At stumps the hosts were 294/3 at close on day after winning the toss and electing to bat first. Neel, who shared an opening stand of 84 with Zubairoddin (29), has so far faced 266 deliveries and hit 23 boundaries and a six. He also tied up with Rohit Binkar (65) to add 111 runs for the second wicket as Karnataka boys toiled all day.
The prolific Danish Malewar contributed 24 but completed 800 runs this season (2022-23). He is playing his seventh match this season and has notched up 821 runs with 300 as his highest score.
Brief score: At Close Day 1
Vidarbha 1st innings 294/3 in 90 overs (Neel Athaley 156 batting, Rohit Binkar 65, Zubaioddin 29, Danish Malewar 24; Mohsin Khan 2/67) vs Karnataka