NAGPUR: Another 10-plus per over run chase, another win. Having discovered the self-belief, no target seems to be too much for Vidarbha batters. On Saturday, Vidarbha bettered Bengal's 214-run target with 13 balls to spare thanks to super explosive knocks from Karun Nair, Shubham Dubey and Atharva Taide in Mohali.
With three wins from as many matches, Vidarbha remain on the top of the Group D with 12 points and look favourites to reach the quarterfinal stage of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT).
Chasing 213, Vidarbha got off to a scorching start at Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium. Despite Dhruv Shorey's early departure, skipper Atharva Taide (30;15b;5x4;1x6) and Karun Nair took the score past 50 in just the fourth over.
Taide, who was scoring at a strike rate of 200, was trapped lbw by Ishan Porel in the sixth over. Post Taide's wicket, Vidarbha scored just 30 runs in the next 4.2 overs and were in a spot of bother at 95 for 1 in 10 overs.
The dismissal of Nayan Chavan (13;14b;1x4) brought the man in form Shubham Dubey to the crease. Nair, who moved to Vidarbha from Karnataka this season, kept pumping in the boundaries to keep the asking rate in check.
In Shubham, the professional from Karnataka got a more than able ally. Shubham didn't take long to get going, hitting his first six on the fifth ball he faced. The impact player proved his worth by hitting five more sixes in his astounding unbeaten knock of 58. On the way to take Vidarbha home, Shubham hit a half century in just 18 balls, the joint fastest T20 fifty for Vidarbha. He remained unbeaten on 58 (20b;3x4;6x6) hit at an other-worldly strike rate of 290.
Nair played the perfect aggressive anchor, striking at a rate of 182.69. The seasoned pro kept his calm during the brief dry spell following Taide's wicket. With Shubham in company, Nair carted Bengal bowlers to all parts of the park.
Nair hit six over a cover boundary followed by a four to bring up his fifty in 31 balls in the 11th over. He too remained unbeaten at the other end, hitting 95 (52b;11x4;3x6) as Vidarbha finished on 214 in 17.5 overs.
Vidarbha could have been chasing much more but for Umesh Yadav's fifer. The pacer took three wickets in the last over to stop Bengal going past 220. Akshay Karnewar picked up the key wickets of openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Abishek Porel who gave Bengal a flying start.
BRIEF SCORES
Bengal: 212 for 8 in 20 over (Abhimanyu Easwaran 60, Abishek Porel 43, Shakir Gandhi 28, Ritwik Roy Chowdhury 26*; Umesh Yadav 5-35, Akshay Karnewar 3-32) lost to Vidarbha 214 for 3 in 17.5 overs (Karun Nair 95*, Shubham Dubey 58*, Atharva Taide 30; Shahbaz Ahmed 1-30) by seven wickets.
