CHENNAI: At 324 for 6, Kerala were inching closer towards their primary goal of overtaking Vidarbha's first innings total of 379 on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy final in Nagpur, on Friday. Sachin Baby was the set batter along with the experienced Jalaj Saxena. However, spinners, especially Parth Rekhade (3/65), turned the tide in Vidarbha's favour with timely strikes, helping the team take a crucial 37-run first-innings lead.
Harsh Dubey was another standout bowler for Vidarbha as he claimed three crucial scalps including the wicket of in-form Aditya Sarwate, who made 79 off 185 balls. Dubey, in the process, shattered a record. With a tally of 69 so far, he now boasts the record of most wickets by a player in a single Ranji season. He surpassed Ashutosh Aman, who had 68 to his name.
Salman Nizar and MD Nidheesh were Dubey's other victims on the day. Dubey was naturally stoked with his effort. "Pleased with the way things turned out today. It was a collective effort. Glad we took the lead," he told The New Indian Express.
The lead could prove to be the difference between the two sides. Vidarbha are looking to ensure that they don't let this advantage slip as there is still plenty of play left.
"We are aware that it is half the job done. There is a lot of action left. We are also aware that the lead is slender, but the fact that we took a lead has given us a lot of confidence," Dubey said.
From Kerala's point of view, Sachin's dismissal was a mighty blow as Vidarbha breezed through the rest of the line-up.
Dubey has been operating with a different energy this season. He said he was just looking to keep things neat and tidy. "I did not do (bowl) anything different. Just wanted to be myself, bowl wicket to wicket with slight variations. I knew that I had to bowl long spells and was prepared for it," he said.
Rekhade, meanwhile, picked up the prized wickets of Baby, Saxena and Edhen Apple Tom. Pacer Darshan Nalkande, who also captured three scalps, had provided sparks with the new ball. "The wicket was good for batting. So one needed to work hard to get wickets. We were always confident of getting a lead. We knew at one stage that if Sachin got out, we could take the lead and luckily, it happened. As I said earlier, all the bowlers contributed," Dubey assessed.
Brief scores: Vidarbha 379 vs Kerala 342 in 125 ovs (Baby 98, Sarwate 79, Imran 37; Nalkande 3/52, Rekhade 3/65, Dubey 3/88).