Karun Nair made the headlines again with a sensation knock to help Vidarbha beat Maharashtra in the second semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 on Thursday, January 16. Vidarbha defeated Maharashtra by 69 runs while defending a huge total of 380 and entered the final of India’s premier List A tournament for the first time in their history.
Vidarbha will clash against four-time champions Karnataka in the final at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Saturday, January 18. Karnataka knocked out the defending champions Haryana in the first semi-final to reach the summit clash for the fifth time.
Meanwhile, after being forced to bat first, Vidarbha openers Dhruv Shorey and Yash Rathod added 224 runs for the first wicket to dominate Maharashtra’s in-form bowlers. Both openers scored a century each but it was a terrific knock from captain Karun Nair that led Vidarbha to a mammoth total.
Nair, batting at no.3, smashed unbeaten 88 runs off just 44 balls with the help of 9 fours and 5 sixes. The veteran batter now boasts 752 runs in 7 innings at a mind-blowing average of 752.00.
“It is a special unit. It’s been an amazing journey, we have one more step to climb,” Karun Nair said after the game. “Everyone’s contributed, so happy for each others’ success. One more game to go and that will be an icing on the cake. Be it a small or big contribution, everyone has chipped in at some point. (Facing Karnataka in the final) It’s just another game, it’s a final. We need to play our best cricket to win the game.”
Maharashtra Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Arshin Kulkarni, Siddhesh Veer, Ankit Bawne, Rahul Tripathi, Azim Kazi, Nikhil Naik (wk), Satyajeet Bachhav, Mukesh Choudhary, Rajneesh Gurbani, Pradeep Dadhe.
Vidarbha Playing XI: Dhruv Shorey, Yash Rathod, Karun Nair (c), Apoorv Wankhade, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shubham Dubey, Harsh Dubey, Nachiket Bhute, Parth Rekhade, Yash Thakur, Darshan Nalkande.