Vidarbha crowned champions after history-makers Kerala concede
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Vidarbha have clinched the Ranji Trophy title for the third time, with Kerala conceding in the post-lunch session on Day 5 in Nagpur. Sachin Baby's Kerala, playing their maiden Ranji final, knew the mission was beyond them when Darshan Nalkande hit a boundary to reach his half-century (51 not out), taking Vidarbha to 375/9 and stretching their lead to 412.
A declaration was forthcoming, but then what? Kerala would have needed to chase down the mammoth total in about 30 overs. At an asking rate of 13 runs an over? Kerala did not pursue that foolish path and shook hands on a draw.
The odds were stacked against Kerala when play resumed on the final day, with Vidarbha on 249/4. The hosts had a few minor hiccups in the pre-lunch session, where they lost three wickets. But slowly and steadily, they kept the scoreboard going and took the game away from Kerala.
Overnight centurion Karun Nair (135) was removed by Aditya Sarwate after just three more runs were added to his overnight score. The Bengaluru-Malayali stepped out to a delivery that kept low and was stumped. Post-lunch, Basil castled Karnewar and Sarwate trapped Nachiket Bhute (3) LBW.
Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar and all-rounder Harsh Dubey played cautiously to thwart Kerala's spin and pace attack. But Dubey (4) missed a full delivery from the daring teenager Eden Apple Tom, which tailed in after pitching, and was trapped leg before. Wadkar (25) was the next to go after Sarwate got one to skid past the Vidarbha captain as he played across the line, only to see his stumps disturbed.
Kerala had advanced to the final, having never gone past the semifinal stage in their 68-year Ranji history. A 1-run lead in the quarterfinal against Jammu & Kashmir and a 2-run lead in the semifinal against Gujarat had made the dream final possible.
On the other end, Vidarbha, losing finalists from last season, had a remarkable campaign, winning eight of their nine matches and drawing the odd one. Their middle-order batter, Yash Rathod (960 runs), is the leading run-getter, and their left-arm spinner, Harsh Dubey, only recently set a Ranji record for the most wickets in a season (69).
Brief scores: Vidarbha 379 & 375/9 in 143.5 overs (Karun Nair 135, Danish Malewar 73, Darshan Nalkande 51 not out, Akshay Karnewar 30, Aditya Sarwate 4/96) drew with Kerala 342