Ranji Trophy Highlights, Semifinals Day 5: Kerala qualifies for maiden final; Vidarbha beats Mumbai to enter second consecutive summit clash

Ranji Trophy Highlights, Semifinals Day 5: Kerala qualifies for maiden final; Vidarbha beats Mumbai to enter second consecutive summit clash

Vidarbha’s Yash Rathod and Kerala Mohammed Azharuddeen are awarded the Player-of-the-Match prize. Rathod, the ongoing season’s third-highest run-scorer, registered scores of 54 and 151 in the semifinal against Mumbai. On the other hand, Azharuddeen’s unbeaten 177 against Gujarat helped the team to a mammoth 457 in the first innings. 

That’s it then! We have the finalists after months of First-Class cricket action. Vidarbha and Kerala will face off at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur from February 26 to 30. While Kerala qualified for the final after a thrilling final day’s action against Gujarat, Vidarbha beat defending Mumbai by 80 runs to enter its second consecutive final. 

Vidarbha wins by 80 runs and qualifies for its second consecutive final. Harsh Dubey completes his fifer as Mohit Avasthi is trapped in front going for a reverse-sweep. 

Mohit Avasthi lbw b Harsh Dubey 34 (43b 4×4 1×6)

The Kerala and Gujarat players are shaking hands and that is a draw. Kerala declares at 114/4 and qualifies for its first ever Ranji Trophy final. 

Mumbai needs 89 runs to win in the last session. Roystian Dias and Mohit Avasthi have been on 44 runs off just 50 balls to keep Mumbai just about alive in this contest. 

“Kerala has substituted Salman [Nizar] out for Shoun Roger as a precaution. The team will be counting down the minutes till Gujarat captain Chintan Gaja agrees for a draw,” tweets Anish Pathiyil from Ahmedabad. 

Ahammed Imran survives an lbw appeal and Gujarat can’t review it as it burnt all its reviews early in the innings. Imran missed a shortish delivery from Siddharth Desai that turned into the left-hander and stayed low. Ball-tracking later shows this would have been hitting leg-stump. Desai is frustrated as he sees the replay on the big screen. 

Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar seems to have hurt his finger and the physio is having a look at him. Mumbai needs another 93 runs to win. Roystian Dias has raced to 22 runs off 19 balls. 

The match may be going only one way but Mumbai will not go down without a fight. Roystian Dias hammers a boundary through midwicket to bring up 300 for Mumbai, which still needs 104 runs to win. 

Some fightback by Gujarat to pick four wickets in the second session and unsettle some nerves in the Kerala camp. However, with just one more session left and Kerala already 95 runs ahead, Gujarat’s hopes of pulling off a win are impossible. 

This one from Parth Rekhade turns into Tanush Kotian and stays low before rattling the stumps. Vidarbha just needs one more wicket to win. 

Royston Dias is the last man in. Mumbai still needs 133 to win. 

Tanush Kotian b Parth Rekhade 26 (34b 3×4)

The second new ball does its trick as the ball nips in and shatters Shardul Thakur’s stumps. Yash Thakur gets his second wicket and that could well be the last nail in Mumbai’s coffin. 

Shardul Thakur b Yash Thakur 66 (124b 5×4 1×6)

Kerala has lost its fourth wicket as Manan Hingrajia nabs skipper Sachin Baby. He attempted a drive after planting his front foot forward and the ball hit his boot first. 

Sachin Baby lbw b Manan Hingrajia 10 (19b 1×4)

Vidarbha has taken the second new ball and Nachiket Bhute will have a go with it first. Shardul Thakur has moved to 66 off 117 balls. 

Rohan Kunnummal is trapped in front by Siddharth Desai and he has to walk back for 32 off 69 balls. Skipper Sachin Baby makes his way to the middle. 

Rohan Kunnummal lbw b Siddharth Desai 32 (69b 2×4 2×6)

Shams Mulani is run out at the striker’s end after a stunning direct hit from the square-leg fielder. That was a tight call from Shardul Thakur and Mulani will be kicking himself. Mumbai needs 179 runs to win with three wickets in hand and in comes Tanush Kotian next. 

Shams Mulani run out (Danish Malewar) 46 (94b 2×4)

Shardul Thakur and Shams Mulani bring up their 100-run stand in 166 balls and they are giving Vidarbha a proper scare. Mumbai 225/6 in 76 overs, needs 181 runs to win. 

Jalaj Saxena gets an lbw decision reversed in his favour after he was given out by the on-field umpire. Meanwhile, Rohan Kunnummal gets a move on, hitting a four and a six in Siddharth Desai’s over. 

Shardul Thakur brings up his half-century off 87 balls after surviving a close run out chance. Shams Mulani is unbeaten on 41 at the other end. Mumbai 215/6, needs 191 runs to win. 

Gujarat has lost all its three reviews inside 16 overs in its desperation to quickly bowl Kerala out. Meanwhile, Kerala moves to 37/2 in 17 overs. 

Kerala loses a second wicket in quick succession after lunch as Varun Nayanar departs for 1. Manan Hingrajia picks his wicket. 

Varun Nayanar lbw b Manan Hingrajia 1 (11b)

Shardul Thakur and Shams Mulani keep the fight on after lunch. Their partnership swells to 76 runs. Mumbai 200/6 in 69 overs, needs 206 runs to win. 

Akshay Chandran falls after lunch as Siddharth Desai gets the breakthrough. Kerala 30/1 in 13 overs, leads by 32 runs. 

Akshay Chandran c Hemang Patel b Siddharth Desai 9 (34b)

Shardul Thakur and Shams Mulani push their partnership to 56 runs. Mumbai still needs 226 runs to win with four wickets in hand in two sessions. 

Kerala will head into the lunch break with a 28-run lead and all 10 wickets intact in the second innings. We just have to wait and see when the captains decide to shake hands on a draw. 

The 50-run partnership between Shams Mulani and Shardul Thakur is up off 83 balls. They are putting up an inspiring fight but the 406-run target seems to be just too far a bridge at the moment. 

“Salman Nizar has been taken to the hospital after the knock to his head on the last ball of the Gujarat innings. Was stretchered to the ambulance waiting in the compound. Just a precautionary move, the Kerala camp suggests,” our reporter Anish Pathiyil informs. 

This match is now headed towards a draw. With Gujarat unable to pick a wicket so far in seven overs, there is no way it will be able to bowl Kerala out anytime soon. Just about 10 minutes left for the lunch break. 

Shardul Thakur and Shams Mulani have added 26 runs in 50 balls for the seventh wicket, but another lower-order fightback won’t be able to save Mumbai this time, witjh still 255 runs needed for the win. 

Rohan Kunnummal and Akshay Chandran will begin the second innings for Kerala. Gujarat now faces a near impossible task. 

Nagwaswalla on strike. The wicketkeeper is receiving some treatment from the physio. OUT! Nagwaswalla falls and Kerala has taken the first-innings lead. Nagwaswalla stepped out to hammer the ball on leg-side but it ricochetted off the short-leg fielder’s helmet and was caught by the slip fielder. Kerala qualifies for the final by the barest of margins. 

Kerala leads by two runs and will come out to bat again, but this is now just a formality. 

Arzan Nagwaswalla c Sachin Baby b Aditya Sarwate 10 (48b 1×4)

Gujarat trails by five runs. A leading edge for Nagwaswalla first ball but it lands in the vacant area at short cover. A single at long-on for Nagwaswalla. Gujarat now trails by four runs. This ball beats the batter and the wicketkeeper and two byes for Gujarat. Gujarat now trails by two runs. 

Flicked to fine-leg by Nagwaswalla for a single. Gujarat trails by five runs now. Solid defence by Priyajitsinh to see the over through. 

Jalaj will continue. He comes around the wicket now to Priyajitsinh. Finally a single for Priyajitsinh as he guides a full ball through point. Gujarat seven runs behind. Punched off the backfoot by Nagwaswalla for a single. Six runs behind now Gujarat. 

Mumbai has lost Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav early in the day. Yash Thakur and Harsh Dubey doing the damage for Vidarbha. Mumbai still needs 282 runs to win with just five wickets in hand. Shams Mulani and Akash Anand are in the middle. They have put on nine runs in 34 balls so far. 

Gujarat trails by 8 runs. Dropped! Salman Nizar drops a tough chance at short-leg and Nagwaswalla survives. Maiden over again and time for a drinks break. 

Priyajitsinh on strike. Another maiden over for Jalaj and the pressure is only building on the batters. 

Maiden over for Sarwate. A huge lbw shout off the last ball of the over as Nagwaswalla misses a pull shot. But not given out. Kerala has run out of reviews so it can’t go upstairs. 

Priyajitsinh on strike. A lucky outside edge for him off the last ball of the over and the ball trickles away through the slip region for a couple. Gujarat trails by 8 runs. 

Nagwaswalla on strike. Maiden over and Gujarat still 10 runs away. 

Nagwaswalla on strike as Jalaj continues. Pulled away through midwicket by Nagwaswalla for a single. Gujarat now 10 runs behind. Just a single from the over and Nagwaswalla will be back on strike for the next one. Gujarat trails by 10 runs. 

Aditya Sarwate returns after one over from Akshay Chandran. OUT? A catch at silly point and the umpire lifts his finger. Siddharth Desai goes upstairs immediately. There is no spike as ball passes bat and looks like Desai will survive. OUT! But they check for lbw and this is hitting leg-stump and Desai has to walk back. 

Priyajitsinh is the last man in. Gujarat still 11 runs behind. 

Siddharth Desai lbw b Aditya Sarwate 30 (164b 1×4)

A single off the first ball for Siddharth Desai. The ball goes off the shoulder of his bat behind point and brings Nagwaswalla on strike. Thick outside edge for Nagwaswalla as he plays with hard hands and a couple of runs more for Gujarat in the third-man area. Three runs from the over, Gujarat trails by 11 runs. 

Akshay Chandran replaces Jalaj Saxena. A quick single for Siddharth Desai again off the first ball of the over. That was a very tight single as Arzan Nagwaswalla was slow off the blocks. FOUR! Punched through cover by Arzan Nagwaswalla and that is a boundary for Gujarat. Five runs from the over and Gujarat trims the deficit to 14 runs. 

Siddharth Desai picks a quick single off the first ball as Aditya Sarwate continues. Arzan Nagwaswalla plays out five dot balls in a row to give Siddharth Desai the strike for the next over. Gujarat trails by 19 runs. 

Siddharth Desai takes a single off the last ball of Jalaj Saxena’s over after facing five dot balls. Gujarat now 20 runs behind. 

A huge miss. Jaymeet Patel is dropped at cover off the first ball of Aditya Sarwate’s over and skipper Sachin Baby is the culprit. 

A huge appeal for a stumping as Jaymeet Patel is beaten and the wicketkeeper thinks his back leg was in the air when he dislodged the bails. The umpire goes up. This looks very close as Jaymeet’s foot could have been on the line. OUT! The third umpire rules Jaymeet out and a huge roar from the Kerala players. Jaymeet is absolutely distraught. 

Arzan Nagwaswalla comes in next. Gujarat needs 21 runs to take the lead. 

Jaymeet Patel st. Mohammed Azharuddeen b Aditya Sarwate 79 (177b 2×4)

Just a single again from Jalaj Saxena’s over and Gujarat now 23 runs behind Kerala’s first-innings total. Jalaj bowls a couple of deliveries down leg-side, probably looking to strangle the left-hander. 

Yash Thakur uproots Shivam Dube’s middle stump and Mumbai loses a wicket early in the day. Mumbai 84/4 and in comes Suryakumar Yadav. 

Aditya Sarwate continues. Jaymeet Patel steps out to pick a single at long-on. Gujarat trails by 24 runs. 

Maiden over for Jalaj Saxena as Jaymeet Patel comfortably defends the ball from his crease. Jalaj brings the short-leg fielder to silly point with doesn’t pitch the ball in the rough to threaten the batter. 

Gujarat is slowly crawling towards Kerala’s 457. Just a single from the second over of the day, bowled by Aditya Sarwate. Gujarat 26 runs behind now. 

Just one run from the first over of the day and Gujarat now just 27 runs away from the lead. 

Mumbai is chasing a mammoth 406 runs against Vidarbha and begins the day with 83 runs on the board for the loss of three wickets. Vidarbha took the first-innings lead so Mumbai has to push for an outright win to book a place in the final. 

We are set for a thrilling first session here. Gujarat needs 28 runs to take the first innings lead with three wickets in hand. Jalaj Saxena comes around the wicket to Jaymeet Patel, who is not out on 75. 

We are all set for the final day’s action of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 semifinals.