UP bowler bowl well, Vidarbha start cautiously

LUCKNOW: Braving hot and humid conditions, Uttar Pradesh bowlers bowled on a good line and length to let Vidarbha have a cautions start on the opening day of their four-day Under-25 Col CK Nayudu Trophy quarterfinal at Vadodara on Tuesday.

Playing his first match of the season for the side, pacer Aquib Khan took two wickets with an economy of 2.81, but Vidarbha finished the Day One at 270/4 in 90 overs. Kunal Yadav and leftarm orthodox spinner Ankit Choudhary shared two wickets between them.

Much was expected from the pitch, which had enough dampness a day before the start of the match on Monday, but Vidarbha batters negotiated it well after winning the toss, at the Alembic 2 Cricket Ground.

Khan hurled an early blow on Vidarbha, forcing opener Mandar Mahal (4) offer an easy catch to Sawan Singh in the very third over of play. But thereafter, fellow opener A Mokhade and Y Rathod anchored the innings well, stitching together 94-run for the second wicket.

Before being trapped leg before wicket off Choudhary, Mokhade scored 109-ball 53 with the help of six hits to the fence. Two more wickets fell after that MR Kala (6) was bowled by Kunal Yadav, whereas Yash Kadam (19, 27b, 3x4) was bowled by Khan. But it didn’t make any difference to Rathod and skipper S Wath as the two added unbeaten 115 runs for the fifth-wicket.

Rathod went on scoring an unbeaten 127, which came off 260 balls with the help of 15 fours and a six, whereas Wath, who also keeps wickets for the side, smashed 113-ball 51 with the help of six hits to the fence.

In fact, the two repaired the innings well and remained tough nuts to crack for the UP bowlers, especially in the last session of play on Tuesday. This isn’t the first time when UP came from behind to win the game, but what they need on the morrow would be quick wickets of Vidarbha when the third day’s game begin on Wednesday.

“Certainly, we would be looking forward to get Vidarbha out for 320-330 tomorrow,” UP’s chief coach Ubaid Kamaal said at the end of the first day’s play on Tuesday. “Our bowlers could have done better, but full marks to Vidarbha batters, who didn’t lose their calm and kept stroking the ball nicely,” he said.

He, however, said that in the last three games, Uttar Pradesh came from behind to win, and he was hoping for a similar happening this time. “We have a strong batting line-up and I am sure for the side to bounce back in the game like we did in the last three games,” he said.