VHT 2023/24: Ravikumar Samarth smashes his 16th List A fifty
Ravikumar Samarth starred in Karnataka's win over Vidarbha in the 2023/23 Vijay Hazare Trophy quarter-final in Rajkot. He smashed an unbeaten 72 as Karnataka went on to chase 174 in 40.3 overs. In the process, Samarth shared an 82-run stand with his opening partner and Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal. Karnataka eventually won the match by seven wickets. Here are the key stats.
Samarth anchors the run-chase
Samarth anchored Karnataka's run-chase with a 72-run knock. He returned unbeaten after facing 113 balls. The knock was studded with seven boundaries. As mentioned, Samarth shared an 82-run opening stand with skipper Mayank. The former, slamming his 16th List A half-century, has now raced past 2,650 runs in the format. He also has eight List A tons to his name.
His run in the ongoing tournament
In eight Vijay Hazare Trophy games, Samarth has smashed 218 runs from eight games at an average of 36.33. The tally includes a century and a half-century. He smashed 123 in Karnataka's opening encounter against J&K.
A look at the match's summary
Vidarbha were reduced to 39/4 after they were invited to bat. Akshay Wadkar was the only top-five batter to have scored in double figures. Shubham Dubey and Yash Thakur propelled Vidarbha past 170. However, Vijaykumar Vyshak's brilliance meant they perished for 173. In reply, Samarth and Mayank made it one-sided for Karnataka. Nikin Jose also smashed 31 as they won by seven wickets.
