Vidarbha seize control as Karun Nair century steers them closer to triumph

On Day 4 of the Ranji Trophy final between Vidarbha and Kerala at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, the match has seen a vital shift that could regulate the championship's results.

Trailing Vidarbha's 379 by 37 runs, the day started off with Kerala coming out to bowl for the second time. The Sachin Baby-led side struck very early, as Parth Rekhade and Dhruv Shorey departing rather cheaply. Nevertheless, the dependable pair of Danish Malewar and Karun Nair helped in creating a stable situation. Their flexibility was a mirror reflection of their first-innings partnership, where they had added a crucial 181 runs for the third wicket.

Karun Nair showed a class performance after the post lunch session, scoring a magnificent 132*, changing the lookout of the game. Malewar integrated him perfectly, anchoring the innings and ensuring the scoreboard kept increasing with no loss. However, unlike second innings, the batter was not able to convert his knock into a century when Akshay Chandran sent him back for 73.

Also Read: Karun Nair dazzles with brilliant ton against Kerala

Apart from early breakthroughs, Kerala bowlers looked helpless throughout the day, as Vidarbha batters showed great resilience at the crease. However, the spin duo of Aditya Sarvate and Saxena looked the best with a wicket each. Albeit, there was nothing significant to cherish about for Kerala on the fourth day at Jamtha in the hindsight.

At Stumps, Vidarbha scored 249 for the loss of four wickets, where Nair and captain Akshay Wadkar will resume their batting on the fifth and final day. The duo will look to bat as longer as they can, since even a draw would lift them a silverware on the basis of a first innings' lead, on the basis of which, Kerala progressed to the semis and the finals.

The first time finalists will be hoping for a fightback and give it their final shot on Day 5, and try to chase down the target in the limited time left tomorrow.