Vidarbha clinch third title

A magnificent run in domestic cricket this season culminated in a third Ranji Trophy title for Vidarbha, who emerged champions on the basis of their first-innings lead in the summit clash.

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The fate of the contest was all but sealed on the third evening when Vidarbha edged ahead with a slender lead of 37 runs in the first innings, having dismissed a doughty Kerala for 342 after putting on 379 runs batting first.

Kerala, the first-time finalists, fought hard but Vidarbha were rewarded for their hard work and discipline throughout a season in which they not only clinched the Ranji Trophy but also ended as the runners-up in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy.

It is for the third time that Vidarbha have won the Ranji Trophy title, having done so earlier with their two consecutive wins in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

Vidarbha’s win now also makes them one of the strongest outfits in the Indian domestic cricket, for they had also finished as the runners-up in the Ranji Trophy last season.

The team led by Akshay Wadkar and coached Usman Ghani produced dominant performances throughout the Ranji Trophy season which was, for the first time in its 90-year history, split into two halves.

Vidarbha emerged as the best team across all the four groups in the league stage with six wins in seven matches giving them 40 points.

Unlike Kerala who also had luck on their side in the knockouts when they beat Jammu and Kashmir (quarterfinal) and Gujarat (semifinal) by the barest of margins and progressed on the basis of first-innings leads, Vidarbha grabbed outright wins.

Vidarbha crushed last year’s semifinalists Tamil Nadu by 198 runs in the quarterfinal and went on to pummel defending champions Mumbai by 80 runs in the semifinal. Overall, Vidarbha won nine of the 10 matches they played in the Ranji Trophy this season, which reflects the dominance of the team in India’s premier domestic competition.

The triumph was achieved on the back of all-round performances. The 22-year-old left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey created the record for most wickets in a Ranji Trophy season with 69 dismissals. Dubey also implemented the batting tips given by legendary Indian player Ravichandran Ashwin to make 476 runs in 10 matches with five fifties, perhaps to show early signs of another spin-bowling all-rounder in the making for India.

The 24-year-old Yash Rathod, a bespectacled left-handed batter, amassed 960 runs at 53.33 in 10 matches with five centuries and three fifties to top the charts for batters. The veteran Karun Nair not only led their charge in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with five tons but also finished as the fourth-highest run-getter in the Ranji Trophy, making 863 runs in nine matches at 53.93 with four tons and two fifties.

The 21-year-old Danish Malewar, who struck 153 and 73 in the final, finished fifth with 783 runs at 52.20 with two tons and six fifties. Skipper Wadkar was not too far behind, at seventh position with 722 runs at 45.12 with two tons and as many fifties.

Brief scores: Vidarbha: 379 & 375/9 (Nair 135, Malewar 73; Sarwate 4/96); Kerala: 342.