Ranji Trophy: Yash Rathod scores third consecutive century, Vidarbha eye bonus point against Himachal

Nagpur: Yash Rathod scored another century, his third in successive matches. The 24-year-old became only the second from Vidarbha to achieve a ‘hat-trick’ of tons, and helped Vidarbha post 575, their third highest team total in Ranji Trophy . By the end of play on Friday, the hosts had pushed Himachal into a tight corner in the Elite Group ‘B’ contest at VCA’s Civil Lines Stadium.

The batting unit clicked in unison — Rathod (128;152b;8x4;4x6) and Dhruv Shorey (125;219b;7x4) posted centuries while Karun Nair (85;134b;9x4;1x6) and skipper Akshay Wadkar (67;104b;8x4) scored half centuries — as Vidarbha piled up 575 runs.

Later in the day, the bowlers came to the party. Harsh Dubey and Akshay Wakhare picked a wicket each to reduce Himachal to 51 for 2 in 15 overs. The visitors now face the task of scoring 217 more on the Day 4 pitch to avoid an innings defeat.

Rathod, coming in to bat with Vidarbha on 308 for 3 in the first session, was at the crease for the next 62 overs scripting Vidarbha’s dominance over Himachal. Rathod’s arrival at the crease was preceded by quick dismissal of overnight batters Shorey and Nair. Rathod, along with skipper Akshay Wadkar. However, Rathod didn’t allow Himachal bowlers to cash in on the twin blows.



Going into a shell, considering the match situation, wasn’t totally uncalled for. The pitch wasn’t a highway by any means. A few spots on the strip gave way to two-paced deliveries and uneven bounce. The Rathod-Wadkar unit, though, decided to play positively, and ensured a steady flow of runs.

The two added 107 runs for the fifth wicket before Wadkar departed on a Divesh Sharma delivery. As the tea break neared, Vidarbha crossed the 500-run mark while Rathod completed his century. The entire Rathod family was in the stands, cheering the record-equalling effort of their prodigious son.

After an unproductive first match, Rathod has hit a purple zone this season. In the last three matches — against Pondicherry, Uttarakhand and this one against Himachal — he produced three centuries.

BRIEF SCORES
Himachal: 307 all out in 108 overs & 51 for 2 in 15 overs (Shubham Arora 22, Prashant Chopra 21, Ankit Kalsi 7 batting, Mayank Dagar batting 1; Akshay Wakhare 1-9, Harsh Dubey 1-9) trail Vidarbha (Overnight 283 for 2 in 70 overs): 575 all out in 140.1 overs (Yash Rathod 128, Dhruv Shorey 125, Karun Nair 85, Akshay Wadkar 67, Danish Malewar 59, Aditya Thakare 36; Divesh Sharma 4-99, Mukul Negi 3-116, Mayank Dagar 2-129) by 217 runs.