Vidarbha complete stunning come-from-behind win
Wadkar was assisted by Yash Rathod, who made 98, and fast bowler Nachiket Bhute who made 87 from No. 10. The eighth-wicket stand between Wadkar and Bhute was worth 172. Rajasthan never got going in their target of 329; they were bowled out for 107.
Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey picked up 5 for 51 – his fifth five-for this season. Dubey now sits on top of the wicket charts for the season – he has 42 wickets in 12 innings at an average of 14.55. Jammu & Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi comes next with 38 wickets.
Sai Kishore and Ajith Ram take TN to doorstep of knockouts
Before the spin twins left their mark on the final day, Tamil Nadu were set up by Vijay Shankar’s 150 that helped them set Chandigarh a target of 403. The win took TN to the top of Group D; a draw in their next game against Jharkhand should see them through to the knockouts. Chandigarh and Saurashtra are the other two teams in the running for a knockouts berth from the group.
Kerala show incredible fight to salvage draw
Kerala were set a 363 target to win, but more importantly needed to bat out at least 100 overs to secure a draw. Those hopes appeared crushed when they stumbled to 47 for 5 by lunch on the final day. But a stunning lower-order rearguard helped them script a miracle. This effort was led by Mohammad Azharuddeen and Aditya Sarwate, who made 68 and 80 respectively.
Kerala’s ninth-wicket pair of B Aparajith and MD Nideesh batted out over an hour and 13.4 overs under fading light to secure a draw from the jaws of defeat. MP threw everything they had at Kerala, with Kuldeep Sen picking up 3 for 64, while left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya wheeled away for 37 overs for his three wickets.
Baroda stumble as Mukesh Choudhary picks up maiden five-for
Baroda’s defeat will rankle as they couldn’t bat out a little more than two sessions to secure a draw. Maharashtra batted big to extend their second innings well into the final day, when they declared on 464 for 7 to set Baroda a target of 617. Baroda lasted just 36 overs and were bowled out for 177 with left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary picking up 5 for 76.
