart from captain Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya in the ranks, India look a dominant side on paper.

However, skipper Yadav has been struggling with the bat off late and it is time he gets some runs under his belt before the World Cup. Last year, the captain scored only 218 runs from 19 matches without a single half century. But going by the way he batted in the nets in the last two days, it seems Surya’s mojo is back. His batting performance would be crucial for India in shaping up their innings. With a belter in the offing, Surya will have the best opportunity to regain the touch.

“Talking about my performance, the runs would definitely come. I can’t do things differently. I don’t want to change my identity. I would like to bat the same way which has given me success in the past 3-4 years. If the performance comes I’ll take it and if it doesn’t then I will go back to the drawing board, practice again, work hard and come back stronger,” Suryakumar said during the press conference on the match eve.

India have world class wicket-taking bowlers with death overs specialist Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounder and vice-captain Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. The hosts would definitely try different combinations to get a perfect playing XI for the 

World Cup. Coach Gautam Gambhir will treat these five matches with utmost importance given the next bigger assignment to follow and will try to finalise a settled XI as soon as possible.

The visitors would be high on confidence with their long format title victory over the hosts a few days ago. They are one of the most consistent sides in the world at present and the Santner-led team will be out to pose a challenge to India.

“We love playing in India and against India. We would take (ODI win) confidence in this series and hope for a positive result,” New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner said on the eve of the match.

With Devon Conway, Ben Jacobs and Tim Robinson at the top, the New Zealand side is loaded with all-rounders. Captain Santner, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, James Nisham, Glenn Phillips 

and Rachin Ravindra, all have the abilities to hit big and take wickets.

The bowling section will be headed by Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Ish Sodhi who will try to see the back of Indian batters and silence the vociferous crowd. New Zealand have also added Kristian Clarke for the first three matches. 

Clarke was rewarded for his fine show on debut in their 2-1 ODI win. The 24-year-old, who took the wicket of Virat Kohli, was included as a cover for all-rounder Michael Bracewell. The ODI captain had sustained a calf injury during the third ODI in Indore.

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Ishan best to bat at Number 3: SKY

n By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 20

HIS recent heroics in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 forced the selectors to hand wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan the important Number 3 spot in the Indian team when they square up for the first T20 International against New Zealand here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Wednesday.

“Ishan will play at number three. We have picked him in the (T20) World Cup team and he has done quite well in the domestic cricket off late. So, he deserves to play. Had it been for the No 4 position, the situation would have been different. But unfortunately Tilak is not there, so I think Ishan is the best bet at number 3,” declared Suryakumar during a press conference on the eve of the series opener.

Surya underlined that every game the team plays is important and he would be happy batting at Number 4. “Every game we will be playing from now on will be important. I have batted at both the positions for India, No 3 and No 4. But we are flexible and depending upon the situation we take the decisions. If we want a right-hander at that point then I walk in otherwise Tilak has been doing really well at No 3. But unfortunately he is not in the side at present,” said the captain.

“So it would be like for like. If a left-handed-batter is out (Abhishek) then Ishan will walk in at Number 3 and if Sanju gets out, then I will walk in,” he clarified.

Surya said that he never thinks about his personal performance as has to look at the entire team and support staff.

“Had I been playing individual sports like badminton or table tennis, I would have thought more about myself. But this is a team sport and my responsibility is to think about the team. If the team is doing well, I am happy and then I don’t think about my personal performance. I have to look after all the other 14 players and the support staff as well. I have been appointed as the leader of everyone,” Suryakumar stated.

The Indian skipper informed that he is doing nothing behind the curtains and is playing in an open field.

“Parde ke peeche to nahi gaya mai (I did not go behind the curtains for any preparation). I batted in the open ground … But then I pondered ‘what was the thing that gave me the identity in T20’. So, I worked on those things. How have I helped the Indian side in T20s 

in the last three-four years? I have been batting in the nets the same way I was batting earlier,” he said. 

Surya said the team would definitely miss Tilak Verma and Washington Sundar who both are out of the squad with injuries.

“Obviously we will miss Tilak and Washy but injuries are part and parcel of the game. It’s not in our hands. It’s not in anyone’s control but at the same time it gives an opportunity to some other player to show his talent.” Suryakumar said that playing under pressure brings the best out of the players as it motivates them.

 “There will be pressure in any format. Without pressure, the sport would look stale. With pressure comes responsibility. It needs another energy level. It motivates us,” he concluded.

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Santner says, Black Caps hold upper hand

n By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 20

HAVING won the One-Day series recently, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner is confident that Black Caps hold an upper hand going into the five-match T20 series against India. The first match starts at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Wednesday.

“It obviously gives us an edge. We love playing India, and we love playing in India. We have had some recent successes against India in different formats. We are looking forward to the series. The aim, first of all, is obviously to win the series but also have good enough preparation leading into the T20 World Cup (in India),” Santner said during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“It’s about playing a great team in similar conditions to what we are going to face in the World Cup. In terms of preparations for the series, it’s going to be a great series,” the Black Caps captain added.

Santner said he expects Daryl Mitchell to carry his dominant ODI form into the shortest format. In the just concluded One-Dayers against India, Mitchell scored runs in bulk hitting 84, unbeaten 131 and 137 which was the cornerstone of New Zealand’s stunning 2-1 series victory.

“Initially, Daryl struggled against spin. But he worked incredibly hard and you can see the fruits of labour,” Santner said.

“He’s playing spin well. He can control the game in middle overs during ODIs. Hope he does something similar in T20Is,” the Kiwis captain stated.

Santner termed this India tour a learning curve for his side. “We love playing here. For us, it is about facing a great team in conditions which will be familiar during the T20 World Cup,” he said.Santner called it a special memory from his first tour of India some 10 years ago. He lauded the crowd and the support India got while playing at home.

“I hope it’s similar to what it was 10 years ago. I guess it was my first trip to India. Not really knowing what to expect, but, you know, turning up, playing in front of 50,000 people in the World Cup, it was awesome. And it’s been the same every time we’ve come back. And everyone loves touring here. The fans are amazing. Every time you get to play in front of a massive crowd, it’s what we do. It’s why we play, I guess,” he said.

Batters free arms in high intensity nets

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Jan 18

THE ball landed with a thud straight on one of the blue chairs in the North Stand. There were many such towering shots which made their way into the stands from the bat of Ishan Kishan. The left-handed batter, who recently helped Jharkhand win the Syed Mushtaq Ali title and made his way into the Indian T20 side, showed his aggressive side as the team started its preparation for the first T20 International against New Zealand here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Sunday. 

The first encounter of the five-match series, a precursor to next month’s World Cup, begins January 21 under the lights.

Most of the Indian team members led by Suryakumar Yadav reached the city on Saturday evening.

Even though it was an optional session, all cricketers barring Hardik Pandya, hit the nets in all seriousness.

Captain Yadav, Axar Patel, Sanju Samson, Ravi Bishnoi, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan all were seen fine-tuning their skills on Sunday morning.

Samson looked more determined among all as he opened the nets at around 11.30 am and was the last to step out of the field at 2.30 pm.

The players decided to use the practice pitches instead of the batting nets situated outside the main field.

Axar and Bishnoi occupied one nets while Chakravarthy and Bumrah rolled over their arms on the adjacent turf.

Abhishek Sharma preferred sprinting and stretching exercise before strapping his pads.

Samson started the nets facing throw downs and then took on the net bowlers. Ishan faced spinners Bishnoi, Patel and Chakravarthy. Even Rinku Singh rolled his arms to Ishan who tonked the ball to quite a distance on a few occasion.

Bumrah did not bowl full throttle initially and was seen rolling his arms from two-three steps.

He then changed the nets and bowled medium pace deliveries to Samson.

Suryakumar, whose form is a bit of concern, joined Ishan and tried to connect the ball but on few occasions mistimed his shots.

Dube, after some sprinting and high catching, rolled his arms to Sharma. He then occupied the pitch to hit some lofty shots into the stands.

A three-hour nets session ended as cricketers walked back to pavilion drenched in sweat.

Irshad, Niyaz dazzle in Lanka

Captain Mirza, Rahim help Police Warriors win Premier Hockey League Sri Lanka 

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, December 2, 2025

CITY’S two hockey players dazzled on the blue turf of Colombo in Sri Lanka displaying their dribbling skills and winning the coveted trophy.

City’s two talented hockey stars — Niyaz Rahim, who has a distinction of leading the Indian Railways team to the podium on several occasions, and fiery striker Irshad Mirza — escorted Police Warriors to top in the recently concluded Premier Hockey League Sri Lanka 2025.

The second season of the franchise based eight-team league was played at Colombo and was organised by Sri Lanka Hockey Federation.

Irshad, who was captain of Police Warriors, led from the front to help his side remain unbeaten in the tournament and clinch the coveted title.

“Last year, I played for Air Force Skyhawks and missed the podium by a whisker finishing second. But this year, I was determined to go one step further. Leading Police Warriors I managed to win the title,” said Irshad after his return from the Lankan capital.

Irshad and Niyaz were the linchpin of their side and the two dazzled on the blue turf making waves of moves with their stunning speed and agility. Niyaz was named player of the tournament for his exploits in the midfield.

“It was a great tournament and the competition level was high. I am happy that I could contribute to the success of my team in winning the title,” said the midfielder Niyaz, who received a moped as a reward.

In the league round, Irshad’s Police Warriors won four matches and drew three to reach the semi-finals.

In the semis, they stunned Air Force 4-2 to book the final berth. Irshad was instrumental in giving his side the lead scoring the first goal of the semis match.

“We were declared winners after a powerful cyclone triggered heavy rains and mudslides across the island.

“Though the venue where the tournament was played was not much affected, the organisers decided to call off the tournament without the final match and we declared winners as we had maximum points after the completion of the league round,” said Irshad, who also plays for Central Railways headquarters hockey team.

With hockey developing in the island nation, Niyaz felt that more such tournament will make the Lankan team a team to beat in future.

“They are making progress. Such tournaments will give them exposure and would definitely help them in future. A proper coaching would help them qualify for Asian Games in future,” Niyaz concluded.

Vidarbha strengthen position at top with crushing win

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Nov 19

THE result was inevitable. The only question was when and not how.

Defending champions Vidarbha completed the formalities crushing Baroda by 144 runs on the fourth morning in their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Wednesday.

Resuming the day at a precarious 73-5 and needing 203 for a win, Baroda innings folded an hour before lunch in 18.4 overs on the final day to hand Vidarbha a huge victory. The crushing win put Vidarbha firmly on the top of Group A with 25 points. Vidarbha have recorded three outright wins and have taken first innings lead twice.

The performance of the team is praiseworthy as they came out all guns blazing after being shot out for 169 in first innings. The bowlers ripped Baroda apart as the hosts took a slender three runs first innings lead.

In their second innings, the batters showed maturity and played with purpose with Athrava Taide, Dhruv Shorey, man of the match Yash Rathod and Ravikumar Samarth all scoring runs to set a mammoth target of 276 runs for Baroda.

Darshan Nalkande then bowled a dream spell taking four wickets for seven runs on the third evening, breaking the back of Baroda. The visitors could not recover as Nalkande completed his First Class career’s first five-wicket haul taking the wicket of Ninad Rathva seven minutes into the fourth morning. The fast bowler thus became on second Vidarbha bowler after Umesh Yadav to take a fifer in Ranji, Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 27-year-old pacer, playing his 12th First Class match, bowled on the coin and forced overnight batter Rathva (10) to poke one to wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar who dived to his right to complete the catch. Debutant spinner Ganesh Bhosle then sent back a well-set Sukirt Pandey (37) on his first delivery of the day. 

The tweaker’s ball spun enough to get a faint edge from Pandey’s bat and landed in the safe gloves of Wadkar.

Baroda captain Atit Sheth (29*) and Raj Limbani (21) delayed Vidarbha’s celebration with a 50 runs eighth wicket partnership but Parth Rekhade broke the stand getting the latter caught by Samarth at square boundary.

Bhute wrapped it off taking the wickets of Mahesh Pithiya (5) and Bhargav Bhatt (0) in succession to complete the rout.

Deadly Nalkande rips Baroda apart

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Nov 19 

DARSHAN Nalkande bowled a deadly opening spell in the second innings to take Vidarbha closer to the doors of an outright victory against Baroda on the penultimate day of their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match here at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Tuesday.

Chasing a stiff target of 276, Baroda were 73 for five at stumps, still needing 203 runs for a shocking win. Table toppers Vidarbha, sitting in the driver’s seat, need only five wickets for an outright victory.

Sukirt Pandey (35) and left-handed batter Ninad Rathva (10) were occupying the stumps at the end of day’s play.

Nalkande devoured Baroda’s top order with pace and precision taking four wickets in his first five overs as Baroda reeled at 17-4. His first spell read 6-3-7-4. This included a staggering 32 dot balls.

The seamer, who did not get a wicket in first innings, trapped Baroda opener Shivalik Sharma in front in his second delivery. 

Jyotnil Singh’s bails flew in the air as Nalkande pitched the ball at the right length which the batter missed. Aman Mokhade then took a brilliant diving catch of Shashwat Rawat at gully to give Nalkande his third wicket. Baroda were in all sorts of trouble with only seven runs on the board. They panicked as Nalkande dictated terms.

Nalkande, after a quiet over, got his fourth scalp trapping Vishnu Solanki plumb in front as Baroda tumbled to 17 for four by the 10th over.

From the other end, seamer Nachiket Bhute kept pressure on the visiting team. He was unlucky as his deliveries missed the bat from a kissing distance.

Parth Rekhade took the fifth Baroda wicket when he got Mitesh Patel caught by Mokhade at slips for 16 runs.

Earlier, Yash Rathod continued his purple patch with another half century (91) as Vidarbha improved their batting performance scoring 272 runs. Rathod missed out on what could have been his third century of the season but along with Ravikumar Samarth, added 128 runs for the fourth wicket, to put Vidarbha in command.

Resuming the day at 126 for three, Rathod and Samarth made batting look easy on a deteriorating pitch.

Rathod, last season’s highest runs scorer in Ranji Trophy, looked determined to score another big one. The left-handed 25-year-old batter showed how to bat on a fourth innings track scoring his career’s 11th half-century as Vidarbha gained the upper hand. 

He got an able ally in Samarth who supported him to take Vidarbha to a position of strength. Samarth, picked runs through gaps even as Rathod mixed his batting with caution and aggression.

Samarth, who has scored two half centuries this season apart from a 49 in the first game against Nagaland, hit just one boundary in his 45 runs. Most of his runs came through singles pushed in gaps. Their 145 runs partnership put Vidarbha in control as Baroda bowlers toil hard in the morning session. But when it looked that Vidarbha would take lunch without losing any wicket Raj Limbani trapped Samarth in front of the wicket. At lunch Vidarbha were 231 for four taking their overall lead to 234. 

Rathod was unlucky not to complete his century after lunch as Shivalik Sharma caught him at forward short-leg off Bhargav Bhatt when the batter stepped out to push a single.

After Rathod’s departure at 243-5, Vidarbha lower order could muster only 29 runs to get all out for 272. Baroda captain Atit Sheth took a fifer, four of his wickets being of the tailenders.

Bowlers hand Vidarbha lead against Baroda

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Nov 18, 2025

VIDARBHA bowlers struck in unison and then the batters produced an improved performance on the second day to take a slender but an important first innings lead against Baroda in their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match here at Jamtha Stadium on Monday.

The defending champions struck in the morning session taking five wickets and then took just 47 minutes post lunch break to bundle Baroda out at 166, taking three runs lead.

The hosts then showed immense temperament to score 126 for three in the second innings to take an overall lead of 129 runs.

Opener Athrava Taide (40) and Dhruv Shorey (61) controlled most part of last session, adding 97 runs for the second wicket to help Vidarbha stretch the lead. Taide, who managed only five runs in the first innings, produced a much better stuff in the second essay. He and Shorey rotated the strike finding gaps to keep the scoreboard ticking. With the pitch deteriorating and shot playing becoming difficult, the two Vidarbha batters relied on singles and doubles to score their runs. The Vidarbha duo comfortably negotiated Baroda spinners Ninad Rathva and Mahesh Pithiya as well as pacers Raj Limbani and Atit Sheth.

After Taide’s departure, who was caught by wicketkeeper Mitesh Patel off Mahesh Pithiya, Shorey too was sent back by Atit Sheth in quick succession. Two quick wickets within a space of six deliveries did put some pressure on the hosts but Ravikumar Samarth (8) and Yash Rathod (15) saw the day without any more dent. Earlier, Vidarbha bowlers rose to the occasion in the morning with spinners Parth Rekhade and debutant Ganesh Bhosle sharing four wickets between them before lunch. Baroda had a cautious start as they scored 26 runs in the first hour. Vidarbha finally got success when Rekhade got overnight batter Jyotsnil Singh (36) trapped in front. Singh was lucky to be called back after he was trapped LBW in the seventh over of the day. The umpire overturned his own decision, after he realised that the batter had nicked it. Rekhade then got the wicket of Sukirt Pandey who failed to judge the low bounce as the ball rammed into his pads in front of the wicket.

Debutant Bhosle then took the centre stage as snared two wickets to put Vidarbha on top. The right-arm spinner, playing his first Ranji game, pitched a perfect delivery which spun enough to find the edge of Ninad Rathva’s (1) bat and wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar did the rest. The maiden Ranji wicket gave Bhosle enough confidence and he took another a few overs later. A relatively slower delivery did not bounce enough to hit Mithesh Patel’s (1) pads only to be adjudged LBW. Nachiket Bhute, who had taken both the wickets on the first day, sent back Baroda captain Sheth caught by Wadkar as Baroda went into lunch at 131 for seven, still trailing by 37 runs.

Post break, Rekhade got Mahesh Pithiya’s brilliantly caught by Shorey in slip while Bhosle got rid of Raj Limbani who was again snapped by an agile Shorey in leg slip. Praful Hinge completed the formalities taking the last wicket of Bhargava Bhatt.

Vishu Solanki was the lone warrior for Baroda with an unbeaten 59 which had two sixes and five boundaries.

Three Vidarbha cricketers retained by IPL franchises

Special Correspondent

NAGPUR, Nov 17, 2025

THREE Vidarbha cricketers have been retained by the Indian Premier League franchises for the coming season. 

Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur was retained by Punjab Kings while Sunrisers Hyderabad showed faith in spinner Harsh Dubey. Similarly, hard-hitting batter Shubham Dubey too was retained by Rajasthan Royals for another season.

Jitesh Sharma, who left Vidarbha for Baroda this season, was retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Jitesh has been an integral part of RCB which won their maiden IPL title last season.

Harsh Dubey and Yash Thakur have shown immense talent in the domestic circuit and were rewarded for their consistency with India A berths. Both are at present playing for India A in the Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 Tournament in Doha, Qatar. Harsh was picked by SRH last season as a replacement player for Ravichandran Smaran. The left-arm spinner made an immediate impact in the three matches he played as he took as many wickets including the prized scalp of Virat Kohli.

This will be the fourth season for Yash Thakur who made his IPL debut in 2023 for Lucknow Super Giants. Thakur has a record against his name of being the only bowler to take five wickets in IPL against Gujarat Giants in 2024.

Rajasthan Royals has shown faith in Shubham Dubey once again retaining him for another season. The hard-hitting left-handed batter has shown his talent in whatever opportunity he got in the last couple of seasons.

Baroda take Day One honours

By Paritosh Pramanik

NAGPUR, Nov 17, 2025

BARODA left-arm spinner Ninad Rathva claimed his career’s sixth five-wicket haul to help his side take Day One honours against Vidarbha in the Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match at Jamtha Stadium on Sunday.

Rathva’s fifer saw Vidarbha crumble for 169 in just 58 overs on their home turf. Barring Yash Rathod (42*), who fell short of partners and Aman Mokhade (37), none other Vidarbha batter could stay put in the middle.

At stumps, Baroda were 70 for two still trailing by 99 runs.

Vidarbha got the wicket of Shashwat Rawat on the penultimate delivery of the day when Nachiket Bhute bowled a bouncer which the batter tried to pull only to edge it to wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar. Bhute gave Vidarbha breakthrough in the fifth over of their innings trapping opener Shivalik Sharma in front.

Jyotsnil Singh (27) and Shashwat Rawat (33) had added 59 runs for the second wicket. 

Singh, who got hit on his helmet in the morning and was taken to hospital for scans, batted well with Rawat as they frustrated Vidarbha bowlers.

Rawat was lucky to get three lives during his 118-minute stay in the middle. Early in the innings, Darshan Nalkande got Rawat’s furniture disturbed, when he was on 12, but the bowler overstepped for a no-ball. A few overs later, Mokhade dropped him at slips and then substitute Yash Kadam spilled another in the slip cordon when the batter was on 19.

Earlier, the visitors put up a dominant show as the home side lost their top four batters in the first session itself. They could not improve their performance any further in the afternoon session and were all out 20 minutes before scheduled tea break.

Rathva (47-5), playing his 17th First Class match, spun the web around Vidarbha batters to take a fifer. He mixed his deliveries well as he trapped four batters in front of the wicket after claiming the prized scalp of Mokhade caught by wicketkeeper Mitesh Patel.

Patel took five catches in the first innings, from which four came from pacers Atit Sheth (25-2) and Raj Limbani (27-2).

Baroda bowlers were all over Vidarbha and pushed them back to the wall.

The hosts were dealt with an early blow when an out-of-form opener Atharva Taide nicked back to wicketkeeper Patel in the sixth over of the day. Limbani maintained a beautiful line and forced Taide to play the shot only to see his bat kissing the ball.

Parth Rekhade (20), promoted up the order, did manage to consume a few deliveries (36 balls) and along with Aman Mokhade added 46 runs for the second wicket, the highest of Vidarbha’s innings. 

He tried to overpower Baroda bowlers with a couple of boundaries and a six off a pull shot but his entertaining innings too came to an end when captain Atit Sheth got him caught behind.

Ravikumar Samarth, playing his 100th First Class match, could not make much of an impact as he flashed an away going delivery back to keeper Patel off Limbani, giving the bowler his second wicket before lunch.

Mokhade tried to hold one end and was looking in great touch hitting a six and a couple of boundaries but Baroda spinner Rathva spun a delivery which bounced enough to find the batter’s edge and Patel once again gathered a beautiful catch behind the stumps.

Vidarbha professional Dhruv Shorey too tried to hold the fort hitting three crisp boundaries but his 68-ball stay in the middle was cut short by rival 

captain Sheth.

Rathod, last season’s highest run scorer of the tournament, was the only bright spot of the day for Vidarbha with a patient unbeaten 40 but was left stranded with wickets falling around him. 

The left-handed batter and Nalkande (20) put up 28 runs for the seventh wicket which took Vidarbha’s score past the 150-run mark.

Vid face Baroda challenge

By Paritosh Pramanik

Nov 16, 2025

THE cool November breeze might have brought the temperature down by a few degree Celsius here in Nagpur but come Sunday, the intensity will be on high from Vidarbha cricketers when they lock horns with Baroda in the fifth round of their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match at VCA's Jamtha Stadium.

The reigning champions Vidarbha are sitting on the top of Group A with 19 points in the bag. The team is on a roll with two wins and as many draws. Against Baroda, the Akshay Wadkar-led side will aim to continue their aggressive style of play and go for another outright win before the tournament takes a break for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

The three-time Ranji champions’ batting looks solid with Aman Mokhade being in rich form clobbering three hundreds and a half century from four games. 

The right-handed opener single-handedly gave Vidarbha the start they needed to put pressure on their opponents. Professionals Dhruv Shorey and R Samarth have shown their immense talent and are manning the middle order along with run-machine Yash Rathod and captain Wadkar. The only worry for Vidarbha camp is the form of opener Atharva Taide who, after hitting a match-winning century in Irani Cup, could not muster a reasonable score. In the last three games Taide could score 18, 31, 1, 12. He will have to bounce back against Baroda and go into Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament with runs under his belt.

The bowling department has done pretty well without two premier bowlers Yash Thakur and Harsh Dubey who are with India ‘A’ squad playing in the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha.

Pacers Nachiket Bhute, Praful Hinge, Darshan Nalkande, Lalit Yadav and spinners Parth Rekhade and Gaurav Farde have shown immense talent against Odisha and would love to continue their rich form at home.

For Baroda, who are at the fifth position with nine points, this match would be an important one for them going ahead in the competition.

They started well with a seven-wicket win over Odisha but then managed two draws and one of their matches was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Their batting will be spearheaded by Shaswat Rawat. The other batters include, Mitesh Patel, Shivalik Sharma who all have centuries under their belts. The bowling department will be led by Atit Sheth, Rasik Salam, Bhargav Bhatt and Mahesh Pittiya who would try to put Vidarbha batters under pressure in their home.

The home team had long nets on the eve of the match and all looked in good nick during the training session.

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Did hosts get track of their liking?

n By Paritosh Pramanik

The pitch, used during the Irani Cup match, will be utilised for Vidarbha-Baroda encounter starting Sunday. 

Playing on that track, Vidarbha had defeated Rest of India by 93 runs to claim their third Irani Cup title in October.

Whether Vidarbha wanted to play on the same track is a big question, if one goes by the interaction between BCCI’s neutral curator Rakesh Kumar and Vidarbha coach Usman Ghani.

Ghani and captain Akshay Wadkar had a long look at the 22-yard strip on the eve of the match. The two were in the middle for nearly an hour. Later, an animated discussion took place between Rakesh Kumar from Chandigarh and Ghani with VCA curator Abhijeet Piprode also joining them beside the match track. 

Going by the way the discussion took place, it seemed that Vidarbha team management was unhappy with the track. Neutral curator was seen trying to give an explanation about the way the track was prepared.

“It will be the same track on which the Irani Cup was played in October. It is a good strip which will assist both, the spinners as well as the pacers,” was all Vidarbha coach Ghani had to say. Captain Wadkar said that the pitch might get ease out in later part of the game. “It is a good pitch. I think it will get better as the game progresses,” he said, without delving into what transpired in the middle with the curator.

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