Kerala may reach the Ranji Trophy Final for the first time in 74 years.
After an action-packed ending, Kerala will enter the Ranji Trophy Final for the first time in 74 years. In an interesting twist of events towards the end of the first innings, Kerala needed just one wicket, while Gujarat needed two runs.
Aditya Sarwate was up against the right-handed Arzan Nagwaswalla. The field was set with Salman Nizar at short-leg along with more in-field fielders to build the pressure on the opposition. The batter attempted an aggressive shot but the ball was obstructed by Nizar’s helmet. It then deflected to find skipper Sachin Baby at first slip.
Watch the dramatic video here:
Scene : Gujarat need 2 runs, Kerala need 1 wicket to qualify for the finals
— Jaydev Unadkat (@JUnadkat) February 21, 2025
Yes 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
Earlier, Siddharth Desai’s wicket also stirred rousing moments on the pitch. The southpaw was caught at the silly point. However, the ball tracking confirmed that the ball would’ve hit the stumps for an LBW. Desai walked out at a critical stage as Gujarat needed just 11 runs.
Kerala need one wicket for place in maiden final.
— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) February 21, 2025
Gujarat need 11.
What drama. Siddharth Desai given out caught at silly point, replays says no bat, but confirms ball pitched in line and would've gone on to hit. LBW! #RanjiTrophy
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After making 457 in the first innings, Kerala bundled out the last couple of Gujarat batters to restrict them to 455. The two-run lead must have bolstered Kerala’s confidence to reach the Ranji Trophy Final for the first time since its inception in 1938-1939.
Earlier, in the quarter-final against Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala were leading in the first innings by one run.
By the barest of margins, Kerala does it again.
— Deepu Narayanan (@deeputalks) February 21, 2025
A one run first innings lead in QF.
Two runs lead in semis.
Now up against the side in the final that ended their two previous runs in the knockouts (2017/18 QF & 2018/19 SF).
The winner of the semi-final between Kerala and Gujarat will meet the winner of Vidarbha vs Mumbai. The defending champions, Mumbai, have been one of the most successful teams with 10 trophies so far.
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