Karun Nair lived up to the tag of the senior pro with a defiant knock. Akshay Wadkar made a significant contribution with a breezy, unbeaten knock. And the top three applied themselves. As a result, despite the Mumbai spin trio bowling long spells on a Day Four pitch that offered a slow turn, Vidarbha managed to keep the Ranji Trophy final alive heading into the last day’s play.
At the end of the penultimate day’s proceedings at the Wankhede Stadium, Vidarbha finished with 248 for five. Despite the target of 538 not having been met halfway through, Vidarbha managing to hold the fort at the Wankhede Stadium for the whole day and stretch the game into the fifth day is no mean feat.
The specialist batters rectified their mistakes from the first innings, playing close to the body on most occasions. Karun (74, 220b, 3x4), especially, applied himself well for almost five hours on a track that continued to offer more turn but slowed down as the day wore in. Had wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore not dropped him off offie Tanush Kotian when he was on 4, Vidarbha could have been in big trouble.
After all, Kotian and birthday boy Shams Mulani were on a roll – having dismissed openers Atharva Taide and Dhruv Shorey in successive overs soon after the drinks break. Kotian bowled the ball of the match, turning one sharply from way outside off and sneaking through a hapless Dhruv Shorey’s gap even before he got his bat down.
Vidarbha may have soon been staring down the barrel, derailing from 64 for no loss to 70 for three but Tamore’s reprieve gave Karun a chance to build an innings that was starkly different than his freewheeling triple hundred for his former team in a Ranji final at the same venue nine years ago.
The shot of the day, however, came from captain Wadkar towards the fag end. With speedster Tushar Deshpande employing a short-ball ploy with the second new ball, Wadkar played a magnificent uppercut to raise his bat for a fifty.
Until Wadkar came in after Yash Rathod was adjudged leg-before wicket off Musheer Khan’s left arm, thanks to DRS resulting in the on-field being reversed, Vidarbha was playing too cautiously. With the spinners deriving additional turn and the trio pitching it to precision, there was a 23-over boundary-less spell.
The period was over, thanks to Wadkar’s cover drive off the first ball he faced and a pull off the fourth, both off Mulani. Despite Wadkar upping the ante, Mumbai bowlers stuck to their task and Musheer earned the prize scalp around 15 minutes before stumps with one that was full and turned just enough to kiss the line for Tamore to have the last laugh.
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