Gritty Madhya Pradesh eye formidable outing against hosts Vidarbha

MP pacer Avesh Khan (right) during a practice session at Nagpur on Thursday. Pic/PTI

A resolute Madhya Pradesh is faced with the daunting task of taming Vidarbha in their home ground, which the hosts have turned into an impregnable citadel this season, when the familiar foes clash in the semi-final here from today.

Two-time champions Vidarbha have played four matches at the VCA Stadium this season, and they have won three of them with the solitary defeat coming against Saurashtra. Those victories have come with convincing margins too - seven wickets against Services, 115 runs against Haryana and 127 runs against Karnataka in the quarter-finals.

The biggest strength of Vidarbha throughout this season has been the collective contribution of their batsmen. The Nagpur pitch has often acted as an ally of the batters, but Vidarbha have also been fortunate to have the services of two lion-hearted bowlers - pacer Aditya Thakare and left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate.

They have grabbed 68 wickets together so far this season. Madhya Pradesh, the 2022 champions, have walked through rings of fire to enter the last four stage. They managed just three outright wins in eight league matches while fiercely battling in other games to gain first innings lead.

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