Vidarbha, Ranji Trophy 2017-18, Saurashtra
Vidarbha won the grand finale of Ranji Trophy 2017-18 by 78 runs. Photo Credit: The Hindu.

In a fascinating contest of the coveted first-class competition Ranji Trophy 2018-19, Vidarbha on Thursday (February 7), has retained their title while thumping Jaydev Unadkat-led Saurashtra by 78 runs. For Faiz Fazal‘s Vidarbha, the 29-year-old left-arm orthodox bowler Aditya Sarwate starred with the ball. Sarwate bagged the match figures of 11 for 157 in 64 overs.

In the second innings, Sarwate bowled remarkable well to concede just 59 runs in 24 overs for his six wickets.

Earlier, in the first innings of Saurashtra, Sarwate sent down 40 overs to bag a five-wicket haul while giving away 98 runs. He was equally supported by 33-year-old off-spinner Akshay Wakhare claimed the match figures of seven for 117 runs.

So much so, the bowling all-rounder played a significant role in both the innings to bag the Man of the Final award. In the previous season, Vidarbha pipped Delhi in the grand finale.

Earlier, Vidarbha took a slender lead of five runs in the first innings while scoring 312 runs in 120.2 overs as Cheteshwar Pujara failed to live upto the expectations. In addition to, Akshay Karnewar was the highest scorer for Vidarbha in the first innings. He scored 160-ball 73.

Saurashtra’s top scorer in the first innings was wicketkeeper-batsman Snell Patel.

Furthermore, Patel smashed 102 off 109 deliveries as Unadkat managed 46 off 101 balls.

In the second innings, Saurashtra bowlers Vidarbha has bowled out on 200 runs 92.5 overs. With the bat, Sarwate played a significant role with the bat in the second innings. Also, he scored crucial 49 off 133 deliveries to make things look good when Vidarbha was struggling to put runs on the board.

In a bid to chase the target of 226, Saurashtra crumbled under pressure, before being rattled on 127 in 58.4 overs.

Moreover, the top-order batsman Vishvaraj Jadeja has been the only highlight for the Saurashtra. He faced 137 deliveries for his 52-run knock. To talk about the dismal show, seven batsmen failed to achieve the double-figure mark.

Besides, to add more to the facts, it was Wasim Jaffer’s tenth final overall in his Ranji cricketing history.

Ranji Trophy 2018-19 – Vidarbha vs Saurashtra Brief Scores:

1st innings Vidarbha –

Akshay Karnewar 73 (160, Akshay Wadkar 45 (115) – Jaydev Unadkat 3 for 54 and Chetan Sakariya 2 for 44

1st innings Saurashtra –

Snell Patel 102 (209), Jaydev Unadkat 46 (101) – Aditya Sarwate 5 for 98, Akshay Wakhare four for 80

2nd innings Vidarbha 200 –

Aditya Sarwate 49 (133), Mohit Kale 38 off (94) – Dharmendrasinh Jadeja six for 96, Kamlesh Makvana 2 for 51

2nd innings Saurashtra 127 –

Vishvaraj Jadeja 52 (137) – Aditya Sarwatew six for 59, Akshay Wakhare 3 for 37.

Tahir Ibn Manzoor

Tahir Ibn Manzoor, who tweets @TahirIbnManzoor (https://twitter.com/TahirIbnManzoor) - works as an editor for Sportzwiki.com. He has a great affection for longform feature writing. He completed his masters...