Ranji Trophy 2026-27: Bhute picks four but Misal, Kasvankar put up a fight for Goa against Vidarbha on Day 1

Bhute ran through the top order but Misal and Kasvankar added 104 for the seventh wicket to make sure Goa was past 200 by end of play.

Updated : Oct 26, 2026 18:12 IST , NAGPUR - 4 MINS READ

Vidarbha's Nachiket Bhute had figures of 4/40 at the end of Day 1. | Photo Credit: PTI

Darshan Misal (51, 108b, 5x4, 1x6) and Yash Kasvankar (51 batting, 177b, 4x4) provided strong resistance, but Vidarbha claimed the advantage on the opening day of its Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Goa at the VCA Jamtha Stadium in Nagpur on Monday.

Misal and Kasvankar’s fifties rescued Goa from a precarious position, combing for an attritional 104-run partnership from 209 balls after it had collapsed to 84 for six.

After losing the toss and being inserted, Goa began in the worst possible manner as openers Suyash Prabhudessai and Shivendra Bhujbal found themselves back in the hut inside two overs. Vidarbha’s decision to begin with left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey paid immediate dividends as Bhujbal holed out on an attempted sweep, while Prabhudessai was the first of four victims of the impressive Nachiket Bhute.

Bhute continued to test Manthan Khutkar and Abhinav Tejrana, beating the bat and producing multiple leg-before shouts with a nagging line and length. The duo showed enough resolve to see out the remainder of the first hour.

That resolve broke in the first over after the drinks break as Rajneesh Gurbani athletically snaffled a flowing straight drive from Khutkar. Snehal Kaunitkar departed the very next over, guiding Bhute to R. Samarth at second slip for nought.

Vidarbha could have had a fifth before the Lunch break if Dhruv Shorey had held onto a catch from Tejrana at first slip. That chance aside, the Goan skipper and Lalit Yadav were resolute in ensuring that their side got to Lunch without further damage. The pair was largely content to defend, but Tejrana imposed himself with a large six over midwicket against Dubey.

However, that fine work was undone soon after the resumption, as Bhute dismissed both in quick succession. He ended the duo’s partnership by finding Tejrana’s outside edge before trapping Lalit in front to leave Goa tottering.

It seemed only a matter of time before Goa would fold, but its first essay was extended by a gutsy partnership between the two spin-bowling all-rounders. Kasvankar operated from a watertight defence, while his senior partner Misal was the more proactive scorer.

He clipped Bhute for two boundaries early on and showed more comfort in maneuvering the strike to drag his side past 100, as the pair added a chanceless 45 to get Goa through the rest of the second session.

Vidarbha squandered opportunities to dismiss both batters after the Tea break. Shorey shelled another catch at first slip to give Kasvadkar a reprieve off Yash Thakur before Wadkar failed to hold onto a difficult low chance from Misal against Gurbani. Soon after, Kasvadkar edged one through the cordon to raise the fifty stand from 136 deliveries.

As the final session progressed, both opened up slightly more, driving square of the wicket against the seamers and becoming increasingly ruthless against errant deliveries. Misal raised the 100-run partnership from 241 balls with a towering six over long-off against Parth Rekhade, before knocking a single through the on-side to raise his own half-century from 107 deliveries a ball later.

The host ran through its bowling options in pursuit of the breakthrough in vain until Rekhade spun one past an advancing Misal’s outside edge to leave him stranded outside his crease with less than half-an-hour to go in the day.

Gurbani returned with the new ball and trapped Ruthvik Naik in front, leaving Goa eight down. Though the light faded rapidly, there was time for Kasvadkar to reach his half-century from 174 balls before the close of play.

The scores

Goa – 1st innings: Suyash Prabhudessai c Harsh b Bhute 1, Shivendra Bhujbal c Malewar b Harsh 0, Manthan Khutkar c&b Gurbani 16, Abhinav Tejrana c Wadkar b Bhute 30, Snehal Kauthankar c Samarth b Bhute 0, Lalit Yadav lbw Bhute 22, Yash Kasvankar (batting) 51, Darshan Misal st Wadkar b Rekhade 51, Ruthvik Naik lbw Gurbani 6, Vasuki Koushik (batting) 4; Extras (b-5, lb-14, wd-2, nb-2) 23; Total (for eight wkts. in 86 overs): 204.

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-3, 3-34, 4-35, 5-75, 6-84, 7-188, 8-197.

Vidarbha bowling : Harsh Dubey 18-3-47-1, Nachiket Bhute 18-4-40-4, Yash Thakur 15-3-35-0, Rajneesh Gurbani 17-7-28-2, Parth Rekhade 15-3-31-1, Aman Mokhade 3-1-4-0.