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Going into the last day at 429/7, Gujarat needed 29 runs to take a first innings lead. But Aditya Sarwate dashed their hopes.
Gujarat’s Attempt To Qualify For Ranji Trophy Final Ends In Anti-Climax (Picture credit: Screengrab from BCCI)
Gujarat’s trials to qualify for a long-awaited Ranji Trophy final on Friday ended in absolute despair as Kerala bagged a two-run lead on the fifth day of the semifinal at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, with contrasting emotions seen on the faces of the two sides.
Going into the fifth day at a whopping 429/7, Gujarat, who won the Ranji Trophy title in 2016-17, required only 29 runs to take a first-innings lead.
Unfortunately, veteran allrounder Aditya Sarwate relied on his experience, taking all three wickets to dismiss Gujarat for 455 in the 175th over to leave them just two runs short of the mark.
In what was the final nail in Gujarat’s coffin with Arzan Nagwaswalla and Priyajitsing Jadeja battling to get past Kerala’s massive first-innings score, Sarwate tossed up a delivery as the former swung hard.
But as luck would have it, the ball hit Salman Nizar’s helmet, who was stationed at short leg and ricocheted to Sachin Baby at slip, who completed an easy catch. Watch the video here:
The Kerala team, which is coached by former India batter Amay Khuraysia, erupted in frantic celebration, bagging a historic Ranji Trophy final berth as a dejected Nagwaswalla walked back, unable to believe what had just transpired. The Gujarat dugout, too, was left in utter disbelief.
India pacer Jaydev Unadkat, who is also a domestic veteran, lauded Gujarat’s persistence, while also praising Nizar’s courage to field at short leg, in a dangerous position, mentioning how fortune favours the brave.
Scene : Gujarat need 2 runs, Kerala need 1 wicket to qualify for the finalsYes 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
The game is headed for a draw with just a few hours left in the final day’s play and according to Ranji Trophy regulations, Kerala will advance because of the slender but crucial first-innings lead that becomes decisive in drawn matches.
