Vidarbha vs Kerala Highlights, Ranji Trophy Final 2025 Day 5: VID earns third title after draw with first-innings lead v KER
Vidarbha vs Kerala Highlights, Ranji Trophy Final 2025 Day 5: VID earns third title after draw with first-innings lead v KER
Vidarbha’s domination was complete. Another superb performance by one of the strongest sides in domestic cricket. Despite losing its most accomplished batter Karun Nair — who scored another century in the Ranji final — early on today, the batters that followed him ensured there was no chance for Kerala. The first-time finalist would be wondering what if: what if it had batted first after winning the toss, what if Sachin Baby hadn’t played that shot, what if Akshay Chandran had held on to that catch offered by Karun. But, this is Vidarbha’s moment to rejoice.
– P.K. Ajith Kumar
Jalaj continues. Nalkande lofts one through wide mid on, Basil in the deep manages to keep it within the boundary. Thakur edges one onto Salman’s helmet, bounces into the ground unlike the semifinal incident.
Sarwate continues. Nalkande looks to go big but mistimes one along the ground to long on. Thakur manages to get bat on one that kept low, scampers across for a single to mid on. Nalkande goes big again, not the right connection, will get a couple to wide long on. Whips one off the backfoot through midwicket to bring up his fifty! There comes the handshake. Vidarbha is the Ranji Trophy winner for the third time.
Nalkande almost hands a catch to short leg against Jalaj. Was just a touch high for the fielder to snatch it up. Three from the Saxena over. Lead up to 400 now.
Sarwate continues. Nalkande pushes one through cover for a single.
Jalaj replaces Chandran. Two singles from the over. Sarwate to Nalkande, pushed to long on for a single. Four!! Full down legside, Thakur sweeps it very fine to the fence for a boundary.
Chandran bowls a maiden but time running out for Kerala to even attempt a daring chase. 40 overs left in the day. Six!! Nalkande lofts one over long on for six! Just planted his foot and lofted it downtown.
Akshay Chandran into the attack. Nalkande edges one through third man for a single. Yash Thakur keeps the rest of the over out. Only a single from Sarwate’s over as well.
Kerala may have succeeded in ending the eighth wicket stand, but it may have come too late on this the final day. Vidarbha’s grip is getting firmer on a third Ranji Trophy. The host has virtually batted Kerala out of the match. Sachin Baby’s men may have hoped for a miracle might be possible when they got the centurion Karun Nair early. Though they took two more wickets, Akshay Karnewar and Darshan Nalkande proved obstinate, till the former was dismissed by N.P. Basil.
– P.K. Ajith Kumar
Four!! Nalkande drives an over-pitched ball through the covers for a boundary. Defends the next ball from Basil to point and scampers across for one. Four!! Short and wide to Nalkande, swatted through cover for another boundary.
Sarwate replaces Jalaj. WICKET!! Bhute given out lbw on field. Reviews the call. Full and straight, played for turn but went straight on. Three reds and that the ninth-wicket.
Nachiket Bhute lbw b Sarwate 3
Appeals for lbw from Basil, was going well down leg. A leg bye taken. WICKET!! Full and straight, beats Karnewar’s forward defence and hits off stump.
Akshay Karnewar b Basil 30
Nachiket Bhute in at 10. Gets off the mark with a push to point against Jalaj.
Basil NP into the attack. Just a solitary run from the over. Nalkande goes for a slog sweep against Jalaj, falls well short of deep midwicket and he picks up a single.
Nidheesh to Karnewar, full and wide, driven past backward point for a couple. Four!! Full and wide, creamed through the vacant cover region for a boundary. Appeals for lbw, not given onfield. No review taken too.
Jalaj continues. Gets one to turn past Karnewar’s outside edge.
Nidheesh into the attack after Lunch. Too wide off stump, no trouble for the batters whatsoever. They shoulder arms with ease and take a run off the over. Saxena from the other end. Four!! Tossed up outside off, Nalkande lofts it over mid on for a boundary. Another straight drive, this time through mid off, picks up a couple more.
Maiden from Sarwate. Enough time for one more over. Karnewar pushes a length ball to backward point for a single against Chandran. Lead now crosses 350.
LUNCH DAY 5
Vidarbha leads by 351 runs
Ten minutes to go for lunch. Vidarbha ensuring to bat Kerala out of the contest. Less than 60 overs left in the day now, and a target of almost 350 on the board already.
Akshay Chandran replaces Saxena. A single off his over.
Six!! Karnewar moves his front foot away and slogs Sarwate over midwicket for six! Two more from Jalaj’s over. Karnewar and Nalkande looking solid despite turn on offer for the spinners.
Change of ends for Sarwate. Karnewar pushes one to cover for a single. Two runs from the over. One run of Saxena’s over.
Nalkande goes for a drive against Sarwate, ball just drops short of an on-rushing cover fielder. Karnewar goes onto the back foot and punches one past point. Three runs and that brings up the 300 for Vidarbha!
Eden continues. Extra bounce from a length, raps Karnewar on the gloves. Two singles from the over. Jalaj back into the attack. Bowls a maiden.
Nalkande joins Karnewar in the middle. Four!! Full outside off, Karnewar drives it past mid off for a boundary. Four!! Full, but too straight, turned through midwicket for a boundary. Nine from the over. A single from Sarwate’s next.
WICKET!! Full on the stumps, raps Dubey in front. Umpire gives him out but he opts for the review. Umpire’s call on impact and wickets hitting.
Harsh Dubey lbw b Eden Apple Tom 4
Akshay Karnewar in at 8. Appeals for lbw against Sarwate, not given onfield. Could be an inside edge. Replays attest to a clear edge. Wadkar flicks an overpitched delivery through midwicket for two. WICKET!! Bowled ‘em! Wadkar looks to go on the backfoot again, ball keeps low and hits timber!
Akshay Wadkar b Sarwate 25
Eden Apple Tom into the attack. Four!! Streaky boundary to end the over, six runs from it. Wadkar gets an edge trying to leave the ball at the last instant. 75 minutes since the start of play and Vidarbha has lost just a single wicket on Day 5.
Nidheesh starts off with a wayward line, but manages to adjust and test the batter with full balls on the stumps. Wadkar flicks the last ball to deep fine to pick up a couple. Harsh sweeps Sarwate to deep square for a single. Wadkar goes back and whips one off the backfoot to deep fine for a single.
Two singles off Nidheesh’s over. Wadkar looks for a slog sweep against Jalaj, misses it by quite a margin. A single off the over.
MD Nidheesh into the attack. Dubey plays out a maiden over. Jalaj continues from the other end. Four!! Short ball, Wadkar moves back and pulls it through midwicket for a boundary. Wadkar moves across and looks for a sweep, makes no contact. Hit the pads but it was well outside off. An lbw check for the last ball after Wadkar was hit on the pads, no shot offered. So impact is out of the picture. Umpire’s call on hitting and the onfield decision stays.
Two singles from Sarwate’s next. Vidarbha’s lead moves to 298. Maiden over from Jalaj. Time for the mandatory new ball change.
WICKET!! Sarwate gets the breakthrough! Karun looks to dance down and whip one through midwicket. The turn beats him and Azhar breaks the stumps behind him. End of a glorious innings.
Karun Nair st Mohammed Azharuddeen b Sarwate 135
Harsh Dubey at 7. Jalaj beats Wadkar’s outside edge with a straighter one.
Short leg takes a comfortable catch, but there was no contact with the bat on that ball from Sarwate. Karun looks to reverse sweep, inside edges it onto the keeper’s pad. Wadkar sets off for a run and has to turn back from halfway. The throw comes to the wrong end though and he makes it back safely. Another attempted reverse sweep, this time there is turn and it raps him on the pad. LBW appeal, not given on field. Wickets missing says ball tracking. Four legs byes awarded.
Sarwate to Wadkar, full on off, defended to silly point. The fielder moves from silly point to short leg, Sarwate pushes one to cover for a single.
Jalaj beats Wadkar’s outside edge, keeper can’t hold on behind the stumps even it had taken the edge. Maiden over played out by the Vidarbha captain.
Aditya Sarwate to get things underway on Day 5. Karun Nair on strike. Full on the stumps, defended right back. Karun pushes one to deep cover and picks up a single.
Jalaj Saxena from the other end. No slip in place again. Four edges had trickled through that region yesterday. Karun tries a reverse sweep but mistimes it to silly mid off. Connects the reverse this time, gets a single to third man. Wadkar pushes one to cover to retain strike.
Danish Malewar and Karun Nair put up 182 runs for the third wicket after Vidarbha fell to 7-2 in the second innings.
Photo: Nirmal Harindran
Karun Nair loves to bat on and on. He loves it more if the stage is grander, like a Ranji Trophy final. Back in 2014-15, he had made 328 to help Karnataka score a massive victory over Tamil Nadu.
A decade later, he has stamped his authority in another Ranji Trophy final. His unbeaten 132 (280b, 373min, 10×4, 2×6) has virtually ensured Vidarbha its third title in India’s most prestigious domestic tournament.
Riding on Karun’s class, the host ended the fourth day at 249 for four at the VCA Stadium. It is ahead by 286 runs going into Sunday’s final day.
– P.K. Ajith Kumar
Read full report: Karun’s century puts Vidarbha potentially on winner’s seat vs Kerala
Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s live coverage of Day five of the Ranji Trophy final between Vidarbha and Kerala.
The host is very much on the front foot thanks to another mammoth partnership between Karun Nair and Danish Malewar. Karun continues to bat on after his 24th FC hundred and along with Akshay Wadkar will be looking to bat on and kill the contest.
