Ranji: UP pip Vidarbha

Indore, Feb 19 (UNI) A captain's knock of 118 runs in 135 balls by Mohammad Kaif helped Uttar Pradesh bust Vidarbha by 169 runs in a Central Zone Ranji one-dayer here.

After winning the toss, Vidarbha elected to field. Kaif came to the crease after the first wicket went down at 31. The skipper's blinding innings packed in two sixes and he sent the cherry hurtling to the ropes no less than 15 times.

Kaif's second-wicket partnership with Praveen Kumar (62) was for 84 and the third-wicket partnership with Suresh Raina (59) was worth 135 runs. Kumar struck a six and nine fours off 69 deliveries while Raina struck three sixes and four boundaries while facing 52 balls.

Uttar Pradesh scored 286/8 in the allotted 50 overs. Sandeep Singh and Shrikant Wagh scalped two batsmen each while Mohammad Hashim and Harshal Shitoot took one each.

In reply, Vidarbha crumbled for 117 in 31.2 overs. Vikrant Gonade (23) and Owamir Afzal (22) were the main contributors. The wicket-takers were Avinash Yadav (3), Shalabh Srivastava (2), Kumar (2), Parminder Singh (2) and R P Singh (1).

UNI