Hosts eye outright win

By Paritosh Pramanik

Jan 31, 2026

VIDARBHA bowled like champions on the penultimate day of their must-win Ranji Trophy match bundling out Uttar Pradesh for 200 runs in the afternoon session at VCA’s Jamtha Stadium on Saturday. But Uttar Pradesh pegged back taking four wickets to leave the match tantalisingly poised.

The target of 201 was then cut down to 110 when the stumps were drawn for the day with Vidarbha knocking off 91 runs but in the process lost top four batters.

Opener Aman Mokhade was going strong with an unbeaten 50 and will have to take the entire responsibility on his shoulders on the final morning. Vidarbha lost fourth wicket on the penultimate delivery of the day when Ravikumr Samarth was trapped lbw off Shivam Sharma.

Vidarbha have full day to score those remaining runs and register an outright win. However, they will have to wait for the result of the Jharkhand vs Odisha tie to see who make it to knock-outs. If Jharkhand and Vidarbha both win their games, they will move to 31 points each and then it will boil down to run quotient.

It was a collective effort from Vidarbha bowlers with spinner Parth Rekhade leading the charge with three wickets. Seamers Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute took two each and captain Harsh Dubey and Yash Kadam chipped in with one apiece.

Vidarbha delivered immediately in the morning to trigger Uttar Pradesh’s downfall. And, by the time lunch arrived, Vidarbha had devoured five wickets with visitors reeling at 160-7.

Resuming the third day at 

75-2, the two overnight batters – captain Aryan Juyal (36) and Aditya Sharma (44) -- added 64 runs for the third wicket before seamer Thakur sent the rival skipper back caught behind. Bhute then bowled a peach of a delivery to rattle Aditya Sharma’s furniture in the 41st over. 

Siddharth Yadav did not trouble much as skipper Dubey trapped him in front. 

First innings star Dhruv Jurel tried to replicate his innings in second essay with a cautious 40 but Mokhade took a breathtaking diving catch at mid-wicket boundary off Kadam to cut short his stay. 

Within an over, Shivam Mavi was caught at first slip by  Samarth and Vidarbha were in total control.

Post lunch break, Kartik Yadav got run out while Kartik Tyagi and  Karan Chaudhary were trapped in front by Rekhade as UP innings folded at 200 runs.

The Bhoyar-Mokhade pair then decided not to take any risk and played dead bat for a brief period. They added only eight runs from seven overs going into the tea break.

Post break, they freed their arms with Mokhade hitting back to back boundaries off Shivam Mavi. He first hit a four over point region and then beautifully pulled a short ball for the same result. Bhoyar, too, tried to pace up the innings when he stepped out and hit Karan Chaudhary for a four through 

covers.

But a few overs later he perished to Shivam Sharma’s turning delivery. Vidarbha lost another wicket in Rohit Binkar who gave an easy catch at first slip to Madhav Kaushik off S Sharma.

Mokhade, meanwhile, continued to stay strong in the middle and added 23 runs with Kadam for the third wicket before the latter was trapped in front of the wicket by Tyagi.

Uttar Pradesh came back into the game taking the wicket of Samarth on the penultimate delivery of the day.