Vidarbha defeated Saurashtra in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025/26 as Atharva Taide slammed a scintillating hundred in a 38-run comfortable victory to seal their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title on Sunday.
Taide slammed a brilliant 128 off 118 balls with 15 fours and three sixes as Vidarbha posted an imposing 317/8 in their 50 overs. In reply, Saurashtra fell short despite a spirited chase, being bowled out for 279 in 48.5 overs.
Saurashtra’s pursuit faltered early as they slipped to 30 for two, a position that worsened to 112 for four in 22.4 overs. They showed resilience, as Prerak Mankad and Chirag Jani put up a strong fifth-wicket partnership.
Mankad (88 off 92 balls) and Jani (64 off 63) added 93 runs as they batted sensibly, playing percentage cricket rather than flamboyance. A couple of dropped catches and several misfields in the middle overs allowed Saurashtra to stay in the hunt longer than expected. Mankad was reprieved on 70 when put down by Harsh Dubey at mid-wicket, while Jani survived on 14 after being dropped off Parth Rekhade at long-on.
The resistance ended with Mankad’s dismissal when he misjudged a cut against left-arm spinner Dubey and was trapped lbw. Soon after, Darshan Nalkande removed Jani, whose mistimed swipe was safely taken by Aman Mokhade at sweeper cover. Yash Thakur (4/50) and Nachiket Bhute (3/46) then cleaned up the tail to complete a memorable triumph for Vidarbha.
Earlier, Taide had anchored Vidarbha’s innings with a model one-day knock. Lacking flamboyance but rich in resolve, the left-hander batted with assurance, exploiting gaps and rotating strike efficiently as the shadows lengthened at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. While there were elegant cover drives and powerful hits over mid-wicket, his ability to collect singles and twos ensured he was rarely tied down, even when Chetan Sakariya and others tightened their lines.
After reaching his fifty off 66 balls, Taide accelerated impressively, scoring his next 50 runs in just 31 deliveries. It was his third List A century. He shared a brisk 133-run second-wicket stand with Yash Rathod (54 off 61 balls) in just 18 overs, keeping Vidarbha’s scoring rate above six an over. Earlier, Taide had also been part of an 80-run opening partnership with Aman Mokhade (33).
Vidarbha were well placed at 213 for two when Taide departed, and although the middle and lower order contributed only modestly, they did enough to push the total beyond 300 — a score that ultimately proved decisive and set the stage for Vidarbha’s historic title win.
</div>
