VID VS MAH 2ND SEMI FINAL

And then there were two. A journey that began on December 21, 2024, with 38 teams, is set to culminate on January 18, 2025. The two remaining warriors? Four-time champions Karnataka, who are familiar with the taste of victory, and Vidarbha, who are chasing their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title. In a battle for glory, these two teams will clash at this very venue. Saturday can't come soon enough. The first ball of the final will be bowled at 1.30 pm IST (8 am GMT), but our build-up will begin much earlier. Until then, take care and goodbye!

Karun Nair, the captain of Vidarbha starts off cheekily by saying that the last catch at the end should have been taken. Mentions that it is a special unit and has been an amazing journey. Adds that everyone has contributed to the team's success and everyone is happy with each other's success. Further mentions that they have one more game to go and that will be the icing on the cake. Adds that a lot of people stood up and gave performances at the right time, be it small or big contributions. Concludes by saying that it is going to be just another game against Karnataka in the final.

Yash Rathod is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his superb ton. He says that he started a bit slow but enjoyed batting. Adds that the ball wasn't coming on nicely at the start. Tells that he has been opening the innings with Dhruv Shorey for the last four games and they have a good understanding. Further says that they were always looking to target 300.

The skipper of Maharashtra, Ruturaj Gaikwad says that they had an off day right from the start of the first innings. Adds that the opposition outplayed them in the batting and the bowling department. Mentions that Vidarbha batted really well and accelerated at the right time.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the day, Vidarbha dominated from start to finish after being asked to bat first. Openers Yash Rathod and Dhruv Shorey set the tone with a 224-run partnership with both scoring centuries. Karun Nair and Jitesh Sharma then took charge, accelerating in the final stages. Nair led the charge as Vidarbha added 108 runs in the last 7 overs, finishing with a mammoth total of 380, their highest in this tournament's history.

Under lights, the ball did much more than in the first innings, and the indifferent bounce made the batter's job a bit difficult. In hindsight, Maharashtra may question whether bowling first was the right decision, but even Vidarbha's captain, Karun Nair wanted to bowl first. Moreover, Ruturaj Gaikwad and his team let themselves down in the field, with multiple chances going down. Had they managed to restrict Vidarbha to under 350, the chase would have been within their reach.

With 381 to chase, Maharashtra needed a calculated approach to avoid falling further behind. An early setback came with Ruturaj Gaikwad's dismissal, but Arshin Kulkarni and Rahul Tripathi steadied the innings despite the ball offering assistance under lights. However, Tripathi's departure slowed the scoring as Vidarbha's bowlers tightened their grip. The pressure eventually overwhelmed Siddhesh Veer, and the innings began to stagnate. Kulkarni and Ankit Bawne briefly accelerated, but their efforts were short-lived as Darshan Nalkande struck twice in quick succession. With the acceleration left too late, the required run rate spiralled out of control, and Maharashtra's chase ultimately fell well short.

VIDARBHA ARE THROUGH TO THE FINAL! Their unbeaten run continues as they make it 8 wins from as many games to secure a place in their first-ever Vijay Hazare Trophy final. As for Maharashtra, they simply couldn’t get going on the day. Whether with the bat or the ball, nothing seemed to click for them. The toss went their way, but from there, it was all one-way traffic in Vidarbha's favour.

Could have been a catch at long off! Tossed up, around off, slower through the air, Satyajeet Bachhav comes down the track to loft it over long off but doesn't make a good connection. The ball skews up in the air but the long off fielder doesn't commit to the catch and lets the ball bounce in front. They get a single. VIDARBHA MAKE IT TO THE FINAL!

Drops it short, outside off, Satyajeet Bachhav tries to sweep it but gets an inside edge onto the pads.

On a nagging length, just outside off, turns away, Satyajeet Bachhav tries to go for a lofted shot over cover but gets beaten on the outside edge.

FOUR! SMASHED! Tossed up, around midle, from around the wicket, Satyajeet Bachhav comes forward and launches it down the ground over the head of bowler for a boundary.

Full around off, Mukesh Choudhary keeps it down to long on for a single.

Starts with a yorker, around middle, Satyajeet Bachhav makes room and drills it down the ground to long off for a single.

Karun Nair brings himself on to bowl the last over of the game.

Fuller in length, on off, Satyajeet Bachhav skips down the track and drills it down to long off for a single.