The Ranji Trophy final between Vidarbha and Kerala continued with the Vidarbha batters looking to build a solid foundation in the first innings. Day 2 of the clash continued with Vidarbha on a score of 254 runs for four wickets, with Kerala looking to take some quick wickets.
Set batter Danish Malewar put in an excellent performance, scoring 153 runs in 285 deliveries. Furthermore, Karun Nair’s knock of 83 runs saw Vidarbha post a total of 379 runs in the first innings of the game. As for Kerala, Nidheesh and Eden Apple Tom were the highest wicket-takers in the first innings with three wickets each to their name. Nedumankuzhy Basil took two wickets, alongside Jalaj Saxena, who struck once as well.
With a total of 379 runs on the board, Vidarbha hoped to get off to a good start with the ball. The side did just that as Kerala openers Akshay Chandran and Rohan Kunnumal departed for 14 and 0, respectively. With a bad start to the first innings, the onus fell onto the shoulders of Aditya Sarvate. Sarvate managed to play a resilient knock after Kerala’s horrid start to the first innings. At the end of day 2, Sarvate had stayed unbeaten on a score of 66 runs in 120 deliveries.
Furthermore, Ahammed Imran added 37 runs on the board, alongside skipper Sachin Baby who stayed unbeaten on a score of seven runs. By the end of day 2, Kerala had posted a total of 131 runs with the loss of three wickets. With day 3 approaching, Kerala will hope to minimise their trail as much as possible and will hope for a big knock from both Sarvate and skipper Sachin Baby. As for Vidarbha, Nalkande was the highest wicket taker on day 2 with two wickets to his name. Thakur took one wicket as well.
