Published: Jan 08, 2026, 07:15 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 08, 2026, 07:15 PM (IST)
Strong fifties from Atharva Taide and Ravikumar Samarth powered Vidarbha into the quarterfinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a huge 160-run win over Assam on Thursday. Vidarbha became the second team to qualify from their group, finishing with 20 points, behind Uttar Pradesh, who had already secured their spot with 28 points.
Locked in a three-way tie with Bengal and Baroda for the final knockout berth, Vidarbha needed a big win and delivered exactly that.
Batting first, Vidarbha posted a competitive 308 for 7, despite Assam skipper Sumit Ghadigaonkar fighting valiantly with an unbeaten 80. After the early dismissal of Aman Mokhade, Taide (80) and Dhruv Shorey (40) put together a 98-run partnership for the second wicket, setting a solid foundation. When Shorey fell, Taide added another 40 runs with Samarth before Vidarbha briefly slipped to 152 for 5.
Samarth then anchored the innings with an unbeaten 76-ball knock, receiving support from Yash Kadam (41) and Nachiket Bhute (33). For Assam, Akash Sengupta had a tough day, conceding 77 runs in 10 overs while picking up three wickets, whereas Parth Rekhade starred for Vidarbha with the ball, taking 4 for 45.
In reply, Assam were never in contention, collapsing to 77 for 5 in the 20th over, with only Swarupam Purkayastha (25) and Sengupta (11) joining Ghadigaonkar in double figures.
Meanwhile, Baroda suffered heartbreak despite a commanding 149-run victory over Chandigarh, as they missed out on a quarterfinal spot due to net run rate. Baroda posted a mammoth 391 all out in 49.1 overs, smashing 34 fours and 14 sixes. Priyanshu Moliya top-scored with 113 off 106 balls, while Hardik Pandya tore through the bowling with 75 off 31 balls, including nine sixes.
Jitesh Sharma contributed a quick 73 off 33 balls, and Vishnu Solanki added 54 off 49. Chandigarh fought valiantly, led by Shivam Bhambri’s 95-ball 100, but their innings collapsed after slipping to 43 for 3 early on and losing three wickets in just six balls across the 35th and 36th overs, finishing at 242 all out.
In another match, Dhruv Jurel struck his second century of the tournament to lead Uttar Pradesh to a comfortable five-wicket win over Bengal. Bengal were bowled out for 269 in 45.1 overs, with Sudip Kumar Gharami (94) and Shahbaz Ahmed (43) doing most of the scoring. Jurel then dominated the chase with a brilliant 123 off 96 balls, featuring nine fours and five sixes.
Aryan Juyal supported with 56, while skipper Rinku Singh remained unbeaten on 37, helping Uttar Pradesh reach 272 for 5 in 42.2 overs. Jurel has now scored fifty or more in six of his seven innings, including two centuries, and Uttar Pradesh finished the league stage unbeaten with seven wins from seven matches.
Vidarbha qualified for the quarterfinals with a 160-run win over Assam, Baroda missed out despite a 149-run win against Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh dominated Bengal with a five-wicket win, powered by Dhruv Jurel’s 123.
