Dubey and Gawli's fifties set stage for exciting Vidarbha-MP semifinal

Yash Rathod and Yash Dubey emerged as the standout players in an intense semifinal showdown between Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh in Nagpur. Despite Dubey’s heroic 94, Vidarbha maintained their edge as the hosts closed Day 4 with the advantage.

Rathod is making an impact

Rathod’s brilliant performance, including his maiden first-class century of 141 runs, propelled Vidarbha to a formidable second innings total of 402. This set a challenging target of 321 for Madhya Pradesh to chase.

As Vidarbha began the day at 343/6, Rathod continued his stellar form, adding crucial runs to push his team past the 400-mark. Despite some resistance from Madhya Pradesh bowlers, Rathod remained determined and resilient until the end.

Madhya Pradesh faced an early setback

In pursuit of the target, Madhya Pradesh faced an early setback with the dismissal of Himanshu Mantri. However, a spirited partnership between Dubey and Harsh Gawli provided hope for their team. Gawli’s quickfire 67 off 80 balls showcased his talent before falling victim to Yash Thakur.

Although Madhya Pradesh suffered a middle-order collapse, Dubey displayed remarkable composure and determination, guiding his team’s innings with a patient knock. Despite losing partners at regular intervals, Dubey held firm, inching closer to his century.

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However, Vidarbha’s bowlers, led by Akshay Wakhare, struck back, claiming crucial wickets to keep the pressure on Madhya Pradesh. Despite Dubey’s valiant effort, he fell short of a hundred, dismissed just six runs shy of the milestone.

As the match heads into the final day, Vidarbha holds the upper hand, buoyed by Dubey’s dismissal. With Vidarbha poised as favorites, the stage is set for an exciting finish to the semifinal clash. Let’s have a look upon the brief score;

Vidarbha 170 & 402 (Yash Rathod 141; Anubhav Agarwal 5-92) lead Madhya Pradesh 252 & 228/6 (Yash Dubey 94, Harsh Gawli 67; Akshay Wakhare 3-38) by 92 runs.