Watch: Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar was dismissed courtesy of a brilliant catch at slip by a Madhya Pradesh substitute fielder on day three of the Ranji Trophy 2023/24 semi-final.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss in Nagpur, Vidarbha were bowled out for 170 in the first innings. Karun Nair top-scored with 63, while Avesh Khan picked up 4-49 with the ball.
In response, Madhya Pradesh opener Himanshu Mantri scored a hundred (126 off 265) to take his team to 252, handing them an 82-run first-innings lead.
Vidarbha fought back well in response after losing two early wickets. Aman Mokhade (59) and Dhruv Shorey (40) added 73 for the third wicket. After a couple of decent partnerships, however, Vidarbha were in a spot of bother again at 161-5, when their captain Wadkar joined up with Yash Rathod.
The duo added a massive 158 runs for the sixth wicket, taking Vidarbha past 300 and their lead past 200. Late in the day, Wadkar was dismissed by right-arm seamer Anubhav Agarwal, who got the opposition captain driving away from his body, only to edge it towards slip.
With no third slip in place, substitute fielder Sumit Kushwah dove full length to his right to take a stunning, low, one-handed catch to end Wadkar’s knock at 77.
Vidarbha finished the day on 343-6, with Rathod unbeaten on 97. Their lead currently stands at 261, setting up what should be a cracking fourth day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final.
Watch MP substitute fielder dive full length to take stunning one-handed catch at slip to dismiss Vidarbha captain:
What a catch to break the 158-run stand 🔥
Substitute fielder Sumit Kushwah pulled off a brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss Akshway Wadkar (77) late in the day. 👏@IDFCFIRSTBank | #VIDvMP | #RanjiTrophy | #SF1
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/KsLiJPuYMZ pic.twitter.com/DVZECRkUHo
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 4, 2024
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