Vidarbha lift Third Ranji Trophy

 

 

L AST season’s finalists, Vidarbha put the heartbreak behind them in stunning fashion, claiming their third Ranji Trophy title with a dominant performance against Kerala. Their hard-fought first innings lead and marathon second innings batting display broke Kerala’s resistance, sealing a memorable victory in front of home fans at Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Jamtha Stadium in March. Put into bat, Vidarbha made 379 and then restricted Kerala to 342 for 37-run lead. In their second innings, Vidarbha recovered brilliantly from 7-2 to post 375-9 in the second knock to seal the deal. Skipper Akshay Wadkar lifted the trophy with pride, marking the culmination of an exceptional campaign that was marked by relentless determination.

 

They reached the semifinals with the joint most wins alongside Mumbai. The title triumph was a collective effort. The team’s success wasn’t just built on individual performances but on a cohesive unit. Yash Rathod emerged as the season’s top run-scorer while Harsh Dubey set a new record for most wickets (69) in a Ranji season. IRANI TRIUMPH In BCCI’s new season’s first assignment, Vidarbha thumped Rest of India by 97 runs to clinch their third Irani Cup at the same venue in October. It was a clinical performance from the Akshay Wadkar-led side who dominated all five days of the encounter.

 

They posted 342 runs in the first innings thanks to a fine century by left-handed opener Atharva Taide (143) and 91 from southpaw Yash Rathod. Vidarbha bowlers then restricted Rest of India at 214 with Yash Thakur snaring four wickets while spinners Harsh Dubey and Parth Rekhade chipping in with two each. In their second innings, Vidarbha added 232 to give Rest of India a target of 361. Yash Dhull tried his best with a fighting 92 but Vidarbha bowlers struck back with precision. Left-arm spinner Dubey spun his web taking four scalps on a detonating fifth day track while pacers Aditya Thakare and Thakur grabbed two each to bundle out Rest of India at 267. (Compiled by Anupam Soni & Paritosh Pramanik. File pics by Satish Raut)