Ranji Trophy: Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh in search of crucial points

Nagpur Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh will face off in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match with significant implications on their chances of knockout qualification at the VCA Jamtha Stadium here in Nagpur beginning on Monday. Three rounds into the season, Group A has begun to bifurcate, with the top four sides creating significant breathing space from the remaining four. Host Vidarbha leads the way, having secured outright wins in all three matches. Its batting line-up faced some early struggles but the last match provided a salve to those issues as it piled on the runs. Dhruv Shorey led the way with 168, while there were also half-centuries for R. Samarth, Danish Malewar, and Akshay Wadkar. With the ball, seamers Nachiket Bhute and Rajneesh Gurbani looked in fine rhythm, while Harsh Dubey made the difference on the final day.