Much like its recent 50-over dominance, Vidarbha tops its group and also has the highest tally overall, collecting 25 points after five rounds of red-ball cricket this season. Andhra follows closely with 22 points. Despite the three-point gap, both teams have three wins and two draws so far.
Historically, there has been little to separate the two sides. Of the four Ranji Trophy matches played between Vidarbha and Andhra, three have ended in draws, while Vidarbha secured the only outright result in their most recent meeting – a home win in Nagpur in 2024.
Not much has changed for the defending champion since then. Consistency remains its defining trait, with players contributing across formats.
READ | Atharva Taide’s century sets up Vidarbha’s maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy title win
Harsh Dubey has had a memorable last year and a half, picking up 98 First-Class wickets with his left-arm spin for Vidarbha, India A, and Central Zone since the start of the 2024-25 season. With regular skipper Akshay Wadkar injured, Dubey, after leading his side to a maiden 50-over title last week, has been handed over the responsibility of captaincy with the red ball as well.
The batting lineup looks phenomenal with the in-form Yash Rathod, Aman Mokhade, Atharva Taide, and Dhruv Shorey leading the pack. Seamer Nachiket Bhute and tweaker Parth Rekhade have each grabbed 22 wickets for the team after five rounds. Not to forget Darshan Nalkande’s superb recent performances in white-ball cricket and his potential to convert that success into four-day games.
Andhra, too, has functioned as a cohesive unit. Without standout individual performances, the side has relied on timely contributions. Shaikh Rasheed and Abhishek Reddy lead with the bat, scoring 440 and 447 runs, respectively. KS Bharat has also chipped in with 311 runs. Captain Ricky Bhui, however, had a forgettable start to the campaign, contributing just 33 runs in six innings. With the ball, left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar has been superb, claiming 23 wickets.
India regular Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to be available for his state side in at least one of the remaining two rounds. Whether he turns up three days after finishing the ODI series against New Zealand remains to be seen.
Andhra has defeated Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Jharkhand in a row; if it maintains its good form in whites, there’s no stopping the side from advancing to the quarterfinals after missing out last season.
Published on Jan 21, 2026
Discover more from News Link360
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
