Delhi crash out of Vijay Hazare Trophy after quarterfinal loss, disappointing season ends

New Delhi: Depleted by the absence of Ayush Badoni, who has joined the Indian cricket team for the ODI series against New Zealand, and Rishabh Pant, who had already joined India team ahead of the series, Delhi succumbed to a 76-run loss to Vidarbha in the quarterfinal of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Tuesday at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Vidarbha, finalists in the previous season, produced a commanding all-round performance to book their place in the semifinals for the second successive year, leaving a disappointed Delhi side to reflect on what might have been.

The ouster in this tournament winds up the Delhi senior team's miserable season where they failed to make the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy as well as the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s. Here, they managed to enter the knockouts but one wonders if they were capable of reaching this far had Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant not played in the league stage.

The loss here puts a serious question mark over the future of coach Saradeep Singh and the selection panel. That the team couldn't go far despite the presence of three India players on Tuesday, shows that the team lacks depth and that the seniors aren't doing their job to full potential. More on that later.

Putting Delhi in to field, Vidarbha capitalised on contributions from their batsmen to post a competitive 300 for 9 in 50 overs. Yash Rathod led the charge with a fluent 86, while Atharva Taide struck a solid 62 and Dhruv Shorey chipped in with a gritty 49. The platform laid by these innings enabled Vidarbha to set a challenging total that would prove beyond the reach of the Delhi batsmen.

Delhi falter in chase

Delhi were never in the chase. Under-fire wicketkeeper-batter Anuj Rawat made 66 (off 98 balls) to limit damage to his inclusion but the rest of the lineup repeatedly faltered against disciplined Vidarbha bowling.

Nachiket Bhute was the pick of the bowlers with a standout spell of 4 for 51, supported well by skipper Harsh Dubey (3 for 36) and seamer Praful Hinge (2 for 54), as Delhi were bowled out for 224 in 45.1 overs.

Regular dismissals prevented any meaningful partnerships, and Delhi struggled to keep up with the required run rate.

For Delhi, who had shown glimpses of promise during the league phase, the loss is a sobering end to a campaign that promised more, especially after they topped their group earlier in the tournament.

Vidarbha now face defending champions Karnataka in the semifinals, in what shapes up to be a high-stakes rematch of last season’s final.

Tags : Delhi, cricket, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant, BCCI