Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25: Karun Nair's majestic run takes Vidarbha into finals

Karun Nair’s impressive form continued as he registered an unbeaten 88 off just 44 balls to guide Vidarbha to a 69-run victory over Maharashtra in the second semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on January 16. The victory has taken the side to the summit clash against Nair’s former team, Karnataka, on Saturday.

Batting first, Vidarbha posted a 380/3, their highest total in the tournament’s history. The innings were anchored by a 224-run opening stand between Dhruv Shorey (114 off 120 balls) and Yash Rathod (116 off 101 balls). Rathod, who was named Player of the Match, laced his innings with 14 boundaries and one six.

Nair’s fiery knock overlooked the twin centuries as he paced Vidarbha’s innings in the death overs. Nair smashed four sixes and three fours in the last two overs, including smashing 24 runs off the final over of Rajneesh Gurbani's bowling. His innings featured nine boundaries and five sixes overall. Nair has had a remarkable tournament so far as he now has 752 runs in the season, having been dismissed only once at an astronomical average of 752.00.

Maharashtra, chasing 381, struggled to keep up with the asking rate. The loss of captain Ruturaj Gaikwad in the third over, courtesy of a brilliant diving catch by Jitesh Sharma, put Maharashtra on the backfoot early on. While Arshin Kulkarni (90 off 101 balls) and Ankit Bawne (50 off 49 balls) stitched a 94-run partnership, the team’s middle order collapsed as Vidarbha bowlers Darshan Nalkande (3/64) and Nachiket Bhute (3/68) ensured that Maharashtra never got the momentum. 

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Maharashtra also paid the price for their poor fielding performance as they dropped six catches and missing crucial chances, including the chances of Shorey, Rathod, and Nair. The missed opportunities allowed Vidarbha to capitalise and set a big target.