Vidarbha vs Kerala Highlights, Ranji Trophy Final 2025 Day 1: Danish Malewar’s 138 takes VID to 254/4 in 86 overs

Vidarbha vs Kerala Highlights, Ranji Trophy Final 2025 Day 1: Danish Malewar’s 138 takes VID to 254/4 in 86 overs

Big appeals for lbw! Nidheesh very interested but Sachin doesn’t look convinced. Good call from the captain. Flicks the next one to deep fine for a single. Four!! Back of a length, Danish punches through cover for a boundary. 

Jalaj into the attack. Yash Thakur whips one to midwicket for a couple. A single off the last ball of the day and Vidarbha finishes on 254/4 in 86 overs.

Nidheesh back into the attack. Can Kerala now prise out the centurion? An interesting 12 mins of play left today. 

Four byes to start Eden’s over. Full ball on the stumps, Danish drives through the legside for a double. 

Sarwate continues. Kerala opts against taking the new ball. Two singles from the over. Eden into the attack. WICKET!! Kerala finally have the breakthrough! A direct hit from Rohan Kunnummal sends Karun back to the dugout. The misfield at slip opened up an opportunity for a run but Danish sends his experienced partner back. 

Karun Nair run out (Kunnummal) 86

Yash Thakur in at 6. 

Sarwate into the attack. Two runs from the over. Chandran continues. Four!! Full outside off, Karun brings out the sweep shot to bring a boundary. Four!! Slightly shorter, plays a late cut through third man for a boundary. 

Four!! The mid off fielder gets a hand to it but Karun’s drive races to the fence for four. An overthrow gives Vidarbha a single off Akshay’s over. 

Basil continues. Just a single from the over. Chandran with his fourth over. Just a single from his over. 

Basil NP into the attack. Length ball on middle stump, flicked wide of mid-on for a comfortable two. 

Chandran continues. Three singles from the over. 

Huge appeal for lbw from Eden. Umpire says no and Sachin Baby opts not to take the review. Was going down leg. 

Chandran continues. Four!! Danish whips one past short midwicket and finds the boundary. 

Eden continues. Four!! Full toss outside off, Karun creams the drive past mid off for a boundary. 200 up for Vidarbha!

Akshay Chandran replaces Jalaj. Danish gets an inside edge that trickles through square leg for a single. Three from the over. 

Eden returns to the attack. Karun brings out a controlled pull to deep midwicket for a single. Eden manages to get one to rap the pad on the way to deep third, but the ball was pitching down leg comfortably. 

Jalaj continues. Danish flicks one to deep square for a single. Four!! A touch short, Karun rocks onto his back foot and punches one through point for a boundary.

Nidheesh beats Danish’s outside edge with a jaffa. Just a single from the over. Jalaj with his twelfth over. Tosses one up on the stumps, defended solidly. Three singles of the over. 

Danish whips a back-of-a-length ball on his hips to deep square leg for a double. A single to cover brings up another half-century for Karun Nair!

Nidheesh back into the attack post Tea. Starts off with a maiden over. Jalaj from the other end. Karun drives a full ball to cover for a single. Four singles from the over. 150 partnership up for the batting pair.

Four!! Length ball outside off, caressed through cover for a boundary by Karun. 

Four!! Sarwate to Danish, whips a length ball through square leg and brings up his second FC hundred!! Karun defends a leg-stump ball to the legside for a single. 

TEA DAY 1

Basil continues. Karun almost drags one back to his stumps. Was too close to play the cut. Maiden over.

Sarwate replaces Jalaj from the other end. Oh!! Almost a chance! Danish dances down and looks to lift one down the ground. Goes in between silly mid on and long on. Six!! Danish steps down the track and lofts one down the ground for six. Moves to 99. 

Danish flicks a length ball from Basil to midwicket for a couple. Into the 90s now. Jalaj continues. Danish pushes one off the backfoot to long on for a single. Two from the over. 

Basil NP into the attack. A knock to the hand for the bowler as he looks to stop a shot down the ground. Some medical intervention required. Just a single off Jalaj’s over. 

Edged and four! Nidheesh goes wide of off stump, Danish throws his hands at it and the edge runs past the cordon for a boundary.

A ball change before Jalaj delivers his over. Karun punches one through cover, but a good effort from the fielder keeps it to one. 

A diving effort from Eden in the deep prevents a four after Malewar whips a short-of-a-length ball from Jalaj through square leg. 

Nidheesh continues. Danish gets a double to point. Retains strike with a single to cover.

Danish guides a ball outside offstump from Jalaj to deep third man for a single. 

Nidheesh into the attack. Runs coming easy for Vidarbha. Kerala in need of a momentum-breaker. Danish clips the first ball to midwicket for a couple. 

Jalaj with his fourth over. Tosses one up outside off-stump. Malewar stretches forward and defends. Danish pushes one to midwicket for a single and brings up the 100-run partnership between the two.

Four!! Short of a length on the body, Danish uses his wrists to guide it through the legside for a boundary. Excellent control on that shot. Four!! Action replay of the previous ball, gets it finer but still finds the fence.

Jalaj continues from the other end. Karun guides one though short third for a single. Four!! Slightly short outside off, Malewar opens the bat face and gets another four through third man. 

Eden continues. Beats Karun’s outside edge after forcing him onto the front foot. Maiden over. 

Jalaj back into the attack. A single from the over. 

Just a single from Eden’s 14th over. The sun is out and the moisture on the pitch has dried off. Six!! Malewar steps down the track and lofts Sarwate over long on for six to bring up his fifty! Full on the stumps, driven to long on for a single. 

Eden continues. Just a single from the over. Sarwate again. Slightly short, on the stumps whipped through midwicket for three. Four!! Tossed up on leg stump, Malewar steps across and lofts it over mid on for a six. 

Eden into the attack after the break in play. Beats Karun’s attempted front foot defence on the second ball. Four!! Half-volley outside off, driven past mid off to the fence by Karun. 

Sarwate from the other end. Maiden over from the left-arm spinner. 

Jalaj Saxena into the attack. Three runs from the over. Basil to bowl the last lover before Lunch. Maiden over to finish the session. 

LUNCH DAY 1

Sarwate with his fourth over. Solid front foot defence from Danish. Appeals for lbw, a catch taken by silly point as well, but there was no bat and the ball was going down the legside. Karun steps down and takes a single to midwicket. 

A touch short and wide from Basil, Karun punches past point and will pick up a couple. 

Sarwate returns. A silly point in place against the right-handers. Six!! Karun steps down the track and lofts the left-arm spinner over cover for a six. A single off the last ball of Basil’s over brings up the 50-run partnership between the two.

Four!! Short ball from Eden, aimed at the body but Danish pulls it through the gap for a boundary. Four!! Short of a length down leg, edged through fine leg for a boundary against Basil. A solid stand brewing between the two batters and the pitch looks to have eased off a bit. 

Eden with his tenth over. Tests Karun with a short ball, he shoulders arms. Basil replaces Nidheesh after a short spell. Four!! A touch too full, Malewar guides it past mid on to the boundary. 

Ninth over for Eden. Short ball to Danish, a controlled pull to deep fine gives him a single. Nidheesh continues to be on the money, just a single from his over. 

Eden continues. His eighth over of the day. Four!! Karun looks to move his bat away against a short-of-a-length ball. Ricochets off the side of the bat, over the keeper for a boundary. Streaky! 

Nidheesh continues. Another maiden over from the frontline pacer. 

Four!! A touch too full from Eden, pushed down the ground for four by Danish. A quick single to point to follow. Short of a length, rises a touch and cops Karun on the gloves. Falls safely though an he gets a single. 

Nidheesh into the attack. Four!! Short and wide, Danish punches through point to pick up another boundary. 

Eden overpitches to Karun on middle stump, guides it past short midwicket and will get a couple. 

Basil goes short and wide, Danish cuts hard but the fielder at point does well to prevent a boundary and keep it to one. Four from the over. 

A change in ends for Eden. He replaces Nidheesh. WICKET!! Shorey goes fetching outside off, nicks through to Azhar who takes a diving catch to his right. 

Dhruv Shorey c †Mohammed Azharuddeen b Eden Apple Tom 16

Karun Nair in at 5. Basil NP replaces Sarwate. Maiden over to start with. 

A single run off Nidheesh’s fifth over. Sarwate continues. Shorey punches a full one to mid off for a single. 

Aditya Sarwate into the attack. Back of a length into the right-hander, defended. A hint of turn on the second ball, beats Danish’s waft. Full on the stumps, Danish prods forward and defends. Maiden over to start for the left-arm spinner.

Four!! Nidheesh to Shorey, slightly short, cut away past point for a boundary. Big appeals for lbw, Nidheesh seems convinced and Sachin Baby takes the review. ‘Wickets missing’ says ball-tracking and Kerala loses a review. 

Back of a length outside off, left alone. Full on off, Shorey defends off the frontfoot. 

Eden with his fourth over. Shorey pushes a full ball to point for a quick single. Too full, and on the pads to Danish, flicked through midwicket for a double. Back of a length, raps Danish on the pads, a little too high though. Four!! Full outside off, takes the outside edge but races through third man for a boundary. 

Nidheesh to Nalkande, back of a length on middle stump, defended to mid on. The Kerala pacers have been a little too short in the opening spell. WICKET!! A surprise short ball and Nalkande can’t resist. Deep square leg was in place and completes an easy catch. 

Darshan Nalkande c Basil b Nidheesh 1

Danish Malewar in at 3. Short ball outside off, Danish shoulders arms at the last instant. 

Eden with his third. Low full toss to Shorey, driven to cover. Full ball outside off, left alone. Full outside off, beats Shorey’s outside edge. Four!! Shorey guides one past the cordon and will get a boundary through third man. 

Nidheesh continues. Length ball on middle stump, defended solidly. Back of a length on off, Nalkande pushes to cover. Third maiden on the trot from Nidheesh.

Four!! Full on the pads, Shorey flicks it through square leg to open his and his team’s account. Full outside off, driven to mid off. Full down legside, clipped to deep fine for a single. Nalkande gets off the mark with a dab to point. 

Nidheesh continues. Full but well down legside. Azharuddeen scampers across to collect. On the seventh stump line, Nalkande happy to let it go. Back of a length on the stumps, defended to the legside. Third maiden in a row. 

Eden Apple Tom from the other end. Full outside off to Shorey, defended to point. Short of a length on the body, defended to short midwicket. Back of a length outside off, Shorey plays inside the line and is beaten on the outside edge. Full outside off again, beats Shorey’s forward defence. 

Nidheesh to Parth, full ball well outside off stump, left alone. Good carry through to the keeper. Big appeal from the bowler for lbw, came into the left-hander. Umpire says no but Kerala opts for the review. Three reds and Kerala has an early breakthrough!

Parth Rekhade lbw b Nidheesh 0

Darshan Nalkande in at 3. Full on leg-stump, defended to the legside. No single on offer though. Wicket maiden to start for Nidheesh. 

Dhruv Shorey and Parth Rekhade open for Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy final. A possibly tricky opening hour of play for them to wade through.

Nidheesh MD with the new ball in hand. 

Vidarbha: Akshay Wadkar (wk) (C), Dhruv Shorey, Danish Malewar, Karun Nair, Yash Rathod, Parth Rekhade, Harsh Dubey, Nachiket Bhute, Darshan Nalkande, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Thakur

Kerala: Sachin Baby (C), Rohan Kunnummal, Akshay Chandran, Salman Nizar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Edhen Apple Tom, Jalaj Saxena, Aditya Sarwate, Ahammed Imran, Nidheesh MD, Basil NP

Kerala wins the toss and opts to field first against Vidarbha.

Far from the madding crowd lies the VCA stadium. 

It is the last stop for a maddeningly thrilling journey for Kerala in India’s premier domestic cricket tournament. An 81-run partnership by the last pair against Jammu & Kashmir that gave a one-run first-innings lead in the quarterfinal; and a two-run lead against Gujarat, courtesy a helmet worn by a close-in fielder, in the semifinal. Both those encounters were decided by the first innings.

One could argue that the Kerala men have been lucky. But, they have earned that luck.

Kerala has played with a lot of pluck this season to make it to the final of the Ranji Trophy for the first time in history. It may not mind starting as the underdog against Vidarbha in the final starting on Wednesday.

– P.K. Ajith Kumar

Read full preview here: High-flying Vidarbha meets propitious Kerala in final showdown

Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s live coverage of Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy final between Vidarbha and Kerala in the former’s home ground in Nagpur. 

Stay tuned for all live scores and updates from the final of India’s premier domestic red-ball tournament.