93 runs and 4 wickets. This was the equation when the fifth and final da's play started in Nagpur in the second semifinal of Ranji Trophy between Vidarbha and Madhya Pradesh. But the Vidarbha bowlers had other ideas as they skittled the remaining wickets of the opposition to seal their place in the final by 62 runs. They will now face Mumbai who will be playing in the title clash of the tournament for the mammoth 48th time.
As for the match, Vidarbha completed a stunning comeback in the semifinal as they were bundled out for just 170 runs in the first innings after opting to bat. Only Karun Nair had scored 63 runs while the other batters couldn't make it big at all with Avesh Khan picking four wickets. Madhya Pradesh had a great chance to kill the game by batting long but they could only churn out a lead of 82 runs.
In response, Vidarbha made amends for a poor show with the bat in the second innings with Yash Thakur smashing an impressive 141 while skipper Akshay Wadkar and Aman Mokhade stitched score half-centuries. Vidarbha set a target of 321 runs for MP and it was certainly going to take a huge effort for them to chase it down.
Opener Yash Dubey and number three Harsh Gawli slammed half-centuries and at one stage, MP were sitting pretty at 128/1 but once the partnership was broken, there was only one winner with Vidarbha picking up wickets constantly. Apart from Umesh Yadav, all of their bowlers picked up at least two wickets playing a crucial role in team's stunning comeback. The final of Ranji Trophy between Vidarbha and Mumbai is now scheduled to be played from March 10 to 14 most likely in Mumbai.
