WATCH | Severe blow to Nizar's head earns Kerala Ranji final spot in dramatic finish against Gujarat
Kerala advanced to their first ever Ranji Trophy final by triumphing over Gujarat in Ahmedabad on Friday courtesy of a two-run first innings lead. The hosts were within touching distance of the visitors' 457 but just when a shot seemed to have secured them the win, fate played a cruel hand.
Kerala are set to appear in their maiden Ranji Trophy final, against Vidarbha in Nagpur beginning February 26, after clinching a first-innings win over Gujarat at Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday. The visitors had batted for an incredulous 187 overs in the first innings, led by Mohammed Azharuddeen's marathon unbeaten 177 off 341 deliveries, to post 457 runs on the board anf effectively ensure the match gets decided by which team scores more on their first go around. In response, Gujarat began phenomenally with a 136-run first innings stand between Priyank Panchal (148) and Aarya Desai (73) but a middle order collapse barring Jaymeet Patel saw them succumb to 446/9, leaving the onus on tailenders Arzan Nagaswalla and Priyajitsing Jadeja to see the team through.
The duo managed to scrape their way through 10 overs, racking up nine runs in the process which brought them within three of a place in the final. Kerala threw their entire weight behind spin with Aditya Sarwate and Jalaj Saxena operating from the two ends and the former was up against Arzan in the 175th over when tragedy struck for the hosts. Sarwate flighted a delivery full, seeing which Arzan's eyes lit up as he tried to heave the ball towards leg side to seal matters. However, to his horror, the red cherry struck Salman Nizar flush in the helmet at short leg before popping up in the sky towards the slip cordon where Sachin Baby completed a simple catch.
The Gujarat team was heartbroken as Arzan fell to his knees in despair while an ecstatic Kerala support staff rushed the field to celebrate the incredible achievement. Amidst all the joy however, Nizar had to be checked for concussion and was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, and only he could tell whether the pain is worth the reward.
1⃣ wicket in hand
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic)
2⃣ runs to equal scores
3⃣ runs to secure a crucial First-Innings Lead
Joy. Despair. Emotions. Absolute Drama! 😮
Scorecard ▶️ | | |
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