Vidarbha defeated Karnataka by 128 runs to advance to the Ranji Trophy semifinals, thanks to superb four-wicket hauls from Harsh Dubey and Aditya Sarwate. It was a thrilling victory for the hosts at the VCA Stadium in Civil Lines, as Vidarbha came from behind on the last day to stop Karnataka on their track with a flurry of wickets.
Karnataka had started the chase on a positive note as the tourists were 103 for one at stumps on the fourth day but suffered a loss due to a dramatic batting collapse on the fifth day morning. With 268 runs to win and nine wickets in hand, Karnataka would have expected to cross the line, but Dubey and Sarwate went through their batting lineup to secure a massive victory for Vidarbha.
Within the first hour of play, Karnataka lost the crux of their batting unit, comprising skipper Mayank Agarwal (70), Nikin Jose (0), and Manish Pandey (1), all against Sarwate (22-0-78-4). Aneesh KV attempted to steady the innings from one end, but the No. 3 batter was run out for 40, dealing a body blow to Karnataka’s chances of winning the game.
Aneesh scored 40 runs for the sixth wicket, while Hardik Raj (13) led the recovery. Dubey (13.4-1-65-4) then got into the act, ripping through Karnataka’s lower order, beginning with Raj’s crucial wicket and ending with wicketkeeper-batsman S Sharath for 6.
Vijay Kumar Vyshak (34) and Vidwath Kaverappa (25) attempted to postpone the inevitable with a 33-run stand, but Dubey continued to chip away with wickets, finishing with a brilliant four-wicket haul. Karnataka were bowled out for 243 in pursuit of 371 and were thus crashed out of the race to the semifinals.
Vidarbha joined Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the semifinal round. For his seven-wicket haul in the game, Sarwate was named the player of the match.