Maharashtra cruise to 273, Vidarbha gain upper hand

Nagpur, Feb 26: Despite Naushad Sheikh's fighting century, Vidarbha gained upper hand in their Elite Group G Ranji Trophy match against Maharashtra on day three at Sultanpur in Haryana on Saturday.

In response to Vidarbha's huge first-innings total of 569 declared, Maharashtra, who started from their overnight score of 46/1 having lost opener Yash Nahar (22), had a mountain to climb. They ended the day at 273/6 and were trailing by 297 runs. For Vidarbha left arm spinner Aditya Sarvate (5 for 64) claimed his second five- wicket haul of the season.

At one state Maharashtra were reduced to 63 for three but then Maharashtra skipper Ankit Bawane also played his part to perfection by scoring 92.

Aditya Sarvate grabbed two quick wickets, removing IPL specialist Rahul Tripathi on the duck and last match's double centurion Pawan Shah (33) cheaply.

But then skipper Bawane, who is known as the 'crisis man' then found an able ally in Naushad as the two rallied the innings with their 184-run fourth wicket stand at the Gurgaon cricket ground.

The duo pummelled a strong Vidarbha attack to submission even as Shaikh was the more aggressive one. While Bawane struck 10 fours, Shaikh hammered 13 boundaries and a maximum in his 196-ball innings.

Their partnership helped Maharashtra come back into the game. However, when it looked like that Shaikh would frustrate the Vidarbha bowlers more, it was Sarvate again who gave Vidarbha the much-needed break-through.

He trapped Shaikh in front of the wicket, as Maharashtra lost their fourth wicket for 247. Bawane and wicket-keeper Vishant More (0) also fell in quick succession as Vidarbha pegged back their rivals. When stumps were drawn, Azim Kazi (10 not out) and Satyajeet Bachhav (05 not out) held fort and have a tough task at hand on the final day. For Vidarbha, Sarvate was the pick of the bowlers. While the match looks headed for a draw, Vidarbha will fancy their chances of grabbing the crucial first innings lead.

Brief Scores: Vidarbha 569/5 declared (Ganesh Satish 275, Akshay Wadkar 145 not out, Mukesh Choudhary 3/101, Satyajeet Bachhav 2/134) versus Maharashtra 273/6 (Naushad Shaikh 103, Ankit Bawane 92, Aditya Sarvate 5/64). Maharashtra trail by 297 runs.