Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25: Rathod, Shorey hundreds, Karun Nair blitz guide Vidarbha to maiden final

Twin hundreds and a mammoth 224-run opening partnership are not often overshadowed, but skipper Karun Nair’s blitz (88 n.o., 44b, 9×4, 5×6) was an assault of such magnitude on the senses that it dwarfed Dhruv Shorey and Yash Rathod’s centuries as Vidarbha beat Maharashtra by 69 runs at the Kotambi Stadium here on Thursday to enter the Vijay Hazare Trophy final for the first time.

Karun is a man destined to score runs this season, and he continued his purple patch with a sixth fifty-plus score in seven innings to power Vidarbha to 380 for three — its highest total ever in the 50-over competition — and set up a date with his former team Karnataka in the final. 

Maharashtra’s reply was rocked early as skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad fell to wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma’s stunning catch. Despite Arshin Kulkarni and Ankit Bawne’s defiant 94-run alliance for the fourth wicket, Maharashtra couldn’t keep pace with Karun’s onslaught. 

The ease with which runs have flowed from Karun’s willow in this tournament was typified in the last over of Vidarbha’s innings. Karun effortlessly sliced and pulled the ball for two sixes off Rajneesh Gurbani’s 24-run over.

AS IT HAPPENED: VHT SF2 – VID vs MAH Highlights

He plundered left-armer Mukesh Choudhary for consecutive sixes in the penultimate over, the first of which astonishingly sailed over the bowler’s head off a good length. 

Contrastingly, openers Shorey and Rathod epitomized the virtues of 50-over cricket, relying on pristine timing and astute placement to erect Vidarbha’s highest-ever first-wicket stand. They saw off the new ball with little fuss, coasting at about five runs an over while preying on the loose deliveries.

Shorey and Rathod matched each other shot for shot, raising their fifties off consecutive deliveries and ringing in their 100-run stand inside 19 overs. 

They were circumspect against the spinners initially, before Shorey stepped on the pedal, giving off-spinner Siddhesh Veer the charge and launching him for the innings’ first six in the 30th over. Rathod showcased his prowess against spin when he lofted Satyajeet Bachhav inside out for a six over cover. 

After inserting Vidarbha, Maharashtra missed six chances on the field, including five dropped catches and a botched-up review, and never recovered.