Atharva Taide’s bat or bowlers’ fire? What powered Vidarbha to Vijay Hazare Trophy glory
Atharva Taide delivered a match-winning century while pacers Yash Thakur and Nachiket Bhute produced a disciplined bowling effort as Vidarbha defeated Saurashtra by 38 runs to lift the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru on Sunday.
In a high-stakes Vijay Hazare Trophy final, Vidarbha posted a formidable total of 317/8 after opting to bat, riding on Taide’s fluent 128 off 118 balls and a solid half-century from Yash Rathod. The target proved just beyond Saurashtra’s reach, despite valiant knocks from Prerak Mankad and Chirag Jani, as they were bowled out for 279 in 48.5 overs.
Chasing 318, Saurashtra were rocked early when skipper Harvik Desai and Vishvaraj Jadeja fell inside the powerplay. Mankad steadied the innings with an assured 88, adding useful partnerships with Sammar Gajjar and later with Chirag Jani, who struck a brisk 64. However, the rising required run rate forced risky shots, and Vidarbha’s pace duo seized control.
Yash Thakur emerged as the standout with the ball, returning figures of 4/50, while Nachiket Bhute chipped in with 3/46 to break the lower-order resistance. Once Mankad was trapped lbw, Vidarbha tightened the screws, dismissing Saurashtra well short of the target to seal their Vijay Hazare Trophy title.
Earlier, Taide laid the foundation with a commanding opening stand alongside Aman Mokhade, negotiating early movement before launching into an array of crisp strokes. He reached his century in just 97 balls — the 16th hundred in a Vijay Hazare Trophy final — and finished with 15 fours and three sixes, marking his first List A ton in five years.
Rathod’s composed 54 ensured Vidarbha maintained momentum through the middle overs, while Ankur Panwar’s four-wicket haul briefly checked the scoring. Still, Taide’s knock proved decisive in pushing Vidarbha beyond the 300-run mark.
The win capped a stellar domestic season for Vidarbha, with Taide emerging as one of the standout performers of the tournament after crucial knocks in the quarter-final and league stages.
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