Irani Cup 2019, ROI vs Vidarbha, Day 3, Review: An unbelievable ton from Akshay Karnewar places Vidarbha ahead of the opposition

Just like they did in a majority of the Ranji Trophy season, the Vidarbha lower-order batsmen again bailed the team out of the trouble. Akshay Karnewar, the ambidextrous bowler, led the way this time for his team. His brilliant century helped the hosts take a big lead in the first innings helping them gain a huge advantage.

Along with Akshay Wadkar, Karnewar walked out to bat at the start of day three. Wadkar looked good on the second day with an unbeaten half-century and there were high expectations on him. But, he was out bowled for 73 in the 13th over of the day. A wrong ‘un from Rahul Chahar got the better of him. The batsman went for the drive through the covers but the ball turned back just enough, cramped him for room and got through the gate.

Akshay Karnewar defies all the odds

After this wicket fell, Akshay Karnewar shifted gears and played some aggressive shots. He was absolutely brilliant on either side of the wicket and was a treat to watch. The 26-year-old went on to reach his hundred with a six over deep mid-wicket. However, he was unfortunate to have been trapped plumb by Chahar as the ball kept low. He was dismissed LBW for a well-made 102 when the score was 381.

The last three batsmen, though, had enough ability to take the score a quarter past 400. The trio of Wakhare, Gurbani and Thakur aggregated 58 runs amongst themselves as the side put up 425 runs on the board taking a lead of 95 runs. Chahar picked up four wickets in the innings.

In the third innings of the match, the Vidarbha bowlers managed to dismiss ROI openers cheaply. While Wakhare dismissed Mayank Agarwal for 27, Anmolpreet Singh failed yet again and got out for 6. But, Hanuma Vihari and Ajinkya Rahane stabilised the innings with some responsible knocks. Rahane’s stay in the middle was a troubled one. ROI leads by 7 runs at the close of play.

Brief Scores:

Rest of India, 1st Innings: 330/10 in 89.4 overs (Hanuma Vihari 114, Mayank Agarwal 95, Aditya Sarwate 3/99)

Vidarbha, 1st Innings: 425/10 in 142.2 overs (Akshay Karnewar 102, Akshay Wadkar 73, Rahul Chahar 4/112)

Rest of India, 2nd Innings: 102/2 in 35 overs (Hanuma Vihari 40*, Ajinkya Rahane 25*, Aditya Sarwate 1/45)

Match Situation: Rest of India lead by 7 runs.

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