Bengaluru, Jan 19 (NationPress) Atharva Taide achieved a remarkable century while pacers Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute combined for seven wickets, propelling Vidarbha to a 38-run victory over Saurashtra in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru on Sunday.

The Day/Night match appeared competitive as Saurashtra made a recovery from early challenges, aided by a resilient 88 from Prerak Mankad and a quickfire 64 off 63 balls by Chirag Jani. However, the required run rate was too steep for Saurashtra, culminating in their all-out total of 279 runs in 48.5 overs while chasing Vidarbha’s target of 318 runs, which was primarily built on Atharva Taide'sYash Rathod.

Saurashtra faced early difficulties in their chase, losing their captain Harvik Desai (20) and Vishvaraj Jadeja (9), leaving them at 30/2 in the sixth over.

Mankad and Sammar Gajjar managed to elevate the score to 78 before Gajjar departed for 25, caught and bowled by Darshan Nalkande, who concluded with figures of 2-52. Mankad remained steady, despite the loss of Parswaraj Rana (7).

Mankad found a reliable partner in Chirag Jani, together constructing a 93-run stand for the fifth wicket. Eventually, Harsh Dubey provided a breakthrough for Vidarbha by trapping Mankad lbw. Jani kept fighting from the opposite end and formed a 45-run partnership with Ruchit Ahir (21) for the seventh wicket. Saurashtra lost notable players like Jaydev Unadkat (6), Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (8), and Chetan Sakhariya (11) cheaply while trying to manage the escalating run rate.

Earlier, Vidarbha opener Atharva Taide showcased his skills, scoring a stunning century off just 97 balls that propelled his team to a substantial total.

Opening the innings after Saurashtra won the toss, Taide and Aman Mokhade successfully navigated the early swing to establish an 80-run opening partnership.

Saurashtra finally broke through in the 18th over when Ankur Pawar clean bowled Mokhade, who managed 33 runs. Despite losing his partner, Taide continued to apply pressure, supporting the new batter Yash Rathod (54) as they added 133 runs for the second wicket.

Taide reached his century in the 31st over with a single, finishing with an impressive tally of 12 fours and two sixes. This marked Atharva's first list A century in five years, and he became only the 16th player to hit three figures in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Final.

Atharva's innings came to a close on the last ball of the 36th over when he inadvertently chipped a fine yorker from Ankur Pawar into the hands of Prerak Mankad. His final score was 128 runs off just 118 deliveries, inclusive of 15 fours and three sixes.

Atharva has been a standout performer throughout the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, delivering pivotal innings to advance his team. He previously scored a measured 62 (72) in the quarter-final against Delhi, aiding Vidarbha in reaching 300, alongside scores of 80 against Assam and 65 against Baroda earlier in January.

Brief scores:

Vidarbha 317/8 in 50 overs (Atharva Taide 128, Yash Rathod 54, Aman Mokhade 33; Ankur Panwar 4-65, Chetan Sakariya 2-43, Chirag Jani 2-65) beat Saurashtra 279 all out in 48.5 overs (Prerak Mankad 88, Chirag Jani 64; Tash Thakur 4-50, Nachiket Bhute 3-46) by 38 runs.