Captain Fazal leads Vidarbha fightback

Captain Fazal leads Vidarbha fightback

Pune: It was the captain’s innings. Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal scored a gritty century (116 off 299) and remained unbeaten at stumps on Day 3 against Maharashtra during their Ranji Trophy match at the MCA International Stadium, on Saturday.

The defending champions found a perfect response after being asked to follow-on by the hosts on Day 2, ending the day on 287/3, 64 runs ahead of Maharashtra’s first innings total of 343.

Faiz, with 912 runs, was the second highest run scorer in the Ranji Trophy last season behind Mayank Agarwal (1,160 runs), and was one of the vital cogs in Vidarbha’s maiden Ranji title win. On Saturday, Faiz played as if the phrase, ‘leading from the front,’ was coined for him, as he bailed his side out of trouble. 

He found perfect partners in Wasim Jaffer (63 off 92) and Ganesh Satish (37 off 117) after Anupam Sanklecha castled opener Sanjay Ramaswamy on 29 early in the day. 

Firstly, Faiz stitched a 95-run partnership with Jaffer for the second wicket before adding 91 runs with Satish for the third wicket, while Akshay Wadkar added 31 runs off 39 balls near the close of play, to put Vidarbha in relatively secure position.

Patience is key
The break-up of Fazal’s scoring data shows that he took 49 deliveries to score his first 20 runs, then again 49 balls to move from 40 to 60 and then another 50 odd balls to reach from 80 to 100. The southpaw’s innings, laced with 14 fours and two sixes, deflated any chance Maharashtra had of securing an innings’ win and earning a bonus point, in what could have been an early upset in the 85th edition of the tournament.

Jaffer, the domestic stalwart, looked in good touch after a scratchy start and completed his 50 off just 73 balls, with 10 fours. Vidarbha added exactly 100 runs in the first session, off which 63 runs were scored by Jaffer.

Just when it looked like the former Mumbai batsman would go on to play one of his trademark daddy innings, he nicked one to Ankeet Bawne in first slip off Samad Fallah immediately after lunch, without adding anything to his score.

The 33-year-old skipper played a supportive role when his senior-pro was at the other end, but while batting with Satish, he took the initiative, scoring the bulk of runs, thwarting Maharashtra bowlers. He completed his 50 off 145 balls and took another 103 balls to reach three figures, showing how patient he was, building his innings, which in hindsight might save his side from a loss. Or even, might give them an outside chance to win on the fourth and final day on Sunday.

Brief Scores: Maharashtra 1st innings 343
Vidarbha 120 & 287/3 (Faiz Fazal 116 not out, Wasim Jaffer 63; Samad Fallah 1/47)
Vidarbha lead by 64 runs.

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