NAGPUR: On debut,
Darshan Nalkande (56*, 30b, 1x4, 5x6 & 2-26) walked to the crease with
Vidarbha
needing 83 in 58 balls.
Akshay Wadkar was batting with a lot of assurance at the other end. Many would have given up but not Nalkande, who is known to be a fighter. The 19-year-old relished the challenge and came out with flying colours.
Nalkande blasted 53 off just 30 balls and hit a six off each of the five Maharashtra front-line bowlers to help Vidarbha record a fighting three-wicket victory in the
Vijay Hazare Trophy
in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Vidarbha chased down a target of 206 with four balls to spare after the bowlers had restricted Maharashtra to 205 for 8 in their 50 overs.
Before Nalkande’s heroics, it was Wadkar who held one end together. He remained unbeaten on 82 (120b, 4x4). Vidarbha had lost Akshay Kolhar, Sanjay Ramaswamy and Atharva Taide by the ninth over when he walked in. The Vidarbha stumper then saw skipper Ganesh Satish and his Navniketan Club teammate Aditya Sarvate walk back to the pavilion when the score was 48.
The asking rate was mounting and Vidarbha were not in a position to take on the Maharashtra bowlers. All they could hope was to take the game as close as possible. It started with a 52-run stand with Rishabh Rathod. Both showed grit and determination during their sixth-wicket stand. A run-out ended their association. Gurbani was promoted to give support to Wadkar. The move, however, didn’t work as Gurbani departed to leave Vidarbha in a hopeless situation.
Nalkande is a decent batsman. He has a century to his name in the Cooch Behar Trophy. He made some good contributions whenever he got the opportunity to play for India Under-19.
However, this was a different challenge. He was up against a quality Maharashtra side that has experienced bowlers. But Nalkande changed the course of the match with some calculative hitting.
All his five sixes landed way beyond boundary ropes. His clean hitting gave enough confidence to Wadkar at the other end. He showed urgency and suddenly Vidarbha started getting big overs. Vidarbha got the momentum and the duo finished the match with their 83-run stand in just 54 balls.
It was Nalkande who had given the crucial breakthrough to end the 56-run opening stand between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Jay Pande earlier in the day. Maharshtra lost the plot and Vidarbha spinners Aditya Sarvate, Akshay Wakhare and Sanjay Ramaswamy used the conditions well to not only restrict the runs but also chipped in with wickets at regular intervals.