Vidarbha Resists Mumbai's Charge in Ranji Trophy Final, Led by Karun Nair's Grit
Dogged Fightback Prolongs Mumbai's Wait for 42nd Title in Penultimate Day's Play
On the fourth and penultimate day of the final here on Wednesday, Vidarbha mounted a valiant comeback spearheaded by Karun Nair (74) and captain Akshay Wadkar (56 batting), extending Mumbai's wait for a 42nd Ranji Trophy championship as the visiting team reached 248/5 in pursuit of a massive 538.
Set an unlikely goal after being outplayed since the afternoon of the first day, Vidarbha produced a solid display at the bat to annoy their hosts by stalling for most of the day.
Having only joined the Vidarbha team this season, Nair was at the front of their battle, batting for 287 minutes and facing up to 220 balls to keep Mumbai at bay.
However, Musheer Khan's mastery of bowling proved to be too much for the right-hand hitter in the end, as the 19-year-old produced an incredible display of bowling after tying the score at 136 in the second innings.
Vidarbha still needs 290 runs and five wickets remaining.
On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, during the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy final test cricket match between Mumbai and Vidarbha, Karun Nair, the batter for Vidharbha, celebrates after making a half-century.
On Wednesday, March 13, 2024 PTI, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, during the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy final test cricket match between Mumbai and Vidarbha, Karun Nair, the batter for Vidharbha, celebrates after making a half-century.
Mumbai took a few wickets in each of the first two sessions and, most importantly, removed Nair in the final one. In the eightieth over of the innings, they received the second new ball.
Mumbai's spinners Tanush Kotian and Mohammed Erza challenged the batters' technique by working from both ends.
Musheer was Mumbai's top spin pack member and was almost unplayable with his 17-3-24-2 stats. Second-inning centurion Musheer, a left-arm orthodox bowler and the younger brother of India batsman Sarfaraz Khan, continued to pose a threat to the Vidarbha hitters by maintaining a tough line from both ends of the pitch.
The most notable was Musheer's removal of Nair, who had survived a good portion of his innings. Musheer gave it a great loop, causing it to swerve quickly away and find an edge.
In a nutshell: Mumbai 418 and 224. Vidarbha 105 & 248/5 (Sandeep Kotian 2/56, Musheer Khan 2/38; Karan Nair 74, Akshay Wadkar 56 batting). Day IV at stumps
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
