Ranji Trophy 2018-19: Vidarbha Beats Kerala To Reach Final For Second Time In A Row

Well, Vidarbha showed their class in the semifinal of the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season to reach the final for the second time in a row. The flamboyant Umesh Yadav was the star with the ball, who bagged as many as 12 wickets to his name. Yash Thakur was the other notable contributor in the victory while Faiz Fazal led the team from the front.

Initially, it was Faiz Fazal, who won the toss and asked his bowlers to do the job. Perhaps, Umesh Yadav wanted his side to bat on the very same day, as he just ran through the defence of Kerala batsmen with ease. His incredible spell saw as many as 8 batsmen walking back for a single digit score.

Umesh Yadav finishes with 12 wickets, Faiz Fazal knocks gritty 75:

Umesh sent opener Mohammad Azhar to open his account of seven wickets and then sent back Joseph in quick succession. Later, he sent five Kerala batsmen back to the hut in a trot. Apart from Vishnu Vinod, none of the Kerala batsmen had clue in tackling Vidarbha bowling attack.

In reply,  Vidarbha lost Sanjay Ramaswamy early in the innings but the skipper Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer added an 80-run partnership for the second wicket, which was the highest partnership of the match.

Though Fazal continued his brilliance at one end, the wicket of Jaffer opened gates for the disaster. Kerala bowlers delivered it brilliantly to pack the rest of the 8 batsmen in just 95 runs to give some hope for the team.

However, once again, the premium fast bowler Umesh Yadav comes to the party. He showed his worth yet again by bagging a five-wicket haul. Meanwhile, Yash Thakur also made the headlines with a 4-wicket haul for the team.

Kerala was folded out for 91 runs in the second innings to give Vidarbha an Innings and 11 runs victory. Umesh Yadav was adjudged as the man of the match for his 12 wickets in the game.

Brief Scores:

1st Innings:

Kerala – 106/10 (Vishnu Vinod 37; Umesh Yadav 7/48)

Vidarbha – 208/10 (Faiz Fazal 75, Sandeep 5/57)

2nd Innings:

Kerala – 91/10 (Arun Karthik 36, Umesh Yadav 5/31, Yash Thakur 4/28)