Vidarbha in dire straits in Nagpur semi-final

Vidarbha were struggling to stay afloat after the second day's play at the Ranji Trophy plate group semi-final tie against Karnataka at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur.

Winning the toss, Karnataka opted to have first strike and racked up 364 runs before they were finally bowled out midway through the second day. Opener Barrington Rowland struck a fine 124 off 306 balls (16 fours), anchoring the innings and enabling batsmen like Vijay Bharadwaj to play around him.

Bharadwaj himself made 78 (219b, 12 fours), and a late surge from Dodda Ganesh (40, 83 balls, three fours, two sixes) saw Karnataka reach an imposing first-innings total. For Vidarbha, Chandrasekhar Atram and Pritam Gandhe took three wickets apiece.

Setting out in pursuit, Vidarbha contrived to lose wickets at regular intervals, and no batsman looked settled against Karnataka's bowlers. Dodda Ganesh bowled an incisive first spell for two wickets, while left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi kept things tight later in the innings and picked up three scalps in the process.

Vidarbha ended the second day on 129 for six, off 42.1 overs, still 235 runs in arrears and with only four wickets in hand. It will take a superlative effort for the hosts to come back in this knock-out game.