Harsh Dubey's 9-53 bowls out Madhya Pradesh before Vidarbha slip to 56 for 4

Harsh Dubey took nine of the ten Madhya Pradesh wickets to fall at Nagpur, only for Vidarbha to lose four of their own before the close

Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey returned 9-53 from 23.1 overs on the opening day of Vidarbha's Elite Group A match against Madhya Pradesh, who had chosen to bat and were bowled out for 209 in 66.1 overs at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.

They are the best figures returned by a Vidarbha bowler in the Ranji Trophy, and a career best for a 23-year-old whose previous mark was 6-36 against Himachal Pradesh in Nagpur two years ago.

Whatever advantage the spell created was quickly spent. Vidarbha closed on 56 for 4 from 23 overs, still 153 behind, with the match evenly placed going into the second morning.

Nine wickets and one that got away

Dubey bowled unchanged through long spells either side of the interval, finishing with four maidens and conceding at 2.30 an over. Only one wicket in the innings was not his, Nachiket Bhute removing opener Yash Dubey early.

From there every dismissal belonged to the spinner, among them Madhya Pradesh captain Rajat Patidar, who made 2, and the experienced Saransh Jain.

No Vidarbha bowler had taken nine in a Ranji Trophy innings before Monday, in a first-class history that stretches back to the 1950s.

Mahajan the lone resistance

Atharv Mahajan was the one batter to settle, making 85 from 123 balls with five fours and three sixes and taking the attack on where others were content to survive.

Saransh Jain's 34 from 41 balls was the only other score past 25. Saksham Purohit battled 66 balls for 21 and Shubham Sharma made 16.

His 85 accounted for more than 40 per cent of the Madhya Pradesh total, and no partnership after his dismissal threatened to change the shape of the day.

Madhya Pradesh had been 135 for 5 approaching the 46th over, and the last five wickets added only a further 74.

Vidarbha's reply unravels

The response was worse. Kumar Kartikeya struck in the first over and again at 2.3 overs to leave Vidarbha 8 for 2, Aman Mokhade going for a duck and Satyam Bhoyar for 8.

Avesh Khan had Ravikumar Samarth caught for 17, and Kartikeya trapped Danish Malewar lbw for nought to make it 35 for 4 inside 13 overs.

Dhruv Shorey and captain Akshay Wadkar saw out the remainder of the day, with Dubey himself still to bat.

A record-breaker's next step

Dubey's reputation was built on the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, when he took 69 wickets and scored 476 runs as Vidarbha won the title, collecting the Player of the Tournament award along the way.

That season carried him into the India setup. He made his ODI debut against Afghanistan at Dharamsala in June and is yet to play a Test, with the selectors treating him as a spin-bowling all-rounder for the longer term.

Performances of this order, in a season when India are looking hard at their spin stocks, do his case no harm.

The game from here

A first-innings lead remains within reach for Madhya Pradesh, who need five more wickets while Vidarbha are 153 adrift with six in hand.

Kartikeya's three-wicket burst suggests the surface has something for spin from both ends, which would put Dubey back in the game as both bowler and batter.

The fourth-round fixture is scheduled through to Thursday, leaving three full days for a result on a pitch that has already taken turn.

Scorecard: Madhya Pradesh 209 all out in 66.1 overs (Atharv Mahajan 85, Saransh Jain 34; Harsh Dubey 9-53) lead Vidarbha 56 for 4 in 23 overs (Kumar Kartikeya 3) by 153 runs at stumps on day one.

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