Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Final: Danish Malewar century rescues Vidarbha from collapse on Day 1

Vidarbha took charge of the first day of the Ranji Trophy final against Kerala. Despite facing a mini-collapse at the start of the innings, the Akshay Wadkar-led side managed to make a comeback and end the day as the dominant team in the match with their middle order getting them in a great position at the end of the day at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.

Kerala had surprised some big teams in this season and had a great start to the final as they won the toss and chose to field. The Sachin Baby-led side got the top three batters out quickly, where the two-time Ranji Trophy winners were struggling at 24-3. However, the joy of the underdogs was short-lived as the middle order had other plans going into the match as they straight away got them out of trouble.

It was the fourth wicket partnership between Vidarbha star Karun Nair and young and upcoming batter Danish Malewar who were the stars of the day. The two put on 215 runs from 414 deliveries for the fourth wicket, which was enough to take the game away from the Kerala bowlers. Vidarbha in the end ended the first day on a score of 254-4 with Malewar and nightwatchman Yash Thakur at the crease.

Danish Malewar steals the show

The biggest stars for Vidarbha this season have been Karun Nair, Dhruv Shorey, and Yash Rathod, but this time it was young middle-order batter Danish Malewar who took the spotlight. Though he played a great hand in the semi-finals against Mumbai, this unbeaten century might be one of his best performances in first-class cricket.

Malewar ended the day on a score of 138 runs off 259 deliveries. His innings featured 14 boundaries and two maximums, and he will look to continue his great innings in the following day as well. This also makes him the youngest Vidarbha batter to score a century in a Ranji Trophy finals as well. When Day 2 begins, Malewar would be confident to convert it into a double.