Kaif's 118 pip Vidarbha

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

After Vidarbha elected to field, Kaif came to the crease when the first wicket went down at 31. The skipper's innings was packed with two sixes and he sent the cherry to the ropes no less than 15 times.

Kaif's second-wicket partnership with Praveen Kumar (62) was worth 84 runs and the third-wicket partnership with Suresh Raina (59) added another 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 for 8 in their 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 to 117 in 31.2 overs. Vikrant Gonade (23) and Owamir Afzal (22) only managed a 20 plus score. The main wicket-takers for Uttar Pradesh were Avinash Yadav (3 wickets), Shalabh Srivastava (2) and Kumar (2), Parminder Singh (2).

UNI