Combined effort lifts Vidarbha to third Ranji title
Vidarbha have previously won twice in 2017-18 and 2018-19 season.
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Ecstasy spread all over the VCA Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur as Vidarbha lifted their third-ever Ranji Trophy title on their home ground on Sunday, March 02. They were up against Kerala in the summit clash of the 2024-25 edition, as a 37-run lead in the first innings helped them reign supreme on Day 5.
Their solid triumph over Kerala also makes them the team with most titles after 2017-18 edition of the tournament, which also was the season where VCA lifted the trophy for the first time. In the following 2018-19 season, Vidarbha successfully defended the title to bag consecutive wins. After losing the finals to Mumbai in the previous season, the Akshay Wadkar-led side made an emphatic comeback to cross the finishing line this time round, tasting glory after a prolonged wait of six years.
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50Across departments, Vidarbha were stellar in each of the verticals. Southpaw Yash Rathod emerged as the highest run-getter of the season with a mammoth 960 runs at 53.33. Then veteran batter Karun Nair also scored 863 runs at 53.93, including a quartet of centuries, with a couple of fifties to go with. He was the second-highest run-getter for the side, while Danish Malewar, who scored a century in the first innings, had 783 runs with two important tons and six fifties. Malewar averaged 52.90 in the tournament.
Also Check: Ranji Trophy 2024-25 | All Stats
Lefty all-rounder Harsh Dubey had a season worth remembering, where he bagged a record-breaking 69 wickets, the most in a single season ever. Dubey also scored an impressive 476 runs, which included five half-centuries as well. Breaking several records with his all-round skills, Dubey also got hold of the Player of the Tournament award with bragging rights.
"It's a dream-come-true moment. We lost the final last year. Akshay bhai is retiring, so for him, it's a big thing. In the off-season, I worked on my fitness and skills. This is a result of all that. I have a simple plan: take it one game at a time. I try to bowl in the right areas. I wouldn't call myself a bowling allrounder; rather, I'm a batting allrounder. I love batting! The end goal is to play for India, and I don't want to complicate things thinking about it from now. I'll start [preparing] again soon," Dubey said while receiving the award.
Skipper Wadkar too had a terrific tournament, both as a batter and as a leader. In 10 games, Wadkar scored 722 runs with two hundreds and half-centuries, each. The winning captain was elated after the win, and said that their preparations begun during the monsoon of 2024 itself, after a disappointing loss in the finals to Mumbai the previous edition.
"It was the last day of the season. Everyone worked hard throughout, and we're all very happy. Last year, we lost the final. So we prepared during the monsoon itself. Every individual worked on himself. There are four Vidarbha batters among the top-ten run-getters this season. Harsh Dubey is the highest wicket-taker. Yash and Danish can turn a game around. Yash is the highest run-getter, and he scored runs at crucial stages. Danish added 215 [with Nair] from a crucial time - even in the second innings. He showed toughness. As a captain, if you're playing the Ranji Trophy, I had a dream to lift it. Every first-class cricketer has that dream, and we've fulfilled that. We're ticking all aspects, and we'll look at what we can work on in the off-season," said Wadkar, the Vidarbha captain.
Next time, we'll beat Vidarbha: Sachin Baby
Kerala skipper had led from the front throughout the tournament to make a debut finale appearance, which in itself is a massive deal. Despite missing the services of Sanju Samson, Baby led his troops brilliantly, where Jalaj Saxena, Salman Nizar, Mohammad Azharuddeen, and Aditya Sarvate were among the standout performers. Skipper Baby said that KCA's efforts were of great importance, and the side hopes to give Vidarbha a tougher time in future.
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