Karun Nair and skipper Akshay Wadkar showed great temperament to keep Vidarbha’s hopes alive in the Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai, at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
Facing a daunting target of 538 runs after being dismissed for a mere 105 in their first innings, Vidarbha fought back hard, ending the day at 248/5, with Wadkar unbeaten on 56, and Harsh Dubey batting on 11.
Atharva Taide (32), Dhruv Shorey (28), and Aman Mokhade (32) provided a decent start, but Vidarbha’s top order failed to capitalize, succumbing to the spin trio of Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, and Musheer Khan, who put Mumbai in the driver’s seat.
Mulani struck early to remove Atharva in the 19th over, while Kotian accounted for Dhruv in the following over, increasing the pressure on Vidarbha. However, a brilliant partnership between Karun Nair and Aman Mokhade steadied the ship, adding crucial runs before Musheer Khan’s breakthrough removed Nair for a well-fought 74.
Despite the setback, Wadkar stood firm, forging a valuable partnership with Nair and later carrying on the fight with Akshay, as Vidarbha gradually chipped away at the imposing target. Wadkar’s fifty, marked with a decisive maximum, buoyed Vidarbha’s hopes of staging a great comeback.
As the match heads into its final day, Vidarbha require 290 runs for victory, while Mumbai need five wickets to win their 42nd title.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai: 224 and 418 (Musheer Khan 136, Shreyas Iyer 95, Harsh Dubey 5/144)
vs Vidarbha: 105 and 248/5 (Karun Nair 74, Akshay Wadkar 56*; Musheer Khan 2-38).