Atharva Taide will deliver best as far as this season's performance is concerned-he making a brilliant century during the final match of th Vijay Hazare Final 2025-26, which is against Saurashtra in Bengaluru.Opening the batting for Vidarbha, as a left-hander, he demonstrated calmness, clarity, and attacking intent to put into his team a commanding position on the biggest day of the tournament. Taide rose to the occasion playing at the newly constructed BCCI Centre of Excellence, where Vidarbha have been asked to bat first. Against a disciplined attack from his Saurashtra counterpart, he paced his innings with maturity beyond his age. This was his first century of the season but under terrible pressure in the final, putting it in stark contrast to his temperament and ability to handle big moments. Taide's knock was built on some strong partnerships. He put on 80 for the first-wicket with Aman Mokhade, getting the early ones in for his side. Later, he built a vital 133-run association with Yash Rathod, ensuring that Vidarbha crossed the 200-run mark without putting the brakes on the scoring momentum. His innings of 128 off 118 balls, which included 15 fours and three sixes, was a good mix of patience and controlled aggression. Impressive Season This hundred crowned an impressive season in the Vijay Hazare for Taide. He finished with 396 runs from seven matches at an average of 66, having four scores above 50. However, Taide is becoming a dependable top-order batter at 24. Performances like this reinforce his long-term view as a prospect for India in white-ball cricket. This ability to rotate the strike, handle turns comfortably, and step up to the gas when required makes him an apt batter for the modern ODI. Consistency at the domestic level can sharpen this aspect of Taide's game and keep him in contention for important selections in the years to come. Also Read | BBL 2026-27: Michael Neser toys Jack Edwards and Mitch Starc in Brisbane Heat vs Sydney Sixers clash Vidarbha Post 317 After Taide Leads from the Front Saurashtra won the toss and chose to bowl first, but Vidarbha made full use of the conditions to post a strong total of 317 for 8 in 50 overs. Therein lies a century from Taide, while Yash Rathod contributed a steady 54 off 61 balls, with quick cameos including those from Ravikumar Samarth and Darshan Nalkande. For Saurashtra, Ankur Panwar was the distinct bowler with a 4-wicket haul while Chetan Sakariya took home 2. Saurashtra did normalize some breakthroughs but did suffer because they could not control the scoring rate once the top order settled. Given this competitive total on the board, Vidarbha has endowed itself with potential for lifting the Vijay Hazare Trophy.