Ranji Trophy 2017-18: Wasim Jaffer, Faiz Fazal's fifties lift Vidarbha after Gurbani's hat-trick deflate Delhi

At stumps on day two of the Ranji Trophy 2017 final, Vidarbha trails by 89 runs in the first innings after registering 206 for four on board in 67 overs at Holkar Stadium in Indore on Saturday (December 22) while riding on the fifties scored each by skipper Faiz Fazal and senior campaigner Wasim Jaffer.

For the fourth wicket, Jaffer added crucial 73 runs alongside Apoorv Wankhade to pull things back for Vidarbha.

At the stroke of the stumps, Wankhade was caught by wicketkeeper Pant on the bowling of Kulwant Khejroliya.

When stumps were removed off the groove by on-field umpires, Jaffer was batting on 61 off 120 balls. His innings was comprised of eight fours, as Akshay Wakhare faced six balls and is yet to open his account.

Earlier, coming to the bat, Vidarbha openers in the form of Fazal and Sanjay Ramaswamy gave a resounding start as both put vital 96 for the first wicket in 30 overs.

The 22-year-old right-handed batsman Sanjay was dismissed on 31 after facing 92 balls. While Akash Sudan bowled Sanjay, Faiz Fazal was caught by gloveman Pant, of Sudan after playing away from the body and to be precise that was a nothing shot from the leader who has been fighting hard to take his team to eye for the maiden title of the coveted domestic event.

Moreover, the 29-year-old right-handed batter Ganesh Satish, who was impressive in the semi-final clash was trapped in front of the stumps by Navdeep Saini when the former was batting on 12 off 32 balls.

The 25-year-old Wankhade was going decently when his innings was caught short after scoring 28 off 51 balls.

For Delhi, the right-arm fast bowler Sudan was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets in 15 overs. He conceded 53 runs which further saw him registering two maiden overs.

The pick of the bowlers was highly-impressive right-arm fast bowler Rajneesh Gurbani for Vidarbha, who bagged six wickets after conceding 59, runs in 24 overs.

Interestingly, in his 23rd over, Gurbani two batsmen before claiming the hat-trick on the very first ball of his 24th over when he bowled centurion Dhruv Shorey – to claim the hat-trick which further saw him becoming the only second player in Ranji Trophy history to register the hat-trick in the grand finale.

The victims of Gurbani came in the form of Vikas Mishra (7 off 82, who was followed by Navdeep Saini (0 off 1).

However, the first to claim the feat was B Kalyanasundaram, who represented Tamil Nadu in 1972-73 when he sealed the hat-trick in the final against the then Bombay side.

After Delhi resumed their innings with the overnight score of 271 in 88 overs for the loss of six wickets, the visitors could just add 24 runs, as Gurbani picked all four wickets – to wrap Rishabh Pant-led side’s innings when he bowled Kulwant Khejroliya on nought after the latter faced four balls.

Delhi managed to post 295 in 102.1 overs, as Shorey was the top scorer with 145 off 294 deliveries. The right-handed batsman smashed 21 boundaries in his patient knock.

Here’s what special took place in the morning session of day two of the Ranji Trophy grand finale in Indore:

Vidarbha’s Rajneesh Gurbani set himself into record books against Delhi

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