Ranji Trophy | Dubey claims six as Vidarbha gets past Hyderabad

Harsh Dubey.
| Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI.

It was a script that has been all too familiar for Vidarbha this season. For the third time in seven matches, the side fought back after conceding a first-innings lead to complete another outright win, this time a 58-run victory against Hyderabad at the VCA Stadium here on Sunday.

Harsh Dubey, the highest wicket-taker this season was the protagonist once again, picking up six wickets in the fourth innings to guide Vidarbha to its sixth win in Group-B.

Tanay Thyagarajan got the visitor off to a positive start on Day 4 with two exquisite punches down the ground, but the Hyderabad vice-captain was undone in the second over of the day after a ball from Aditya Thakare kept low and rapped him on the pads.

Opener Abhirath Reddy and wicketkeeper-batter Rahul Radesh looked solid in defence, forging a 59-ball association. A length ball from Akshay Wakhare that spun away and beat Radesh, flagged the sign of things to come.

Abhirath edged his attempted flick onto his thigh pad and the catch was duly accepted at first slip to give Dubey his 50th wicket in the tournament this season. K. Himateja fell in the left-arm spinner’s next over without troubling the scorers.

Radesh was the lone bright spot for the visitor’s in the fourth innings, employing the sweep shot to good avail to keep the runs ticking.

Parth Rekhade registered his name in the wickets column after forcing an edge off Rahul Buddhi before scalping the crucial wicket of Radesh, two shy of his fifty, to snuff out Hyderabad’s chances of a revival.

While Dubey cleaned up the batters around him, Mohammed Siraj, kept the local crowd entertained, launching a couple for six against the left-armers. An attempted slog-sweep finally brought his cameo to a close, with slip fielder Atharva Taide backtracking before completing a comfortable catch to close out the match.

The scores: Vidarbha — 1st innings: 190.

Hyderabad — 1st innings: 326.

Vidarbha – 2nd innings: 355.

Hyderabad — 2nd innings: Tanmay Agarwal b Thakur 6, Abhirath Reddy c Malewar b Dubey 21, Tanay Thyagarajan lbw b Thakare 18, Rahul Radesh c Taide b Rekhade 48, K. Himateja c Taide b Dubey 0, Varun Goud c Rathod b Dubey 5, Rahul Buddhi c Wadkar b Rekhade 9, C.V. Milind c Malewar b Dubey 20, Rakshann Readdi b Dubey 0, Mohammed Siraj c Taide b Dubey 26, G. Anikethreddy (not out) 5; Extras: (lb-2, nb-1) 3; Total (in 38.5 overs) 161.

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-36, 3-61, 4-67, 5-94, 6-107, 7-116, 8-123, 9-140.

Vidarbha bowling: Thakur 5-1-26-1, Thakare 7-0-27-1, Dubey 11.5-1-57-6, Wakhare 7-3-16-0, Rekhade 8-0-33-2.