And, it’s decided. Vidarbha will play Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy 2024 final at the Wankhede Stadium, starting March 10. Meanwhile, the side under Akshay Wadkar, the two-time champions, Vidarbha beat Madhya Pradesh in the semis by 62 runs, on Wednesday, to enter their third final-ever in the tournament.
In a match, that wasn’t dominated by either MP or Vidarbha, the latter somehow managed to cross the finish line, after they set a target of 321 to the opposition. Yash Thakur and veteran off-spinner Akshay Wakhare emerged the stars of the show as they bagged three wickets each, to defend the total.
At the start of the final day of the semis encounter, with a little over 90 runs needed to win for MP, with four wickets in hand, the match could have tilted in anyone’s favour, but the Vidarbha bowlers kept their calm, to get the remaining wickets.
Vidarbha vs MP Ranji Trophy Semis, As it Happened
Right from the start, it was a closely contested match between the two sides. Hosts Vidarbha had a poor start, as they were all out for 170 only, with Karun Nair top-scoring with 63. But India bowler Umesh Yadav, with his three scalps brought them back in the match, as MP were dismissed for 252.
Conceding a lead of 82, Vidarbha, especially Yash Rathod (141) and Akshay Wadkar (77), batted out of their skins to take their team to 402. This tall score, perhaps, had a demoralising effect on MP, and their innings eventually folded for 258.
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