By Admin 
Thick cloud cover ensured only a solitary over was bowled in the final session on the third day of the Irani Cup at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha on Friday. While the Vidarbha camp stayed relaxed, the Rest of India (RoI) players were left under a gloomier shadow, both on the scoreboard and in spirit.
Bundled out for 214 in the morning, RoI conceded a hefty 128-run lead.
By stumps, Vidarbha had stretched its advantage to 224, cruising to 96 for two. The Ranji Trophy champion is in a commanding position, leaving RoI with a gargantuan task for making a miraculous comeback.
The day began with RoI resuming on 142 for five. Skipper Rajat Patidar would have hoped for resistance from Manav Suthar, but Aditya Thakare struck with the first ball of the day, trapping him plumb in front.
Patidar (66, 125b, 10×4) played some trademark cover drives to hold firm, yet wickets kept tumbling.
Yash Thakur’s searing pace dismantled the tail — Saransh Jain lost his stumps to a peach of a yorker, while Akash Deep and Gurnoor Brar succumbed to short-pitched bowling aimed at their ribs. Between the two short-pitched dismissals, Harsh Dubey ended Patidar’s vigil with a teasing delivery that induced a miscued lofted drive to long-off.
Vidarbha’s openers negotiated a tricky 45 minutes before lunch. But soon after, first-innings centurion Atharva Taide holed out to deep midwicket to gift his wicket. Aman Mokhade, looking assured, faltered against Brar’s short ball, his miscued hook carrying to wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.
Dhruv Shorey and Danish Malewar steadied the innings then, guiding Vidarbha to safety before bad light ended play. The duo will be hoping to take Vidarbha to safety in its quest to earn the third Irani Cup title.
The scores: Vidarbha 342 & 96/2 in 36 overs vs Rest of India 214 in 69.5 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 52, Rajat Patidar 66, Yash Thakur 4/66).