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Ranji Trophy Final
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
Senior left-arm spinner Shams Mulani feels that Mumbai team cannot afford to be complacent despite having an overall lead of 260 runs after two days in the Rnji Trophy final against Vidarbha. Mumbai produced an all-round show on the second day at the Wankhede Stadium to take complete command, bowling out Vidarbha for a mere 105 in the first innings to earn a big 119-run lead. In their second innings, Mumbai were jolted twice early on but skipper Ajinkya Rahane (58 not out) and Musheer Khan (51 not out) led a resolute fightback with an unbeaten 107-run stand for the third wicket to take second innings score to 141/2. "Three days are left (in the game). We have not thought about anything else other than batting. Yes, we have got a healthy lead but we will look to build on it and see how we can improve and take the game away from them as much as possible," Mulani told the media after stumps. "Right now, we feel that we need to bat. There's no target in mind because we are just thinkin
Karun Nair on Saturday backed Vidarbha to come good against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final owing to their ability to fight back from tough situations, an attribute that the two-time winners displayed against Madhya Pradesh in the semifinal. Vidarbha bounced back strongly in the second innings after being bowled out for a mere 170 in the first to win by 62 runs, setting up the final against Mumbai which starts here on Sunday. "The thrilling and close win against Madhya Pradesh really showed the character in the team, a lot of fighting ability," Nair told PTI Video in an exclusive interview here at the Wankhede Stadium. "We have always come back from difficult situations, that was another difficult situation (first innings against Madhya Pradesh) where we didn't play quite well to our potential in the first innings, but we came back really hard and won that game," he said. However, Nair hoped that there is no such situation for the team to deal with in the final. "But we need to s
The pace bowling pair of Aditya Thakare and Yash Thakur battered the Madhya Pradesh tail as Vidarbha defeated their rivals by 62 runs to set up a Ranji Trophy title clash with Mumbai, here on Wednesday. Madhya Pradesh, who were in a precarious position at stumps on day four at 228/6 requiring 93 more runs to win, withered in the face of hostile bowling from the duo who shared the spoils in the first session of the final day to earn Vidarbha a memorable semifinal win. Madhya Pradesh were finally bundled out for 258 in 81.3 overs as their hopes of entering the final for the third time in the premier domestic tournament were dashed. This is Vidarbha's third entry into the Ranji final, and on both the occasions they have won the title, defeating Delhi (2017-18) and Saurashtra (2018-19) respectively. Chasing a target of 321 for victory, Madhya Pradesh, the 2021-22 Ranji champion, were still in the match despite losing six wickets, but Thakare and Thakur were on song on the final day, wi
Following the victory in the finals on Sunday, Saurashtra skipper Jaydev Unadkat expressed happiness and said that it was a result of the team's hard work that they defeated Bengal at home.Saurashtra defeated Bengal by nine wickets to lift the Ranji Trophy title for the second time here at the Eden Gardens on Sunday."It feels great, coming here and winning was important because the Bengal team was playing very well and it is important to come to Bengal and beat them. It is the result of the hard work of the team," Unadkat told ANI after the match on Sunday.Unadkat also expressed happiness about his team's win on social media."TEAM SAURASHTRA! It isn't just a team, it is an emotion! It is love! It is fire & ice & everything nice. This is special guys! To many more trophies & memories," tweeted Unadkat.This is Unadkat's second Ranji triumph as a skipper, having won the 2019-20 edition of the prestigious red-ball tournament as well. He also led Saurashtra to their ...