Vidarbha Bank Home Advantage Against Kerala In Ranji Trophy Final

The road to the final has been a spectacular one for Kerala, and there are no two ways about it. Beyond all the quality and experience they possess throughout the team, they have also shown fighting spirit and an ability to come through in the clutch — beginning all the way in the group stage where they survived three final day sessions against MP, but more notably and memorably in the knockout stages.

Kerala first scraped by thanks to a narrow first-innings lead over the favoured Jammu and Kashmir, batting second in that match and just scraping by. Next, they looked set to lose out on a first-innings lead against Gujarat, and therefore on the final, but a miraculous bounce off Salman Nizar’s helmet at short-leg gave them an equally miraculous passage through to the finals. Nizar was left concussed, but ask him, and he would tell you he would go through it all over again.

Meanwhile, Vidarbha continue to establish themselves as one of the premier domestic units of this generation. Investments in cricket straight through to the grassroots levels and a greater focus on providing an environment of domestic stability means Vidarbha are gunning for a third Ranji title in just seven seasons, a credit to the development of a team that had never won it before.