Kanpur: Medium-pacer Shivam Mavi‘s career-best bowling figures of 7 for 59 helped Uttar Pradesh restrict Vidarbha to 237 in their first innings on the second day of their Ranji Trophy pool league match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Friday. In their second innings, UP reached 75 for 2 at stumps.The match against table-toppers Vidarbha is inconsequential for UP as they are already out of the knockout race. With neither side securing a first-innings lead, Vidarbha now need an outright win to earn full points, failing which the teams will share two points each. Resuming from their overnight score of 33 without loss, Vidarbha were expected to comfortably surpass UP’s total. However, Mavi struck repeatedly to reduce the hosts to 95 for 6 in 31.3 overs. His spell proved decisive, marking his best performance in first-class cricket and surpassing his previous best of six wickets in a Ranji match. A recovery effort was mounted by Danish Malewar and Bhute, who added 126 runs for the seventh wicket in 162 balls. Both batsmen contributed 61 runs each, steadying the innings and pushing Vidarbha close to UP’s total. The partnership ended at 221 when Mavi dismissed Malewar for 80 off 117 balls, which included 10 fours and a six. With Vidarbha needing just 13 runs to gain a first-innings lead, hopes rested on Bhute. However, at 233, Bhute was run out following a direct hit by Kartik Yadav. He scored 63 off 85 balls, hitting four boundaries and three sixes. The innings ended at 237 when YR Thakur was caught by Aryan Juyal off Mavi for 5, denying Vidarbha a crucial lead. For UP, besides Mavi’s seven-wicket haul, Karan and Kartik Tyagi claimed one wicket each. UP’s second innings began on a shaky note, mirroring their first, as openers Abhishek (0) and Madhav Kaushik (9) departed early, leaving the visitors at 17 for 2. Abhishek was trapped in front by R Thakur, while Madhav fell to Bhute. Skipper Aryan Juyal and Aaditya Sharma then steadied the innings, taking UP to 75 for 2 at stumps. At At close, Juyal was unbeaten on 35 and Aaditya on 25.Later, UP coach Arvind Kapoor told TOI that a dropped catch of Malewar off Kartik Tyagi cost his side an advantage. “The level scores have opened up the match, and the remaining two days should be interesting,” he said. Brief scores: UP first innings: 237; second innings: 75 for 2 (Aryan Juyal 35 not out, Aaditya Sharma 25; Y Thakur 1/16, Bhute 1/14) Vidarbha first innings: 237 (A Mokhade 28, Danish Malewar 80, Bhute 63; Shivam Mavi 7/59).
