VIDARBHA CLINCH A CLIFFHANGER
| Date :24-Nov-2020 |
■ By Anupam Soni :
Seamer Gurbanisnares 12 as Vid pip Karnataka by 5 runsto book first Ranji Trophy final
THE one match that brought Vidarbha cricketers’ characterto the fore in 2017-18 season was their semi-final clash against multiple-time Ranji TrophychampionsKarnataka that went down to the wire. Looking down and out at one stage against a formidableopponent,Vidarbhastuck together like men on a mission to finally get reward of a lifetime...first-everberthinthe Ranji Trophy final. VidarbhapippedtheSouth Indian domestic giants by a mere five runs after fighting itoutforfive intense days in Kolkata. Apart from team effort, there was one brilliant individual performance.
The match will be remembered for wiry and wily Vidarbha seamer Rajneesh Gurbani who tookhiscareer-bestfigures (12-162) in that important knockout encounter to be rightly adjudged man of the match, his second in a row. Inatopsy-turvygame where fortunes kept on fluctuating, Karnataka, whoneeded198forawin, lost their ninth wicket at 189.Awell-setShreyas Gopal (24*; 56b, 4x4) was joined by number eleven Sreenath Aravind. Karnataka required nine more runs whileVidarbha were just a wicket shy from making history. Onlastballofwhatturned out to be penultimate over of the match bowled by India pacer Umesh Yadav, Gopal, a much more accomplishedbatsman,agreed to a single forgetting that Aravind will have to face a full over from the rampaging Gurbani.
The on-fire bowler did not require more than a ball, though. A fullish ball outside offstumptooktheedgeasbatsman tried to play at it and ApoorvWankhadeacceptedthe offer gleefully at gully. Gurbani(23.1-3-68-7)leaped injoyandlaterwasonhisknees as the team-mates celebrated the moment they were eagerly waiting for. Back to Day One. Once again Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal saw the coin falling in his favour. He decidedtomake firstuseoftheEden Gardens turf. Karnataka skipper R Vinay Kumar, who had taken a hattrickinsidethefirsthouragainst Mumbaiintheirquarter-finals at Nagpur, gave the team an earlyopeningbyhavingFaizlbw for 12.RSanjay (22) andWasim Jaffer (39) took the score from 22 to 49 when the former was also declared out lbw to Stuart Binny.
Jaffer andGaneshSatish(31) steadied the ship but three wickets in 12 runs broke the backboneofVidarbha.Ganesh edged Abhimanyu Mithun (5- 94) for wicketkeeper ChidambaramGautam.Onlast ball of the same over, Mithun disturbed he furniture of Wankhade and when Jaffer edged left-arm Aravind to Ravikumar Samarth,Vidarbha were 109-5. Aditya Sarvate playeda confident knock scoring 47 runs with seven boundaries before being the last man out. Vidarbha were all out for 185 in 61.4 overs. Gurbani(5-94)andYadav(4- 73) gave the team a good start. By eight overs, Karnataka were strugglingat21-3.Samarthwas the first to go. He was caught atthewicketbyAkshayWadkar off Gurbani for six.
Yadav sent back dangerman Mayank Agarwal (15) and Gurbani cleanedupnumberthreeDega Nischal for nought. But Karun Nair (153; 287b, 20x4, 1x6), only the second Indian playerto hit a triple ton inTests, andGautam(73; 125b, 8x4) added 139 runs to resurrecttheinnings.Yadavgavethe much-needed breakthrough andthen Gurbanipickedthree quick wickets to complete his five-wicket haul. Nair and the tail took Karnataka to 301 in 100.5 overs.
Trailingby116runs,Vidarbha hadtobatlongtomakeamatch of it. For second time in the match,Faizwasoutinthesame mannertothesamebowlerand Vidarbha had lost their first wicket with nothing at the board. Sanjay (17) and Jaffer (33) departed withVidarbha still in arrears. But Ganesh (81; 168b, 10x4),aformerKarnatakaplayer,andWankhade(49;48b,9x4) stayed positive. Wadkar contributed29while Sarvate came good with the willow once again. His important knock of 55that camefrom92ballscontainedfivehits tothefenceand one over it. Vidarbha posted 313 runs in 84.1 overs to a set target of 198 runs. Karnataka were given first shockwhenYadavhadAgarwal caught and bowled for three. Energetic Siddhesh Neral gave the opponents a double blow accounting for Samarth and Nischal. It was Gurbani show from there on.The bowler picked all the seven wickets to fall.
First heremovedNair(30)caughtby Wadkar and then a ball later,hadBinny lbw.At 100 he induced edge from Gautam and in next over had Gowtham plumb in front of the wicket. VinayKumar(36)andMithun (33)broughtthembackontrack butGurbanihadthe lastlaugh. “First and foremost we all were determined to win the tournament that year. We had averygoodrunuptothesemis. Whenweconcededfirstinnings lead to Karnataka, we were left with no option but to go for an outrightwin.Weallhadworked hard for five months and nobody wanted to give up. We wanted to win at all cost,” said Gurbani. “My last spellwhereItookall the seven wickets was of nonstop 13-14 overs (with a drinks break).
Somehow,Iknewitwas my day and though I was feeling exhausted, I did not want to take any chance. The margin was not big, a couple of fourstoany(new)bowlerwould havetiltedtheequationintheir favour. “A mistake by Shreyas Gopal brought Aravind on strike.The batsman could not hit it as he would have liked and Apoorv caught him at gully. That was the best momentofthematch. Now,weweresurethat it was our year and that we will win the Ranji Trophy,” said Gurbani while recalling the thrilling encounter. There was a divine intervention too. “Afterthecaptainsetsafield, generally a player does not change his position. But some intuition forced me toshift a coupleof pacestothesideandthe ball flew directly towards me,” said Wankhade.