Ranji Trophy final: Vidarbha bank on form and home advantage against sprightly Kerala

Nagpur: Former winners Vidarbha will rely on their red-hot form to stake claim for a title that they last won over five years ago, while first-time finalists Kerala will be driven by grit when the two contrasting teams clash in the summit showdown for the 90th Ranji Trophy, starting here on Wednesday.

It has been nothing short of a stellar run for the Akshay Wadkar-led Vidarbha side this season, winning eight of their nine matches so far and drawing one which makes them the side to beat.

.Ranji Trophy: Kerala enter historic final after dramatic first innings lead over Gujarat. Vidarbha emerged from their group stage with six victories in seven matches and won each of the knockouts by heavy margins — by 198 runs against Tamil Nadu in the quarterfinal and by 80 runs against defending champions Mumbai in the semifinal.

The winners of 2017-18 and 2018-19 edition, Vidarbha are making their fourth appearance in the final after losing in the final last year to Mumbai, displaying unmatched consistency in red-ball cricket. They had also played in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season.

Yash Rathod has been at the forefront of their batting with 933 runs in nine matches at 58.13 with five tons and three fifties -- the third highest overall this season.

Not only from behind the stumps as wicketkeeper-captain, Wadkar has had a successful run with the bat, scoring 674 runs in nine matches at 48.14 with two centuries and as many fifties.

Veteran Karun Nair is not far behind with 642 runs in eight matches at 45.85, including three centuries and a fifty, while Danish Malewar (557 runs, 1x100s, 5x50s) and Dhruv Shorey (446 runs, 1x100s, 2x50s) have also pulled in their weight.

If the 24-year-old southpaw Rathod has been a revelation in batting for Vidarbha, the bowling charts have been dominated by another youngster in 22-year-old Harsh Dubey.

Dubey has claimed 66 wickets in nine matches with seven five-fors and is on the cusp of creating history for most wickets in a Ranji Trophy season, which currently belongs to Bihar’s Ashutosh Aman when he took 68 wickets in eight matches of the 2018-19 season.

On the other hand, making their maiden appearance in the Ranji Trophy final, it hasn't been just luck that has favoured the Sachin Baby-led side from down south.

Kerala rode on their luck in the knockout games to edge out Jammu and Kashmir by one run in the quarterfinal and Gujarat by two runs to make the final after advancing in the two contests on the basis of first-innings lead.

But even that took a lot of hard work. Kerala had to grind out with the bat on the final day of the quarterfinal against J&K to force a draw.

Salman Nizar (607 runs in eight matches at 86.71, 2x100s, 3x50s) and Mohammed Azharuddeen (601 runs in nine matches at 75.12, 1x100s and 4x50s), the two batting mainstays for the side, held their nerves to frustrate J&K in Pune and ensure their team's qualification in one of the most exciting finishes this season.

Azharuddeen’s monumental 177 off 341 balls in the semifinal against Gujarat on their home turf will go down in Kerala's Ranji history as one of the finest knocks played by any player from the state which has never been so close to winning the toughest red-ball competition in India.

With 38 wickets, Jalaj Saxena has been Kerala's most successful bowler and he will find strong support from former Vidarbha player Aditya Sarwate, who has grabbed 30 wickets to provide adequate support to the veteran spinner.

Teams (from):

Vidarbha: Akshay Wadkar (c&wk), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Akshay Wakhare, Aditya Thakare, Darshan Nalkande, Nachiket Bhute, Siddhesh Wath (wk), Yash Thakur, Danish Malewar, Parth Rekhade, Karun Nair, Dhruv Shorey.

Kerala: Sachin Baby (c), Rohan Kunnumal, Salman Nizar, Mohammed Azharuddeen (wk), Akshay Chandran, Jalaj Saxena, Shoun Roger, Aditya Sarwate, Basil Thampi, MD Nidheesh, Nedumankuzhy Basil, Sreehari S Nair, Sharafuddeen NM, Anand Krishnan, Varun Nayanar, Eden Apple Tom, Ahammed Imran.

Ranji Trophy final: Vidarbha bank on form and home advantage against sprightly Kerala

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