During the Karnataka Cricket Team Vs Vidarbha Cricket Team match, Yash Thakur bowls another impressive over, beating Devdutt Padikkal and squaring him up on two occasions with his accurate line and length.
A great pull shot from Mokhade over fine leg for four. He reaches his hundred with that. He’s looking relaxed but not getting any freebies from the Vidarbha bowlers. Karun Nair joins him at the crease.
Aman Mokhade
As a child growing up in Nagpur, Aman Mokhade hardly stayed at home. He would spend most of his time on the ground in front of his house, playing tennis-ball cricket with local friends. His mother, Manisha, also played a vital role in his life by encouraging him and helping him get into the academy to nurture his talent.
While the coaching staff at the academy noticed his natural swing and batting abilities, it wasn’t until he became a senior player that Mokhade found his groove. He was a consistent performer in age-group cricket and made his debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Assam in 2022. He soon made his first-class and List A debuts for Vidarbha in the same year and gradually established himself as a solid opener in both formats.
Mokhade’s hard work paid off and he earned himself a call-up in the India A squad for the 2026 Duleep Trophy. It didn’t take him long to make his senior debuts in both the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. He quickly established himself as a prolific run-scorer for the team.
The ace batsman’s impressive show helped the team to win their fifth Vijay Hazare Trophy title. Karnataka’s top order dominated the game with Smaran R’s 113 and KL Shrijth and Abhinav Manohar’s 70s ensuring that the team was never in trouble.
Harsh Dubey did a fine job towards the end but he couldn’t build a big partnership with his partners. The team was all-out for 248 runs in the first innings which was more than enough to win the match for them. The final score was a record for the winning side in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match.
Atharva Taide
Born on 26 April 2000 in Akola, Atharva Taide is a left-handed batsman who bowls left arm orthodox spin. The talented youngster made his debut for Vidarbha in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy season. He has quickly established himself in the team, playing two matches for them this year.
He has also scored runs for the Indian U19 cricket team. He has a lot to offer the white-ball format as he plays with quiet ambition and commitment.
Atharva Taide takes on Yash Thakur. He slams him for back-to-back fours before getting to his fifty off just 66 balls. He then pulls a short delivery behind square leg region for another four. The Karnataka pair are working to the merit of the ball and rotating strike.
Yash Thakur is brought back into the attack. He irritates the batters with a couple of full tosses that they miss. He then slams one over the rope for six. Karnataka take a review but the umpire doesn’t give it out.
A superb over for Vidarbha! Prerak and Jani are taken off the back foot by Yash’s searing in-swingers. The dangerous-looking Jani is then trapped leg before by a superb delivery that he tries to play on the up but gets beaten as it seams away from him.
Devdutt Padikkal and Mayank Agarwal open the innings for Karnataka. They are given some respite as Yash bowls a wicket-less over.
But they won’t stay safe for long as he beats Agarwal’s outside edge to send him back. The defenders didn’t look convinced that they’d caught him but the review shows otherwise and the Karnataka batsman walks off. It’s a crucial wicket and it puts pressure on the home side.
Dhruv Shorey
Shorey has been outstanding with the bat today. His 123-ball innings has helped the visitors regain momentum after they were reeling at 271 for six. He has looked in great form and has scored 17 boundaries. It will be a huge boost for him as the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy starts next month.
He guides a delivery towards midwicket region for four and then pulls a short ball by Yash Kadam into the pavillion to go past fifty. He will look to continue this good form in the second innings as well.
The pair are now well set for the chase. They have been finding the fence regularly and are building a big partnership. There is no turn from the spinners and both Shorey and Kaverappa have been able to score off the backfoot.
OUT! Yash Kadam bowls a short ball and Shorey attempts to play it over the cover region. He doesn’t time it well and ends up getting a simple catch for the point fielder. He falls for 138.
Karun Nair now begins the final PowerPlay over with a push towards midwicket region for four. He then smacks a short ball towards square leg region for another four. He is taking a little bit of time but he is doing really well.
Aman Mokhade and Atharva Taide are in the middle of a solid opening stand for Vidarbha. They have put on a strong partnership and are looking to take the game deep into the final day. The match is a close one and it will be interesting to see how the teams perform in the final day. It is likely that both teams will be chasing a similar total.
Mayank Agarwal
Mayank Agarwal has been a consistent performer for Karnataka across domestic formats. He is an attacking opening batsman influenced by Virender Sehwag and he has pushed his way into the national team through hard work. He has a knack for smacking the ball all over the ground and has been known to get a lot of runs in T20 cricket as well.
He made his Test debut against Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. He scored a brilliant 76 in his first innings against a quality attack featuring Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitch Starc. This was the highest score by an Indian opener on their debut in Australia.
However, his form dipped after that and Shubman Gill took over as the preferred choice for India’s opening slot. Mayank was left out of the 20-man squad for the 2019 World Cup and he had to wait for his next big chance.
He seized it with both hands when opportunity knocked. He smashed truckloads of runs and kept the selectors on their toes with his fine performances in the Ranji Trophy. He was also excellent in the T20s as he terrorised the opposition with his explosive hitting skills.
He was rewarded with an IPL contract in 2022 with PKKS and he impressed in the first couple of seasons as he struck some big blows. But he struggled to convert his IPL form into solid Test cricket for the national side and he needs to improve his game in the longer format.
Karun Nair
Karun Nair’s journey has been a remarkable one. From a foggy Jaipur morning to a Rs 14.2 crore IPL deal with CSK, the cricketer has made it big in India thanks to his dedication and quiet ambition. He is now poised to reach the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and prove that he is a better player than what his record shows.
There is good movement off the pitch and both Mokhade and Taide are looking to play their shots when they can. But the bowlers have not given them any easy chances to score.
Yash Thakur comes into the attack and he doesn’t let Padikkal settle down, beating him off his back foot and squaring him up. Padikkal was unable to get any lift on his pull and was caught at mid on for four.
The over continues in similar fashion with Karun Nair and Shrijith batting to the merit of the ball. They are rotating strike and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. The bowlers are also doing well to contain the run rate.
Vyshak tries to ramp a delivery but is unsuccessful and is caught at short mid wicket. Karun Nair follows him three balls later as he attempts a lofted pull and ends up picking the long on fielder by accident.
Aman Mokhade hits a straight six to take the score past 50, but that is all for the time being as Dhruv Shorey comes in and immediately finds the boundary with a lovely push towards the midwicket region. In the Karnataka Cricket Team Vs Vidarbha Cricket Team match, it is a great start to the over for Karnataka. Yash Thakur bowls the last over.
Also Read : Karnataka Cricket Team Vs Chandigarh Cricket Team Match Scorecard
