NEW DELHI: In the Ranji Trophy final between Vidarbha and Kerala, Vidarbha gained a crucial 37-run first-innings lead on day three. The match witnessed some remarkable individual performances and records being broken.
Harsh Dubey, Vidarbha’s young left-arm spinner, created history by becoming the highest wicket-taker in a single Ranji Trophy season. He claimed 3/88 in the innings, taking his tally to 69 wickets, surpassing the previous record of 68 wickets held by Bihar’s Ashutosh Aman.
Kerala’s captain, Sachin Baby, played a valiant innings of 98 runs, while Aditya Sarwate fought hard for his 185-ball 79. However, Vidarbha’s bowlers, including Dubey, Darshan Nalkande (3/52), and Parth Rekhade (3/65), shared nine wickets to dismiss Kerala for 342.
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Sarwate’s resistance lasted 185 balls, and he shared a 63-run partnership with Baby for the fourth wicket. Baby also forged vital partnerships with Salman Nizar (49 runs for the fifth wicket) and Mohammed Azharuddeen (59 runs for the sixth wicket), but their efforts were not enough to surpass Vidarbha’s first-innings total of 379.
Despite some close calls with DRS interventions, Vidarbha managed to maintain their lead. Nizar and Azharuddeen were adjudged LBW after reviews, while Baby missed out on a century, getting caught at deep midwicket for 98.
Kerala’s lower order could not contribute significantly, and they were eventually bowled out, adding only 211 runs to their overnight score of 131/3.
Vidarbha’s disciplined bowling and Kerala’s inability to push for runs contributed to the visitors’ downfall, leaving Vidarbha with a 37-run lead at the end of day three.
Brief scores: Vidarbha 379 in 123.1 overs (Danish Malewar 153, Karun Nair 86; MD Nidheesh 3/61, Eden Apple Tom 3/101) lead Kerala 342 in 125 overs (Aditya Sarwate 79, Sachin Baby 98; Darshan Nalkande 3/52, Harsh Dubey 3/88, Parth Rekhade 3/65) by 37 runs.
