Atharva Taide’s stunning century powers Vidarbha to maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy Triumph

New Delhi: Atharva Taide’s brilliant ton along with a disciplined bowling effort guided Vidarbha to a commanding 38-run win over Saurashtra and to their first-ever Vijay Hazare Trophy title here on Sunday.

Vidarbha managed to post a total of 317 for eight, thanks to Taide’s brilliant 128 off 118 balls, which included 15 fours and 3 sixes, setting a challenging target for Saurashtra. However, Saurashtra struggled to keep up and were eventually bowled out for 279 in 48.5 overs.

Despite an early setback of 30 for two, Saurashtra showed resilience. The backbone of their fight came from determined half-centuries by Prerak Mankad (88 off 92 balls) and Chirag Jani (64 off 63 balls), who stitched 93-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Mankad was reprieved on 70 when Harsh Dubey failed to hold a catch at mid-wicket, and Jani was dropped on 14 off Parth Rekhade at long-on, allowing Saurashtra to shift the momentum. However, their resistance was finally ended with Mankad’s dismissal. The right-hander attempted to cut left-arm spinner Dubey (1/59) but misjudged it and was trapped lbw.

Shortly after, pacer Darshan Nalkande dismissed Jani, Vidarbha’s pacers, Yash Thakur (4/50) and Nachiket Bhute (3/46), then cleaned up the tail, completing a memorable victory for Vidarbha, celebrated with style and exuberance.

Earlier, Taide played a masterful one-day innings to steer Vidarbha to a strong total. He played a few crisp drives through the covers and launched powerful sixes over mid-wicket, yet never appeared trapped, even when Saurashtra, especially pacer Chetan Sakariya, tried to tighten the lines.

Taide reached his fifty off 66 balls with seven fours, but he accelerated dramatically, scoring his next fifty in just 31 balls, which featured five fours and two sixes, marking his third List A century.

Taide partnered with Yash Rathod (54 off 61 balls) to add 133 runs for the second wicket in just 18 overs, helping Vidarbha maintain a run rate above six. Earlier, he had also shared an 80-run opening stand with Aman Mokhade (33), who had a relatively modest game in the tournament.

Taide departed with Vidarbha at 213 for two, and the team still needed a few more runs to reach safety. Contributions from the middle and lower order proved valuable in pushing the total past 300, a score that ultimately set the stage for their victory.