Karun Nair Shines for Vidarbha, Setting Up Final Clash with Karnataka

Karun Nair Shines for Vidarbha, Setting Up Final Clash with Karnataka

Before Karun Nair’s explosive innings, Yash Rathod and Dhruv Shorey laid the foundation for a comfortable victory with their centuries. Their solid partnerships ensured that Vidarbha was well-positioned for a dominant performance, setting the stage for Nair’s fireworks later on. Nair, in exceptional form, produced an unbeaten 44-ball 88, leading Vidarbha to a comfortable win […]

Before Karun Nair’s explosive innings, Yash Rathod and Dhruv Shorey laid the foundation for a comfortable victory with their centuries. Their solid partnerships ensured that Vidarbha was well-positioned for a dominant performance, setting the stage for Nair’s fireworks later on.

Nair, in exceptional form, produced an unbeaten 44-ball 88, leading Vidarbha to a comfortable win over Maharashtra in the second semi-final of the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy. This result sets up an intriguing final, where Nair will face off against Karnataka, his former team, creating a compelling narrative for Saturday’s showdown.

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Nair’s Explosive Finish Powers Vidarbha to Big Total

Karun Nair narrowly missed out on his fifth consecutive List A century, falling just short due to time constraints. Despite this, his remarkable late surge almost made up for the lost opportunity. After being on 51 off 35 balls with just two overs remaining, Nair launched into a sensational acceleration, hitting four sixes and three fours in the final two overs. His most dramatic sequence came in the last over against Rajneesh Gurbani, a bowler from his former team, where Nair struck 4, 0, 6, 4, 4, 6. This explosive finish took his total to 752 runs, with only one dismissal to his name.

Throughout his innings, Nair showcased his innovative strokeplay, mixing delicate paddles, audacious scoops, and clean strikes down the ground. While he attempted a couple of reverse sweeps early on, he continued to be enterprising and found success in his variety of shots, finishing with nine fours and five sixes. His ability to accelerate at the back end was crucial in maintaining momentum, even though his early shots didn’t quite come off as planned.

Vidarbha, after being put in to bat and setting a target for the first time in the tournament, posted an imposing 380 for 3, with 108 of those runs coming in the last seven overs. Nair’s blistering finish followed a solid 224-run opening partnership between Dhruv Shorey and Yash Rathod, who laid the foundation in just 34.2 overs. Jitesh Sharma also made a quickfire contribution, smashing 51 off 33 balls in a 93-run stand with Nair. In response, Maharashtra’s chase struggled, only gaining momentum in the 30th over when they were 153 for 3. However, despite brief flashes of brilliance from Ankit Bawne and Arshin Kulkarni, the chase lacked sustained intent, and the target proved too steep.

Maharashtra’s Missed Opportunities and Vidarbha’s Strong Partnership

Maharashtra’s chase got off to a difficult start when they lost Ruturaj Gaikwad early in the third over. The right-hander top-edged a pull shot off Darshan Nalkande, and Jitesh Sharma produced a spectacular one-handed catch, covering nearly 30 yards to his left before diving full-stretch to snare the ball. With the early loss of Gaikwad, Maharashtra’s momentum was further hindered when Rahul Tripathi, known for his aggressive style, made a promising 27 off 19 balls. However, he was dismissed in the ninth over, nicking a heave across the line to the keeper. This put Kulkarni in a tricky situation, as the Vidarbha bowlers, especially Yash Thakur and Harsh Dubey, kept the pressure on with disciplined spells, making it hard for the Maharashtra batsmen to break free.

Despite Kulkarni forming a solid half-century partnership with Siddhesh Veer, Maharashtra struggled in the middle overs to build any meaningful momentum. Their chances of making a comeback were briefly sparked after the 30th over when Ankit Bawne and Kulkarni showed flashes of attacking intent. However, the game took a decisive turn when both Kulkarni and Bawne were dismissed in quick succession. Kulkarni, whose 90 runs came at a strike rate of 89.10, failed to accelerate at the required pace, and with the fall of both set batsmen, Maharashtra’s hopes of chasing down the target faded.

Earlier in the day, Vidarbha’s openers, Dhruv Shorey and Yash Rathod, provided a strong foundation. Shorey got off to a blistering start, hitting three fours in the first over off Rajneesh Gurbani, while Rathod used his left-handed flair to dominate Mukesh Choudhary. The pair reached their half-centuries in the 19th over, steadily building the score. Rathod was the more aggressive of the two, taking on the spinners with confidence. He brought up his second List A century of the season off just 90 balls in the 31st over, and soon after, Shorey followed suit with his second consecutive hundred, coming off 104 deliveries.

Maharashtra had their moments, but crucial chances went begging. In the 24th over, Shorey, on 57, had a bottom edge that was missed by wicketkeeper Nikhil Naik off Siddhesh Veer. Had Maharashtra reviewed, the on-field decision of ‘not out’ could have been overturned. In Veer’s next over, Naik missed a stumping chance to dismiss Rathod on 76. Later, in the 45th over, Naik failed to hold onto a skier that could have dismissed Jitesh Sharma on 19, further compounding Maharashtra’s woes. Even a reprieve for Nair, who was dropped by Pradeep Dadhe on 30, didn’t help as Vidarbha cruised to a comfortable win, securing their maiden entry into the Vijay Hazare final with an eighth consecutive victory.

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