New Delhi: It was an absolute theatre at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. Gujarat, the home team, was left stunned after their hopes of taking a first-innings lead in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Kerala was vanished into thin air. Thanks to a bizarre dismissal that helped Kerala put foot in their historic Ranji Trophy final in 74 years.
Exuberant century from opener Priyank Panchal (148) supplemented by excellent half-centuries from Aarya Desai (73) and Jaymeet Patel (79) put Gujarat in a commanding position at the end of the Day 4 (Thursday) at 429 for 7, just 28 runs short of Kerala’s 457 in the first innings.
Turning Point: Sarvate’s Crucial Wickets and Gujarat’s Collapse
Kerala left-arm spinner Aditya Sarvate removed the cruising Jaymeet early in the day, a crucial point in the game, with the batter coming out of the track and missing the hit. He was stumped by Mohammed Azharuddeen behind. Siddharth Desai, who solidly hanged around with Jaymeet at the end of the previous day’s play, was later pinned before the wickets by Sarvate.
Gujarat were still 11 runs away at the moment Desai walked back to the pavilion. The task was left with the last wicket pair of Arzan Nagwaswalla and Priyajeet Jadeja. As it seemed the duo would take the simple route and snatch the lead.
But that wasn’t the case. Something strange unfold and for Kerala, that was the moment of ecstasy. Just when Gujarat needed three runs to complete the lead, or two runs to level the scores, Nagwaswalla went on to slogswept against Sarvate. But the ball couldn’t get past Salman Nizar positioned at the silly point. The ball ricocheted off the helmet of Salman Nizar and lobbed to Kerala skipper Sachin Baby at the first slip. Baby simply pouched it to complete the dismissal, a very uncanny though.
1⃣ wicket in hand
2⃣ runs to equal scores
3⃣ runs to secure a crucial First-Innings LeadJoy. Despair. Emotions. Absolute Drama! 😮
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/kisimA9o9w#RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank | #GUJvKER | #SF1 pic.twitter.com/LgTkVfRH7q
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) February 21, 2025
Scene : Gujarat need 2 runs, Kerala need 1 wicket to qualify for the finals
Yes that is destiny surely, Jalaj showing the helmet which helped them qualify, but what you don’t see is the courage that the short-leg fielder Salman Nizar has shown throughout the innings. This is… pic.twitter.com/RLRGTIoDjd
— Jaydev Unadkat (@JUnadkat) February 21, 2025
That meant Gujarat’s innings bundled up for 455 in 174.4 overs. Kerala, by the virtue of having the first innings lead, will move into the final if the match ends in draw at the end of the final day. It is very much unlikely for Gujarat to change the course of the game from this point.
Kerala were 58 for 2 after 22 overs with Rohan Kunnummal (27*) and Jalaj Saxena (15*) batting at the crease.
Gujarat’s hopes of winning the Ranji Trophy were dashed by a bizarre dismissal in their match against Kerala. Despite centuries from Panchal and significant contributions from Desai and Patel, Gujarat fell short of a first-innings lead by two runs. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
