Vidarbha vs Kerala Highlights, Ranji Trophy Final 2025 Day 4: Karun Nair hundred puts VID in control with 286-run lead

Vidarbha vs Kerala Highlights, Ranji Trophy Final 2025 Day 4: Karun Nair hundred puts VID in control with 286-run lead

Karun Nair’s determination and sheer class was the highlight of the day on which Vidarbha all but assured a third Ranji Trophy title. A remarkable feat for a side that has made huge strides in domestic cricket over the last decade or so. And it has to thank Karun for his remarkable hundred and for taking the game away from Kerala, another State that has also shown massive improvement in recent years. It will be interesting to see how big Karun will turn his hundred into on the final day in front of the national selectors.

– P. K. Ajith Kumar

Slip, short leg and silly point in place now. Sarwate maintaining the legstump line to try and get one to turn viciously. Four!! Karun steps down the track and lofts one past the bowler for four. A maiden from Jalaj to finish the day.

Vidarbha extend the lead to 286 at the end of day four.

STUMPS

Wadkar and Karun defend their way through the last half hour of play. Only four runs scored in the last four overs. 

WICKET!! Sarwate gets one to turn in to the left-hander after pitching outside off. Rathod pinned in front on the backfoot. Umpire says no but Kerala overturns the decision with a review. 

Yash Rathod lbw b Sarwate 24

Wadkar almost hands a catch to mid off with a leading edge off his first ball.

Just a single of Jalaj’s over. 

A couple of twos in Chandran’s next. Vidarbha’s lead moves past 270. The two batters at the crease look like they will bat all day tomorrow as well. Hardly anything that has troubled them so far. 

Three singles of Jalaj’s next. Four!! Full outside offstump from Chandran, Karun sweeps it through square leg for a boundary. 

Jalaj returns, concedes just a single off his over. Karun brings out a fine paddle sweep against Sarwate, picks up two runs. Pushes a full ball to long off to retain strike. 

Rathod skips down the track against Chandran, and whips one to deep cover for a single. Sarwate gets one to turn past Karun’s front foot defence. 

Four!! Rathod brings out the sweep against Chandran, finds the gap through square leg. Six runs from the over. Sarwate concedes just a single off his over. 

Eden to Karun, back of a length outside off, punched to point for a single. Four!! Full toss outside off, Rathod edges it past slip for a boundary. 200 up for Vidarbha!

Yash Rathod goes past Shubham Sharma to become the leading run-scorer of the current Ranji Trophy season.

Eden continues. Four!! Full outside off, driven through point, just beats the fielder in the deep. Saxena returns. Maiden over.

Chandran continues after Tea. Two runs from the over as Rathod gets off the mark. Eden returns to the attack. Low full toss outside off, driven through point for a couple.

Saxena back into the attack. Maiden over. 

Karun Nair has added another Ranji Trophy final hundred to his biodata, though for Vidarbha this time (the first one – 328 – was for Karnataka). His favourite batting partner in the Vidarbha team, Danish Malewar, may have missed out on a second hundred in the match, but their second big stand has almost assured their team their third Ranji Trophy. Karun has been brilliant in this match – he was run out for 86 in the first innings – and he has been brilliant this season, in which he has scored nine hundreds, across formats.

– P.K. Ajith Kumar

Karun plays out a maiden against Saxena in the last over before Tea. Vidarbha leads by 226 runs.

A push to the legside brings up Karun Nair’s hundred! Missed out due to a run out in the first innings, makes sure to make it count this time. 23rd FC hundred for the veteran. 

Chandran returns. WICKET!! Finally Kerala have the breakthrough. Malewar edges a full ball outside off straight to first slip. 

Danish Malewar c Sachin Baby b Chandran 73

Yash Rathod in at 5. 

Saxena back into the attack, replacing Chandran. Malewar brings out the sweep to get a single to deep fine. An excellent diving effort at deep fine prevents a boundary after Karun sweeps a full ball fine. 

Karun brings out the sweep shot against Sarwate, picks up a double to deep square to move one step closer to a century. Turn and bounce, beats his outside edge as he prods forward to defend. 

Akshay Chandran has been introduced in place of Sarwate. Karun, Danish manage to eke out eight runs from the next two overs without much effort. Danish goes for a lofted shot down the ground, falls in front of long on and he picks up a single. 

Sarwate replaces Jalaj. Maiden over from the left-armer. 

Six!! Karun comes down the track against Sarwate, lofts it right over mid on for a six. Six!! Comes down the track again, this time lofts it over mid off and clears the fence again. 150 partnership up between the two. Three more added to the tally as Karun turns one fine past the keeper. 

Three from Jalaj’s next. Vidarbha’s lead has now swelled to 200.

Sarwate into the attack. Maiden over but harmless for the batters. Jalaj from the other end after the drinks break. Quick off-spinner on the stumps, defended off the backfoot. Turn again, beats the batter and the keeper and runs away for two byes. Outside off, pushed to mid off for a couple. 

Eden returns. Full down the leg side, beats the keeper’s dive but he manages to get a finger on it and run a bye. Malewar picks up a double to deepmidwicket. Four!! Full outside off, driven through mid off for a boundary. Five runs off the Jalaj over. 

Vidarbha is moving closer to a third Ranji Trophy title. Danish Malewar and Karun Nair, who seem to enjoy each other’s company so much, are frustrating Kerala together for the second time in the match. They are making batting look easy now. The day had begun brightly for the Kerala men — both the openers were back in the pavilion quickly — but Karun and Malewar are slowly killing their hopes of registering their biggest success ever in cricket.

– P.K. Ajith Kumar

Eden back into the attack. Four singles from the over. Malewar brings up his fifty with a backfoot push to cover.

Malewar guides a back-of-a-length ball to third man to bring up the 150-run lead for Vidarbha! Nidheesh gets his second warning for tresspassing. Both of Kerala’s frontline pacers now one more instance away from being barred from bowling. 

Jalaj in from the other end. Turn and bounce, clips Malewar’s pads but flies past leg slip for a single. Four!! Straighter one, takes the outside edge but runs past Sachin at slip to the fence. 

Nidheesh to Karun, extra bounce, ball takes the edge and trickles to third man. First warning for Nidheesh for running on the centre of the pitch. Four!! Short of a length on the body, clipped through fine leg for a boundary. 100 partnership up between the two batters.

Just a single of Sarwate’s over. 

Nidheesh returns. Full on the stumps, outside edged to third man for a single. 100 up for Vidarbha in the second innings. Three runs from the over. 

Kerala go up for a review after an lbw appeal is turned down. Looks to be heading down leg. Wickets missing and Kerala loses its review. 

Nidheesh goes full on the pads, Malewar flicks to deep fine for a single. Four!! Short and wide, cut through the offside for a boundary. Nine runs from the over. 

Sarwate into the attack. Karun flicks a length ball through square leg to bring up his second fifty of the game.

Nidheesh back into the attack. He remains over the wicket unlike Basil. A slower ball outside off stump, Danish doesn’t go after it for a drive. Maiden over. 

Jalaj continues, this time there is a slip in place. Turn for the offie, Karun edges it through where leg slip was last over for a single. Azhar cops one on the helmet after the ball ricochets off Danish’s pads. A mandatory concussion check going on. Four!! Overpitched outside off, driven through the covers for a boundary by Malewar.

LUNCH DAY 4

Vidarbha leads by 127 runs.

Basil back into the attack. Back of a length on the pads, flicked to deep fine for a single. Basil gets a second warning for stepping on the middle of the pitch. Four! Another outside edge for Malewar, no slip in place again and it runs past the keeper to the boundary. Another outside edge, no slip again, Malewar gets a single. 

Vidarbha’s lead now upto 100. Sarwate replaces Basil. Malewar steps down the track, pushes one past cover and will pick up a couple. 

Karun brings out another reverse sweep against Jalaj, will only get a single to deep third this time. Edged through short third from Malewar, not enough to get to the boundary, but will pick up a couple. 

Full on the pads from Basil, flicked to deep square leg for a couple by Malewar. Two from the over. And an official warning for walking into the centre of the pitch for Basil. 

Jalaj returns from the other end. Karun looks to defend a back of a length ball, bounces off his body, no slip in place and the ball trickles to third man for a single. Vicious turn as Jalaj bowls one into the rough. 

Basil continues from round the wicket. Yorker length to Karun, digs it out right back to the bowler. Two from the over. A maiden from Sarwate. 

Basil NP into the attack. Getting some movement away from the right-hander with his around the stump line. Maiden over.

Sarwate follows up with a maiden too. 

Four!! Back of a length from Eden, Malewar punches off the back foot and finds the gap through cover. Same length, but straighter this time, guided to deep square for a single. DROPPED!! Kicked up off the surface and takes Karun’s edge, Akshay Chandran drops a sitter at first slip. 

A single to fine leg against Sarwate brings up the fifty-run partnership.

Eden with his fourth over. Beats Karun’s front foot drive. Four!! Too full this time, driven through covers for a boundary. Three singles from the Sarwate over. 50 up for Vidarbha.

Extra bounce for Eden, jumps up off the surface and hits Karun on the gloves. Was going to be a maiden over from the pacer but he oversteps on the last ball. 

Sarwate continues. Malewar prods forward and defends a full, straight ball. Turn and bounce for the left-arm spinner as Malewar is beaten. 

Eden takes Malewar’s outside edge, but he manages to keep it down with soft hands and take a single to third man. 

Aditya Sarwate replaces Jalaj. Malewar punches the first ball to long on for a single. Karun defends one to point and sets off for a quick single. 

Eden Apple Tom into the attack. Back of a length, angled into Karun, defended to slip. Three from the over. 

Jalaj continues from the other end. Malewar turns a back of a length ball to fine leg for a single. Four!! Jalaj goes over the stumps, Karun brings out the reverse sweep to find the third man fence. 

Jalaj to Malewar, flicked off the backfoot to deep square for a single. Karun pushes one to point to retain strike again. 

Appeal for lbw as Nidheesh angles one into Malewar, clips his pads on the way to deep fine for a single. Not given onfield. No review taken. Four!! Overpitched on off, guided through cover for a boundary. Inside edge this time, runs away through square leg for a couple. 

Jalaj continues. Darting balls from round the stumps, beating the right-hander on the outside edge. Four!! Full outside off, Karun drives it through cover for a boundary. 

Nidheesh angles one into Karun and gets it to move away, beating his outside edge. Unplayable! Full on the stumps, on-driven straight to short midwicket. Outside edge, but played down with soft hands, will get a single to deep third. 

Yorker to Malewar! Raps him in front and the umpire raises his finger. Malewar opts to review. Wickets missing says ball-tracking. 

Appeals for a catch against Karun as Jalaj beats his outside edge with an arm ball. No says the umpire. Karun plays inside the line again. Pushes one to long on for a single. 

Nidheesh continues. Full on the stumps, Karun gets rapped on the pads, appeals again but not given. Going down leg side. Four!! Full outside off, played with soft hands, the edge goes through the gap in the cordon for a boundary. Guides another full one to deep third to retain strike. 

Jalaj continues. Malewar picks up another single to get off strike. Karun gets an inside edge on his defence, trickles to short fine leg for a single. Appeals for lbw as Danish misses his flick after going onto the backfoot. Sachin Baby goes up for the review. Height will be the issue as the ball hit the top flap of the pad. Umpire’s call on hitting and the original decision stands. Kerala keeps its review as well. 

Danish Malewar joins Shorey after the early jolt. WICKET!! Full on offstump, Shorey goes for a booming drive, edges it and Azharuddeen takes a diving catch!

Dhruv Shorey c †Mohammed Azharuddeen b Nidheesh 5

Karun Nair in at 4. Full outside offstump, left alone by the right-hander. Maiden over. 

WICKET!! Jalaj Saxena from the other end. Rekhade comes forward and looks to defend. Ball doesn’t turn, goes through the gate and cleans up the stumps. 

Parth Rekhade b Jalaj S Saxena 1

Parth Rekhade and Dhruv Shorey out to open for Vidarbha in its second innings. MD Nidheesh with the new ball in hand. 

Slight movement in the air, moves into the left hander. Little wayward in terms of length so far. Too short to force the batter forward. Rekhade pushes one to cover to get the side off the mark. Fuller in length to Shorey, brings him forward to defend. Four!! Back of a length, cuts the batter in half, but the inside edge runs past the keeper and to the fence for a boundary. 

Harsh Dubey was expected to be the biggest threat to Kerala on day three of the Ranji Trophy final. After all, the wicket was getting increasingly spinner-friendly.

Not that he needs much assistance. Harsh came into this match with 66 wickets, 22 more than anybody else this season. Three more scalps would have seen him break the record held by Bihar’s Ashutosh Aman for the highest number of dismissals in a season.

He ended up breaching the mark, but more importantly, he put Vidarbha in an excellent position to win its third Ranji Trophy.

– P. K. Ajith Kumar

Sachin Baby did all the hard work in the toughest of conditions on Friday. But he undid the effort with a shot that might haunt him for a long time to come.

With Kerala 55 runs short of Vidarbha’s first-innings score of 379, Sachin went down on his knee to slog-sweep Parth Rekhade. The Kerala captain, batting on 98, was inching closer to a personal milestone as well.

He watched in horror as the ball flew towards deep mid-wicket where Karun Nair took the catch. That was not just the end of Sachin (235b, 345min, 10×4), but it was also the end of the last recognised Kerala partnership at the VCA Stadium.

The side was all out, in what was eventually the third day’s final over, for 342.

– P.K. Ajith Kumar

Read full report: ​Error in judgement from Sachin Baby sees Kerala concede first innings lead to Vidarbha​

Hello and welcome to Day four of the Ranji Trophy Final between Vidarbha and Kerala in Nagpur. We are in for an exciting day after the host eked out a 37-run lead.

With the pitch already showing signs if turn, the slender lead could prove match-winning come the end of the next two days. Stay Tuned for live scores and updates from the field of play.