4 months ago
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After astir 2 months of limited-overs action, home cricket returns to achromatic stripes arsenic Vidarbha, the caller Vijay Hazare Trophy winner, travels to look Andhra successful a Ranji Trophy Elite Group A fixture astatine the Anantapur Cricket Ground starting Thursday.
Flying high
Much similar its caller 50-over dominance, defending champion Vidarbha tops the radical and besides has the highest tally overall, with 25 points aft 5 rounds of red-ball cricket this season.
Andhra follows intimately with 22 points, and contempt the gap, some sides person 3 wins and 2 draws.
Historically, determination has been small to abstracted the 2 teams. Of the 4 Ranji Trophy matches betwixt these rivals, 3 person ended successful draws, portion Vidarbha claimed the lone outright effect successful Nagpur successful 2024.
Consistent unit
Consistency remains the hallmark of Vidrabha, with players contributing crossed formats.
Harsh Dubey has enjoyed a memorable year-and-a-half, picking up 98 First Class wickets since the commencement of the 2024–25 season. With skipper Akshay Wadkar injured, Dubey, caller from starring the broadside to its maiden Hazare title, is astatine the helm.
Vidarbha’s batting looks strong, with Yash Rathod, Aman Mokhade, Atharva Taide, and Dhruv Shorey successful bully form. Seamer Nachiket Bhute and spinner Parth Rekhade pb the team’s wicket charts with 22 scalps each, portion Darshan Nalkande’s white-ball signifier offers committedness successful four-day cricket, too.
Cohesive outfit
Andhra, too, has functioned arsenic a cohesive unit. Abhishek Reddy and Shaikh Rasheed person scored 447 and 440 runs respectively, with K.S. Bharat adding 311. Saurabh Kumar has impressed with 23 wickets.
India all-rounder Nitish Kumar is apt to beryllium disposable for astatine slightest 1 of the remaining 2 rounds, though whether helium turns retired soon aft the ODI bid against New Zealand remains to beryllium seen.
