In a captivating second day of the Ranji Trophy final, Kerala concluded at 131 for 3, still trailing Vidarbha by 248 runs. This was after Vidarbha reached a total of 379, propelled by Danish Malewar’s remarkable innings of 154 and a tenacious 44-run partnership for the final wicket.
Resuming their innings from an overnight score of 254 for 4, Vidarbha added runs swiftly in the initial session before Kerala mounted a comeback. Nedumankuzhy Basil dismissed centurion Malewar, triggering a mini collapse where Vidarbha slipped from 290 for 5 to 297 for 7 as Yash Thakur and Yash Rathod were quickly sent back. However, Vidarbha’s innings was extended by crucial lower-order partnerships. Akshay Karnewar and Akshay Wadkar contributed 36 runs together before Jalaj Saxena broke the partnership by taking Karnewar’s wicket. Shortly after, Eden Apple Tom dismissed Wadkar, leaving Vidarbha at nine wickets down.
Kerala’s aspirations to swiftly conclude Vidarbha’s innings were challenged by the last-wicket partnership. Nachiket Bhute, batting at number 11, displayed resistance with a score of 32 off 38 balls. MD Nidheesh eventually ended this resilient stand by dismissing Bhute, completing his spell with figures of 3 for 61. Apple Tom also claimed 3 wickets, finishing with 3 for 102.
Kerala’s response began turbulently as Darshan Nalkande removed opener Rohan Kunnummal in the very first over, followed by Akshay Chandran in the third over, reducing Kerala to 14 for 2. Aditya Sarwate, promoted to number 3, played a crucial half-century, forging a 93-run partnership with Ahammed Imran for the third wicket, guiding the team past the 100-run mark.
Towards the day’s end, Yash Thakur dismissed Imran for 37. Sachin Baby and Sarwate then ensured no further wickets fell, taking Kerala to the close of play without additional setbacks.
Brief Scores: Kerala 131/3 (Aditya Sarwate 66*; Darshan Nalkande 2-22) trail Vidarbha 379 (Danish Malewar 154, Karun Nair 86; MD Nidheesh 3/61) by 248 runs
