Dubey the destroyer Vidarbha spinner scalps 69 wickets in a season, breaks Ranji record

 

 

 

IT WILL be a day to remember for long by Vidarbha and Harsh Dubey. The left-arm spinner scripted history to enter Ranji Trophy record books. The 22-year-old all-rounder’s third of the three wickets helped him better the national mark of 68 wickets that Bihar’s Ashutosh Aman made in 2018-19 season. Dubey started the final match with 66 wickets in his kitty. On second day of their five-day Ranji Trophy final against Kerala in progress at VCA’s Stadium at Jamtha, Dubey could not make any addition to those number. Dubey, who was introduced into attack as early as in the fifth over of the day, had to wait for a while on the third day too as Kerala batters dug in deep and there was not much purchase from the wicket either.

 

After 90 minutes of hard work, Vidarbha tasted first success of the day. And, it was Dubey who broke the stubborn partnership between former Vidarbha player Aditya Sarvate and Kerala skipper Sachin Baby. Dubey made one to turn and bounce and the ball hit shoulder of Sarvate’s blade to balloon for Danish Malewar who completed the action at gully. The wicket brought Dubey at par with Saurashtra and India seamer Jaydev Unadkat who has had 67 scalps in a season. The bowler once again ended an association that was looking to bloom by trapping Salman Nizar.

 

That drew him with Aman. In the final session, he struck once more having MD Nidheesh lbw to script history. The figures (44-11-88-3) did not come easy as Dubey toiled all day. He bowled two overs more than all the three seamers combined and five overs more than the other two tweakers bowled in the innings.