Vid shining bright In ‘HD’ quality

End Ranji League phase with 58 runs win over Hyderabad

Dubey snares eight wicket in the match

To play quarter-final against Tamil Nadu at Nagpur from Feb 8

By Paritosh Pramanik

THEY were the first team to qualify for the knock-outs, with a game to spare. But Vidarbha did not let their intensity down and continued their dominant form as they went on to thrash Hyderabad by 58 runs in their last league match of Ranji Trophy at VCA Civil Lines Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Vidarbha won six of their seven matches outright, drew one against Gujarat, and topped Group B with 40 points, which no other team can match. Vidarbha, last year’s finalist, is the best team of the league stage and is shining bright, in HD quality, since October.

Harsh Dubey (HD), the 22-year-old left-arm spinner, is leading the team to victories after victories with his “different level” of bowling and exceptional batting lower down the order.

Against Hyderabad, Vidarbha managed 190 in the first innings, with Dubey scoring highest 65. The hosts then restricted the opponents at 326 and then rode on Karun Nair’s century (105), Atharva Taide’s 93 and Dubey’ 55 to post 335 and set a target of 220.

The target looked small, but when Vidarbha are the opponents, even 100 would have been difficult.

Yash Thakur gave Vidarbha early sneak into Hyderabad citadel on the third evening. Aditya Thakare then opened the gates on the fourth morning and from there on it was Dubey show for the next two hour or so where the left-arm tweaker gulped six wickets in no time to bundle Hyderabad out for 161 in 38.5 overs. Dubey’s second innings figures read 11.5-1-57-6. Another five-wicket haul for the spinner who is the leading wicket-taker in country with 58 this Ranji season. The next best are Jammu and Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi and Baroda’s Mahesh Virambhai Pithiya who both took 38 wickets each. Dubey was difficult to play on the fourth day track of Civil Lines ground.

He displayed his excellent ability to vary the pace of his deliveries. “He is bowling at a different level,” commented former India pacer Prashant Vaidya after the match. “He is varying his pace beautifully and to bowl left-arm spin in that way is truly commendable,” added Vaidya.

Hyderabad’s batter who were foxed by Dubey were Abhirath Reddy (21), K Himateja (0), Varun Goud (5), captain Chama Milind (20), Rakshan Readdi (0) and Mohd Siraj (26) who hit the bowler for a few sixes and four to entertain the crowd and delay the inevitable.

“I did not do anything different, just kept bowling on the right area,” replied Dubey.

In Dubey’s company, debutant Parth Rekhade too excelled as he was instrumental in picking up two wickets. He was responsible in sending back Hyderabad wicketkeeper Rahul Rudesh (48) caught by Taide and then found the slightest edge of Rahul Buddhi’s bat to get caught by captain Akshay Wadkar.

Graduating from Uder-23 set-up left-arm spinner Rekhade is also a handy batter and loves the company of Dubey. They both have taken the age group teams to finals of domestic competitions earlier and this season, both are enjoying each other’s success. While batting in the first innings, Rekhade added 40 crucial runs with Yash Rathod. In the second essay, Rekhade and Dubey posted 59 runs for the eighth 

wicket.

“We wanted to test Rekhade before the quarter-finals....whether he could handle the pressure of Ranji trophy and how he will deliver in the top tournament of the country. And he came out with flying colours. He delivered what we needed from him and I think he is ready for the grind,” said captain Wadkar for the debutant Rekhade. 

Vaidya was also all praise for the left-arm tweaker and said, “He is mentally very strong. He has a very different kind of approach towards the game. Coming from Under-23 he has developed a very strong base and will only get better from here on.”

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 SIRAJ FURIOUS WITH UMPIRES

India and Hyderabad seamer Mohd Siraj is furious with the umpires of the match against Vidarbha which the visitors lost by 58 runs. Siraj said there were many decisions which could have changed the complexion of the match. 

“The umpiring was very poor, to say the least. Ok, I can understand one or two mistakes but on 7-8 occasions, they erred,” claimed Siraj after the match.

Akshay Totre and Navdeep Singh Sidhu were the onfield umpires. On many occasions, Siraj was seen standing shocked in the middle of the pitch after his lbw appeals were turned down. When asked whether he has seen the videos of his bowling, Siraj said, “I have seen them many times and then only I am blaming them. But its ok, its cricket. I am happy the way Vidarbha played the match,” he concluded.