Ranji Trophy: Shorey, Samarth, Malewar fifties put Vidarbha in pole position

R. Samarth (53, 122b, 5x4), Dhruv Shorey (63, 127b, 5x4), and Danish Malewar (51, 86b, 7x4) helped Vidarbha extend its dominance on the second day of its Ranji Trophy Elite Group- A match against Goa at the VCA Jamtha Stadium here on Tuesday.

Vidarbha came into the day needing two wickets to wrap up Goa’s first innings, and it did so inside the first hour. Rajneesh Gurbani quickly nicked off Vasuki Koushik, leaving Yash Kasvankar the final recognised batter. Kasvankar played aggressively, but before he could add much, Nachiket Bhute bounced out Shubam Tari, earning him his fifth wicket and ending Goa’s first essay.

Koushik and Ruthvik Naik maintained a consistent line and length for Goa, denying openers Aman Mokhade and Satyam Bhoye easy scoring options, and their frugality accounted for Bhoye, who offered a catch off Koushik. Mokhade and Samarth together stitched a stabilizing partnership, parking overt aggression for a more watchful eye to reach the Lunch break.

The duo looked to accelerate after the interval, but Mokhade brought about his own downfall by fiddling at a delivery in the channel from Ruthvik. His dismissal proved no distraction to Samarth though, who continued to accumulate steadily with Shorey for company.

Samarth eventually raised his fifty with a hook, but the same shot nearly proved his downfall only for wicketkeeper Shivendra Bhujbal to shell a simple chance. That luck did not repeat when he feathered one from his former Karnataka teammate Koushik behind.

Samarth was replaced at the crease by Malewar, who opted for a more proactive approach from the get-go. As the light slowly faded away, Shorey punched Kasvankar to long-on to complete a half-century, while Malewar raised his first fifty of the season with a punch down the ground of Misal in the day’s final over.

Goa — 1st innings: Suyash Prabhudessai c Harsh b Bhute 1, Shivendra Bhujbal c Malewar b Dubey 0, Manthan Khutkar c & b Gurbani 16, Abhinav Tejrana c Wadkar b Bhute 30, Snehal Kauthankar c Samarth b Bhute 0, Lalit Yadav lbw Bhute 22, Yash Kasvankar (not out) 63, Darshan Misal st Wadkar b Rekhade 51, Ruthvik Naik lbw Gurbani 6, Vasuki Koushik c Wadkar b Gurbani 6, Shubam Tari c Wadkar b Bhute 0; Extras (b-5, lb-16, w-2, nb-2) 25; Total (in 93.5 overs): 220.

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-3, 3-34, 4-35, 5-75, 6-84, 7-187, 8-197, 9-211. Vidarbha bowling: Dubey 19-3-48-1, Bhute 21.5-4-48-5, Yash Thakur 15-3-35-0, Gurbani 20-7-33-3, Rekhade 15-3-31-1, Mokhade 3-1-4-0. Vidarbha — 1st innings: Satyam Bhoyar c Tari b Koushik 2, Aman Mokhade c Bhujbal b Ruthvik 39, R.

Samarth c Bhujbal b Koushik 53, Dhruv Shorey (batting) 63, Danish Malewar (batting) 51; Extras (b-5, lb-3, w-1); 9; Toal (for three wkts. in 74 overs): 217. Goa bowling: Koushik 18-7-27-2, Ruthvik 16-2-27-1, Tari 15-1-56-0, Kasvankar 7-0-33-0, Misal 10-0-33-0, Lalit 7-1-30-0, Prabhudessai 1-0-3-0.