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Ranji Trophy Final
Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi produced an excellent opening spell to dismantle Karnataka's top-order as his side stayed within sniffing distance of a historic Ranji Trophy title, reducing the hosts to 220 for five here on Thursday. J&K posted 584 in their first innings and were all out on the third day. The 29-year-old tore through the Karnataka top-order with figures of 3 for 32 in 14 overs, bowling nine overs on the trot in a relentless first spell that rattled some of the wll-known names of Indian cricket. Nabi drew first blood removing KL Rahul. He then struck twice in two balls to put Karnataka in bigger trouble. First, he removed India international Karun Nair with an unplayable delivery that angled in and darted away after pitching to knock the top of off stump, and then, dismissed the in-form Smaran Ravichandran in the very next delivery. Veteran Mayank Agarwal (130 batting; 207 balls) consolidated in the final session with resolute defensive technique to keep Jammu .
The upcoming Ranji Trophy final between Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir is set to be played at the KSCA Stadium in Rajnagar, Hubballi, from February 24. Karnataka have built a massive overall lead of 802 runs against Uttarakhand in Lucknow at the end of the fourth and penultimate day of their semifinal. Jammu and Kashmir sealed their maiden Ranji Trophy final entry, beating Bengal by six wickets at Kalyani on Wednesday. "Karnataka vs Jammu and Kashmir, five days final from February 24 is to be played in KSCA Stadium, Rajnagar, Hubballi," a Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) official told PTI on condition of anonymity. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium has received conditional nod from the Karnataka state cabinet to host domestic, IPL and international matches after being on the sidelines since June 4 last year. But the KSCA management, perhaps, wanted to have a seamless match experience during the Ranji title clash, while carrying on with the security enhancement works at the ...
A magnificent run in domestic cricket this season culminated in a third Ranji Trophy title for Vidarbha on Sunday, who defeated Kerala on the basis of first-innings lead on the fifth and final day of the summit clash at their home ground. The fate of the contest was all but sealed on the third evening when Vidarbha edged ahead with a slender lead of 37 runs in the first innings, having dismissed a doughty Kerala for 342 after putting on 379 runs batting first. Kerala, the first-time finalists, fought hard but Vidarbha were rewarded for their incredible hard work and discipline throughout a season in which they not only clinched the Ranji Trophy but also ended as the runner-up in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy. It is for the third time that Vidarbha have won the Ranji Trophy title, having done so earlier with their two consecutive wins in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Vidarbha's win now also makes them one of the strongest outfits in the Indian domestic cricket, for they had al
Vidarbha extended their overall lead to 351 runs by lunch on the final day, inching closer to their third Ranji Trophy title against Kerala here on Sunday. They had previously won the title in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Riding on Karun Nair's 135, Vidarbha reached 314 for 7 in their second innings, batting out the morning session of the final day without setting a target. Akshay Karnewar (24) and Darshan Nalkande (8) were at the crease at the break. Having taken a 37-run first-innings lead after dismissing first-time finalists Kerala for 342, Vidarbha are poised to win on the basis of the first-innings advantage. Left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate (3/75 from 39 overs) struck twice in the session, removing overnight centurion Nair (135) and skipper Akshay Wadkar (25 off 108 balls, 2x4s). Nair could only add three runs before being stumped. His 295-ball knock featured 10 fours and two sixes, marking his ninth century across formats in this domestic season. Sarwate then dismissed Wadkar to
A horrible mix-up between Karun Nair (86) and Danish Malewar (138 not out) denied the former a deserving century but their much needed resistance took Vidarbha to a formidable 254/4 at stumps on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy final against Kerala here on Wednesday. Nair and Malewar led a strong fightback for the hosts at the VCA Stadium after Kerala seamers struck early thrice to leave Vidarbha struggling at 24 for three. The pair put on a resolute 215-run stand for the fourth wicket consuming as many as 414 deliveries across the three sessions, mixing caution with aggression to give Vidarbha a strong footing in the summit clash. But it ended abruptly against the flow of the game, when both Nair and Malewar went for a non-existent run which ended up in the dismissal of the former, 14 runs short of a deserving century. Having toiled for a breakthrough for nearly 68 overs, Kerala opted for a late second new ball in the 82nd over. Eden Apple Tom's innocuous delivery outside the
A dogged fightback from Vidarbha, led by Karun Nair (74) and skipper Akshay Wadkar (56 not out), prolonged Mumbai's wait for a 42nd Ranji Trophy title as the visiting side reached 248/5 in pursuit of a mammoth 538 on the fourth and penultimate day of the final here on Wednesday. Set an improbable target to win the summit clash after being outplayed since the first day afternoon, Vidarbha put up a resolute show with the bat to frustrate their hosts by resorting to stonewalling for the majority of the day. Nair, who joined the Vidarbha ranks only at the start of this season, was at the forefront of their resistance as he faced as many as 220 balls while batting for 287 minutes to keep Mumbai at bay. But the right-handed batter ultimately fell to the brilliance of Musheer Khan late in the day, with the 19-year-old producing a superb bowling show after setting up the game with 136 in the second innings. Nair's skipper Wadkar was batting on 56 with Harsh Dubey (11 not out) for company.
Red-ball cricket needed it, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma wanted it. The growing emphasis on the importance of domestic cricket and red-ball games got another shot in the arm with Tendulkar and Rohit attending the third day's play during the Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Vidarbha here on Tuesday. Coming off an excellent 4-1 series win over England with a depleted Indian side and heading into IPL 2024 season, Rohit appeared relaxed and was spotted in the Mumbai dressing room during the afternoon, with the dominant hosts running away with the contest on the field. Rohit was seen scrolling through his phone while also chatting with Mumbai teammates including Shardul Thakur, but how did the India skipper made his way to the domestic giants' dressing room with a phone while not being a part of the squad remained an intriguing question. With the backdrop of Shreyas Iyer missing out on a BCCI contract and also losing his spot in the Indian Test side, Rohit witnessed the ...
Legendary Sachin Tendulka's presence on the second day served as a huge motivating factor for 19-year-old Mumbai batter Musheer Khan, whose patient 136 turned the Ranji Trophy final result into a mere formality with hosts out-batting Vidarbha by third day itself. The batting legend was present for the morning session on the third day as Musheer piled up his second century in the three knockout games of this season's Ranji Trophy to help Mumbai extend their advantage. Musheer's ton on the third day, came after his splendid 203 not out in the quarterfinal against Baroda and a vital 55 against Tamil Nadu in the semifinal, helping Mumbai set a mammoth 538-run target for Vidarbha. "I did not even know that Sachin sir was here," Musheer told the media after the end of play on Day 3. "But when I was batting on 60, I saw on him on the big screen and (thereon) I batted with the motivation that he is watching today and I have to impress sir," he said. Tendulkar's along with India captain Ro
Battered but not yet beaten, Vidarbha on Tuesday maintained a defiant stand with their left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey saying they would look to chase down the remaining 528 runs in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final here against Mumbai. Two-time winners Vidarbha managed to bowl Mumbai out for 418 in the second innings but not before the lead had surged to extreme levels, with the hosts setting a 538-run target on the third day here at the Wankhede Stadium. Vidarbha's woes compounded particularly on the third day which was spent without their most successful bowler Aditya Sarwate, who did not take the field on Tuesday owing to back spasm. "We are positive. With nothing to lose, we will go for the chase. A lot of time is left in the match. Let's see how the wicket behaves," left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who toiled to return 5/144 in the second innings, told media after the end of play. "Sarwate's absence was a loss for us. They (Mumbai) batted well. Had we grabbed our chances, maybe the sc