The Ranji Trophy 2025-26 series kicked off on Wednesday at multiple venues, with defending champions Vidarbha taking on minnows Nagaland. The match at BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2, Bengaluru, was not expected to seriously test the experienced Vidarbha side. Nagaland won the toss and elected to field.
Vidarbha opener Atharva Taide fell early for 18, caught behind by Chetan Bist off Saurav Saroj Kumar, but his partner Aman Mokhade remained unbeaten on 148. Tahmeed Rahman dismissed Dhruv Shorey for 64, while Ravikumar Samarth fell cheaply for just 3, with Chetan Bist taking another catch off Saurav Saroj Kumar.
However, Yash Rathod (66 not out) combined with Taide to help the defending champions reach a commanding 302/3 at stumps.