Vidarbha Vs Rest Of India, Irani Cup: Atharva Taide's Unbeaten Ton Takes Hosts To 280/5 On Day 1

Opener Atharva Taida made the most of the chances he got, scoring an unbeaten century to take a wobbly Vidarbha to 280 for five on the opening day of their Irani Cup match against Rest of India in Nagpur on Wednesday.

Taide scored 118 not out off 240 balls, while Yash Rathod chipped in with a valuable 91 (153 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) as the two revived their side after wickets fell in a heap.

The Ranji Trophy champions did not have the best of starts as, after racing to 40 for no loss in seven overs, Vidarbha slipped to 80 for three.

Taide had a massive scare when India pacer Akash Deep cleaned him up on the first ball of the second over, but the delivery was declared a no-ball.

Despite not being at his best, Akash Deep did well to have Aman Mokhade caught behind by Ishan Kishan for 19 in the eighth over. A faint outside edge was collected by the wicketkeeper, who pushed Rest of India skipper Rajat Patidar to go for a review, which turned out to be a successful one.

In the 10th over, Akash Deep again had Taide in trouble when the batter looked to defend but there was no appeal for a caught behind. Replays later suggested there was an inside edge.

Again, on the fourth ball of the 11th over Anshul Kamboj almost had Taide caught in the first slip with replays showing the catch hadn't been taken cleanly.

Even though Dhruv Shorey (18) was dropped by Kishan in the 22nd over, the Vidarbha batter did not last long, being sent back in the next over by left-arm spinner Manav Suthar.

Two balls later, Suthar forced Danish Malewar (0) to edge one to Kishan, leaving Vidarbha reeling at 80 for three.

This was when Taide joined forces with Rathod to consolidate Vidarbha's innings, as the two put on a resolute 184-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Vidarbha seemed to be cruising nicely when ROI bowlers struck again.

Rathod missed out on a century when he tried to heave Suthar in the 74th over only to miscue it to Gurnoor Brar.

Akshay Wadkar, who has been at the helm for Vidarbha, tried to forge a stand with Taide but their association lasted only 11 runs as the team slipped to 275 for five.

Brief scores: Vidarbha 280/5 in 84 overs (Atharva Taide 118 not out, Yash Rathod 91; Akash Deep 2/35, Manav Suthar 3/64) vs Rest of India.