Good Morning!
Welcome to Sportstar's LIVE coverage of the third day of the Ranji Trophy final between Delhi and Vidarbha in Indore's Holkar Stadium.
Day two saw Vidarbha dismiss Delhi for 295 in its first innings, with Rajneesh Gurbani making history as he picked up a hat-trick and finished with figures of 6/59. The Vidarbha batsmen, in reply, put up 206/4 at stumps, with the vastly-experienced Wasim Jaffer unbeaten on 61 along with Akshay Wakhare on zero. Will we see Jaffer race to his 53rd first class century?
READ THE SECOND DAY'S REPORT HERE -->
Vidarbha rides on Gurbani, Jaffer
After a career spanning over a humongous 48 years, ‘India’s trophy keeper’ Sitaram Tambe, who is also the longest-serving employee of the BCCI, has decided to call it a day.
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Indian cricket’s trophy custodian on his swansong
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5.05 pm: End of day three. Vidarbha finishes the last day of 2017 on 528/7 in 156 overs, a lead of 233 runs. It has been a day to remember for Vidarbha. December 31, 2017 would go down in the history books for Vidarbha cricket for strengthening its position in the Ranji Trophy Final. It has completely been Vidarbha's day. Complete dominance over Delhi. The bowlers must be relieved that the day is over. The Delhi fielders have been on a leather hunt the whole day. When play resumes on Monday, in a new year, Akshay Wadkar and Siddhesh Neral will start on 133 and 56 respectively. The duo have added 113 so far for the eighth wicket. For Delhi, Navdeep Saini (32.5-4-126-3) and Akash Sudan (27-3-102-2) have been decent with the ball.
This might be the last over of the day. Akash Sudan with the ball.
4.59 pm: Vidarbha is going strong here. It is in no mood to relent and has worked itself up to 527/7 in 155 overs, leading Delhi by 232 runs.
We still have about 10 to 15 minutes to go for the day to end.
4.50 pm: The Delhi bunch's shoulders in the field has dropped and the bowlers cannot get a breakthrough. Vidarbha 522/7 after 153 overs with Wadkar on 128 and Neral on 55 in the middle. The lead is 227.
4.36 pm: Khejroliya strikes. He sends back Neral after the batsman attempts a heave and gets a top edge. The ball travels high and lands safely in Khejroliya's hands. But well, we have to wait, it is a no-ball! Second time it is happening. The same bowler, same batsman. What a respite for Vidarbha and Neral.
4.32 pm: Naveep Saini strays down the leg side and Wadkar has no problems in guiding it to the fence at fine leg. That shot brings up the 100-run partnership for the 8th wicket between Wadkar and Neral. It is now worth 101 off 150 balls. Vidarbha 516/7, a lead of 221 runs.
By the way, this is Vidarbha's highest total in the season. And it has saved the best for the final.
4.20 pm: Would you believe it! Another catch dropped. Neral sends one soaring into the sky and it is dropped at midon. The fielder got into position, the ball took a long time to come down and the ball popped out of the hands of the fielder. The Vidarbha dugout signalling to the batsmen to not play rash shots and play slowly. Vidarbha 509/7, leading Delhi by 214 runs.
4.18 pm: Siddesh Neral gets to a 50. What a hand he has given to his team with the bat. He drives Saini on the off-side to reach the landmark in 68 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes. And he celebrates in style by jumping with joy.
4.11 pm: Unorthodox but very effective shot to send Khejroliya into the stands again, this time on the offside by Neral and that brings up the 500 for Vidarbha . 502/7 and the lead is 207 runs. He moves on to 47.
4.07 pm: A drinks break has recharged the batteries of the Vidarbha batsmen. Kulwant Khejroliya starts the proceedings after a short break and Neral latches on to a short pitched delivery and sends the ball straight into the stands.
4.02 pm: Vidarbha continues to pile on Delhi's misery by not giving away any wicket. At the end of 146 overs, Vidarbha is 490/7, leading Delhi by 195 runs. Akshay Wadkar on 119 (215 balls, 15 fours, 1 six) and Siddhesh Neral on 34 (60 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes) in the middle and their association worth 75 runs so far.
3.46 pm: Nothing is going right for Delhi here. Its horrid day continues. Khejroliya bowls a bouncer and Neral cuts it uppishly to third man where a catch was taken. But the umpires had to go upstairs and the third umpire concluded that the ball was above the shoulder and declared it a no-ball. Neral was called back and Vidarbha on 489/7, a lead of 194.
3.40 pm: Wadkar (118*) and Neral (26*) take Vidarbha's lead to 184. 479/7.
3.25 pm: Neral tales on Khejroliya. Neral gives himself room, opens up and takes the front foot out of the way and smacks him over midwicket and square leg for six runs. Vidarbha 475/7, leads by 180.
3.21 pm: The key for Vidarbha's dominance has been good partnerships and Wadkar (113*) and Neral (18*) add an unbroken 50 runs for the 8th wicket in 80 balls. Vidarbha moves on to 466/7, a lead of 171.
3.15 pm: Two runs and chance of a run-out. A dive saves Wadkar. A good effort from him. Pant removes the bails and the bat just inside the crease. Wadkar escapes and he would want to make it count. He runs the first one hard and comes up with a dive to complete the second. Vidarbha 462/7, leading Delhi by 167 runs.
3.07 pm: 450-up for Vidarbha. 450/7 now in the 136th over. A lead of 155 runs.
3.04 pm: Delhi's fielding lapses continue. Wadkar edges one to slips and Nitish Rana fails to latch on to it. Shorey, Pant and all the entire Delhi dugout look disappointed. Not an ideal start for Delhi. Vidarbha 449/7, leading Delhi by 154.
3.00 pm: We are all set for the third and final session from the Holkar Stadium in Indore. Dhruv Shorey starts the proceedings with the ball.
2.40 pm: At tea , Vidarbha moves to 444/7 with Akshay Wadkar on 100 and Siddhesh Neral on 7. It leads Delhi by 149 runs.
A century for Akshay Wadkar. He is pumped up. A maiden first-class century and what a stage to get it. The landmark has come in 168 balls and is studded with 13 fours and 1 six.
2.20 pm: Vidarbha moves to 423/7 with Wadkar on 86 (150) and Neral on 2 (14) in the middle. Vidarbha leads by 128 runs.
Siddhesh Neral joins Akshay Wadkar.
2.10 pm: Finally, Delhi strikes. The 169-run partnership for the 7th wicket ends. Aditya Sarwate goes for 79 after edging a Nitish Rana delivery to Rishabh Pant. He is distraught as he walks back. Sarwate has played 153 balls and has hit 11 boundaries in his 79-run knock. A welcome breakthrough for Delhi, but not before it was sent on a leather hunt. Vidarbha, 415/7, leads Delhi by 120 runs.
2.00 pm: 400-up for Vidarbha. It leads Delhi by 105 runs. Wadkar and Sarwate have batted beautifully here. The duo have showed excellent character and are taking Vidarbha to an excellent position here.
1.50 pm: Vidarbha leads by 100. Sarwate and Wadkar have taken Vidarbha to 396/6, a lead of 101. The partnership between the two is now worth 151 , off 262 balls. The duo have almost taken the match away from Delhi.
1.48 pm: Awful fielding by Delhi. The short leg fielder drops a catch off Sarwate. These lapses will haunt Delhi.
1.36 pm: Finally, Pant looks up to Dhruv Shorey to try and deliver the goods for Delhi again, this time with the ball. And Shorey bowls a maiden over.
1.26 pm: Sarwate (66*) and Wadkar (63*) have taken Vidarbha to 381/6 in 115 overs, leading Delhi by 86 runs. The pair has added 135 runs for the seventh wicket so far. A partnership that can go a long way in having a say in this match.
1.19 pm: Akash Sudan into the attack. Bowls a short, wide one and Wadkar sends one to the cover boundary. Easy pickings for the Vidarbha batsmen now.
1.14 pm: Vikas Mishra looks a tad unlucky as the umpire turns down a good shout. The ball looked to be dashing on to the stumps but it was pitched outside leg. Vidarbha 373/6, lead by 78.
1.00 pm: At the end of 109 overs, Vidarbha 362/6, lead by 67.
Three substitute fielders out in the field for Delhi.
12.54 pm; 50-up for Sarwate. He has got to the landmark in 96 balls (7 fours) and more importantly has stitched an important partnership for the seventh wicket with Akshay Wadkar that has helped Vidarbha take the lead and extend it.
Navdeep Saini is back to bowl.
12.33 pm: Rishabh Pant tries to stop a Khejroliya bouncer and lands on his knees. He is getting some treatment from the physio.
12.30 pm: 350-up for Vidarbha. The lead is now 55 runs. Both Sarwate and Wadkar are looking very solid in the middle.
12.25 pm: 100-run partnership for the 7th wicket between Sarwate and Wadkar. What a partnership this has been for Vidarbha. It has taken the lead is extending it every ball. Sarwate guides Khejroliya to the third man fence to bring up the 100-run partnership. The duo have added 102 runs in 147 balls and Vidarbha races to 348/6 in 102 overs, a lead of 53 runs.
12.18 pm: Wadkar drives Khejroliya down the ground for four. It was slightly pitched up and the batsman was in no mood to let the gaffe go unpunished. Vidarbha 341/6, leads by 46.
12.10 pm: We are all ready for the action. Out walk the Vidarbha batsmen and the Delhi team.
11.32 am: Lunch time at the Holkar Stadium. Vidarbha takes the all-important first innings lead and it walks off with 336 on the board, four wickets still in hand. A. Wadkar on 39 (64 balls, 6 fours) and A. Sarwate on 50 (73 balls, 8 fours) will resume proceedings in about 40 minutes from now. Vidarbha leads by 41 runs and it can be safely said that the session belonged to the final debutants. The Delhi players get into a huddle and would spend most of the break time trying to introspect and come back stronger with an aim to come out to bat in the next session.
11.25 am: At the end of 96 overs, Vidarbha 334/6. Sarwate on 50 and Wadkar on 37. Vidarbha leads by 39 runs.
11.21 am: Gautam Gambhir drops Sarwate and the ball runs away to the boundary. Sarwate gets to a 50. What an important 50 for him and for the team. Gambir, at first slip wasn't ready for the catch and missed it. Sarwate's 50 comes in 62 balls with 8 fours.
11.20 am: Sarwate and Wadkar take Vidarbha's lead to 34.
11.03: At the end of 90 overs, Vidarbha looking set at 315/6, with a lead of 20 runs. This 69-run partnership between Wadkar (33*) and Sarwate (35*) has been extremely valuable for the side.
Rishabh Pant introduces left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra into the attack.
Wadkar and Sarwate have added 62 runs at run-a-ball for Vidarbha. What a partnership this is for it.
10.48 am: End of 87 overs, Vidarbha 300/6, leads Delhi by 5 runs. Sarwate on 33 (31 balls) and Wadkar on 21 (39 balls).
10.47 am: Vidarbha leads Delhi by 1 run. Wadkar takes a single and Vidarbha in the lead. The run also brings up the 50-run partnership between Wadkar and Sarwate. Vidarbha dug out can heave a sigh of relief.
10.45 am: Scores level. Wadkar slams it past Khejroliya for four and Vidarbha reaches 295/6, drawing level with Delhi. What a debut final for it.
10.41 am: Vidarbha reaches 290/6, trailing by 5 runs. Delhi was also in the same stage when Rajneesh Gurbani ran through the tail with a hat-trick. Who will do a Gurbani for Delhi?
10.33 am: Navdeep Saini walks off the field. This is a big blow for Delhi. He hasn't finished the over yet and Nitish Rana will finish the over. Saini is overbowled. Vidarbha 287/6, trailing by just 8 runs.
Sarwate and Wadkar have added 39 runs in 34 balls so far.
10.30 am: A peach of a delivery from Navdeep Saini. Sarwate misses connecting clean and the ball misses the stumps too on its way to Pant. And the next ball, Sarwate replies with a beautiful straight drive for four. Vidarbha 285/6, trailing by 10.
10.24 am: First ball with the new ball, Sudan slightly overpitches and Sarwate drives it beautifully to the fence. It looks like substitute fielder Unmukt Chand got a hand to it, but the ball runs away to the fence.
Delhi takes the second new ball.
10.19 am: At the end of 82 overs, Vidarbha moves to 274/6, trailing Delhi by just 21 runs. A. Wadkar and A. Sarwate on 14 runs each in the middle. Vidarbha looking good to take the all-important first innings lead.
10.11 am: A cracking cover drive by Sarwate off Akash Sudan. Gets to a boundary and Vidarbha moves to 266/6.
The second new ball is due now. It would be interesting to see whether Delhi takes it or no.
10.10 am: After some lucky runs (a four off a wide) Vidarbha reaches 262/6 in 80 overs, trailing Delhi by 33 runs.
Aditya Sarwate walks in. Navdeep Saini is bowling a beautiful spell here.
9.55: THAT'S A HUGE WICKET! Saini traps Wasim Jaffer right in front of the stumps and he departs for 78 off 150 deliveries. Vidarbha is losing the plot here and it is 246/6, 49 behind Delhi.
At the end of 77 overs, Vidarbha 244/5, trailing Delhi by 51 runs.
9.48 am: Wadkar slams Khejroliya to the fence. What a shot! He got into position quickly and with the ball coming on to the bat neatly, he times his shot well and the ball finds the ropes in a flash.
Akshay Wadkar is the new man in.
9.35 am: Delhi gets a breakthrough. The night-watchman Wakhare departs. Navdeep Saini induces the edge, as Wakhare plays away from his body, and Rishabh Pant makes no mistake behind the stumps. Akshay Wakhare gone for 17 (26 balls, 4 fours) and Vidarbha loses half its side for 237, trailing Delhi by 58 runs.
9.33 am: Third boundary in as many balls. Wakhare sticks his bat out and guides the ball above the slip cordon. It was tough chance for Kunal Chandela. The fielder jumped but not able to reach the ball. Wakhare moves to 17 with 4 boundaries. Vidarbha 237/4 in the 74th over.
9.32 am: Back-to-back boundaries for Wakhare. He is looking solid too. He drives the first one and gets another one in the third-man area.
9.29 am: At the end of 73 overs, Vidarbha is on 225/4, trailing Delhi by 70 runs. The night-watchman A. Wakhare is on 5 off 20 balls while Jaffer is looking solid on 74 off 142 balls.
9.19 am: A harmless overpitched ball by Kulwant Khejroliya and Wakhare drives it beautifully to the boundary. Vidarbha 220/4.
9.15 am: What a shot by Jaffer. The bowler pitched it short and Jaffer latched on it in a flash and played a beautiful pull shot and the ball races away to the ropes at the fine leg region. At the end of 70 overs, Vidarbha 216/4, trailing by 79 runs.
9.05 am: Jaffer opens the face of the bat and sends the ball towards the third man region and gets four. The third man was wide and had no chance to stop it. At the end of 68 overs, Vidarbha 210/4.
9.03 am: What a costly miss for Delhi. Wasim Jaffer dropped at second slip by Kunal Chandela. The ball was pitched up by Saini and Jaffer tried to push it and ended up edging it. The ball travelled to Dhruv Shorey at first slip, but Chandela dived and dropped it. It would have been a regulation catch for Shorey.
We are all set for the day three action. Wasim Jaffer and night-watchman A. Wakhare walk out and so does the Delhi team.
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