Murali Vijay scored match winning half century as Tamil Nadu (TN) defeated Vidarbha by three wickets in the league match of Mushtaq Ali Twenty-20 Cricket Trophy in Surat on Thursday.
Batting first Vidrbha scored 141 for nine in 20 overs. Rushabh Rathod who made his debut in the last match top scored with 51 in 31 balls hitting four boundaries and three sixes. Wicketkeeper batsman Jitesh Sharma (26, 19b, 4×4, 1×6) and Akshay Karnewar (15, 13b, 1×4, 1×6) were the main contributors for Vidarbha. For TN, Abhishek Tanwar claimed three wickets for 22 runs whereas off spinner R Ashwin got two for 16.
In reply riding on Murali Vijay’s 74 run knock, TN achieved the target sparing three wickets. His knock was studded with four sixes and equal number of boundaries. He was well supported by Jagatheesan Kousik who remained not out on 41. For Vidarbha, Shrikant Wagh got two wickets for 23 runs.
Vidarbha will play their last league match against Gujarat on March 2.