Kerala’s fairytale Ranji Trophy run faces the Vidarbha final test
Nagpur: Jalaj Saxena returns to face Vidarbha in his first Ranji Trophy final, 20 years after debut. Kerala aims for its first title against a strong Vidarbha team.
Nagpur: In a remarkable coincidence, domestic stalwart Jalaj Saxena, 38, is set to represent a team in their first Ranji Trophy final that he had faced on his debut for Madhya Pradesh 20 years ago. No prominence in Test cricket, a Ranji record that barely measures up to that of most other teams, and yet Kerala are here, making their ascent from the backwaters of Indian cricket even more riveting.
Facing them at Nagpur are two-time winners Vidarbha, who last won the title, for the second time, over five years ago and are quietly cementing their place as a powerhouse in domestic cricket.
It has been a stellar run by the Akshay Wadkar-led Vidarbha this season, winning eight of their nine matches and drawing one, making them the side to beat. Vidarbha emerged from their group stage with six victories in seven matches and won the knockouts by heavy margins — by 198 runs against Tamil Nadu in the quarter-final and by 80 runs against defending champions Mumbai in the semi-final.
Winners of the 2017-18 and 2018-19 edition, Vidarbha are making their fourth appearance in the final -- they lost the title contest last year to Mumbai – displaying remarkable consistency in red-ball cricket. They also reached the final of the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy this season.
Yash Rathod has been at the forefront of their batting with 933 runs in nine matches at 58.13 with five hundreds and three fifties – the third highest tally overall this season.
Not only as the wicketkeeper, Wadkar has had a successful run with the bat too, scoring 674 runs in nine matches at 48.14 with two centuries and fifties each. The seasoned Karun Nair is not far behind, with 642 runs in eight matches at 45.85 (3x100s, 1x50). Nair’s story is particularly compelling, this being the first season since 2013-14 (with Karnataka) when he has hit three centuries. A Test comeback may still be far-fetched right now but this upturn sure has the potential to at least prompt a discussion given India tour England in June.
Among other batters, Danish Malewar (557 runs, 1x100, 5x50s) and Dhruv Shorey (446 runs, 1x100, 2x50s) have also pulled their weight. If 24-year-old southpaw Rathod has been a revelation in batting for Vidarbha, the bowling charts have been dominated by another youngster in 22-year-old Harsh Dubey. The left-arm spinner has claimed 66 wickets in nine matches with seven five-fors and is on the cusp of bettering the record for most wickets in a Ranji season. The current record belongs to Bihar’s Ashutosh Aman, who took 68 wickets in eight matches in 2018-19.
Gritty and riding a fair share of luck, Kerala edged out Jammu and Kashmir by one run in the quarter-final and Gujarat by two runs in the semis, advancing in the two contests on the basis of the first-innings lead. It took a lot of hard work though. Kerala had to grind it out with the bat on the final day against J&K to force a draw. Salman Nizar (607 runs, 8 matches, avg 86.71, 2x100s, 3x50s) and Mohammed Azharuddeen (601 runs, 9 matches, avg 75.12, 1x100, 4x50s), the two batting mainstays for the side, held their nerve to frustrate J&K in Pune and ensure their team’s progress in one of the most exciting finishes this season.
Azharuddeen’s monumental 177 off 341 balls in the semi-final against Gujarat on the latter’s home turf will go down as one of the finest knocks in Kerala’s Ranji history. The state has never been so close to winning the toughest red-ball competition in India. In 2018-19, Kerala were stopped in the semis by Vidarbha, India pacer Umesh Yadav’s 12 wickets sealing an inning win on a seam-friendly pitch at Wayanad.
With 38 wickets, spinner Saxena has been Kerala’s most successful bowler. He will find strong support from Aditya Sarwate, the Nagpur-born left-arm spinner who won Ranji with Vidarbha in 2018-19 and has grabbed 30 wickets this season. On a dry Nagpur pitch that is expected to aid turn, expect them to make an impact.
(With inputs from agencies)
