Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Rusty Vidarbha suffer close loss

NAGPUR: If lack of practice sessions and match practice wasn't enough, the challenging wicket and overcast conditions didn't help Vidarbha's cause as they went down fighting to Rajasthan in their opening match of Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 Trophy at Emerald High School Ground in Indore on Monday.
After the end of the quarantine period Vidarbha's practice was hampered by unseasonal rains and fog in Indore.They went into the match on the back of just two practice sessions. In cloudy conditions, Rajasthan won the toss and decided to test the batting skills of the young Vidarbha side.
Vidarbha's batting struggle started with Jitesh Sharma's run out on the very first bowl and continued till 20th over as they managed 104. Bowlers, led by pacer Darshan Nalkande kept Vidarbha in game by reducing Rajasthan to 54 for 6. Vidarbha looked favourite for a while but Arjit Gupta used long handle to great effect to score an unbeaten 41 (23b, 2x4, 4x6) as Rajasthan romped home with 33 balls and three wickets intact.
Much was expected of Vidarbha's opening pair of Sharma and Atharva Taide. Both, however, went back in the first four balls. Sharma pushed the ball to mid-off and ran straight away. Rajasthan skipper Ashok Menaria, on his return to competitive cricket couldn't have asked for a better comeback. Menaria's direct hit sent Sharma back. Taide, after hitting a gorgeous boundary to India seamer Deepak Chahar, hit straight to Mahipal Lomror.
The middle order couldn't handle the pressure applied by Chahar (3.3-1-10-3). While skipper Ganesh Satish (10), Rushabh Rathod (2), Akshay Karnewar (9) spent time in the middle, they failed to keep things moving. As a result, Siddhesh Wath (31, 43b, 2x4, 1x6), normally an attacking batsman, had to play cautiously.
His 38-run stand with Apoorv Wankhade (13, 12b, 1x6) was the only positive in Vidarbha's innings. India leg-spinner Rahul Chahar removed both in space of three balls. The Chahar brothers shared six wickets between them but lower order helped Vidarbha go past the 100-run mark.
Rajasthan had a similar start as Darshan Nalkande removed Manendra Singh and Lomror in successive balls. With low score to chase, Rajesh Bishnoi, opener Ankit Lamba and Ravi Bishnoi attacked Vidarbha bowlers. While Rajasthan innings got the momentum, they lost wickets too. When Lamba got out at 54, they looked in serious trouble but Gupta had other ideas.
The aggressive right-hander hit six and four off Karnewar to get things going. In the next over, he launched Wakhare to a couple of huge sixes. Deepak Chahar too hit Wakhare for yet another six as 19 came off off-spinner's last over. Though Wakhare removed Chahar, the damage had already been done. Gupta hit Yash Thakur for another six to finish off the match in style.
BRIEF SCORES
Vidarbha 104 in 19.3 overs (Siddhesh Wath 31, Apoorv Wankhade 13; Deepak Chahar 3-10, Rahul Chahar 3-26, Aniket Chaudhary 2-18) lost to Rajasthan 106-7 in 14.3 overs (Arjit Gupta 41*, Ankit Lamba 16, Rajesh Boshnoi 15, Ravi Bishnoi 15; Darshan Nalkande 4-20, Akshay Wakhare 3-33)