Ranji Trophy Final: Gurbani equals 44-year-old record

Vidarbha's 24-year-old pacer Rajneesh Gurbani equalled a 44-year-old record as he claimed a brilliant hat-trick and finished with figures of 6/59.

Rajneesh Gurbani celebrates after scalping a hat-trick against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy final.

Vidarbha's Rajneesh Gurbani equalled a 44-year-old record on Saturday, when he cleaned up Dhruv Shorey to claim his hat-trick on the second day of the Ranji Trophy final.

The record was previously held by yesteryear bowler B. Kalyanasundaram, from Tamil Nadu, who had scalped a hattrick in a final of the Ranji Trophy in 1973. Tamil Nadu took on Bombay in the summit clash and Kalyanasundaram grabbed four wickets for eight runs — including a hat-trick. Even though Mumbai won the title that season Kalyanasundaram’s record remained untouched.

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However, Indore's iconic Holkar Stadium witnessed history as the 24-year-old Gurbani not only helped his team bounce back, but also scripted his name in history books. “This is for the second time that a bowler has claimed a hat-trick in a Ranji Trophy final. After Kalyanasundaram, it is Gurbani,” noted cricket statistician, Mohan Das Menon, confirmed to  Sportstar .

READ: Gurbani: 'With every ball, the intent was to take a wicket'

This has been a season to remember for Gurbani, who has picked up 37 wickets in the season so far. He claimed 12 wickets in the semifinal against Karnataka and was a guiding force in Vidarbha reaching it’s first-ever Ranji Trophy final.

He had come to Indore with a lot of promise, and after a rather dull opening day, the engineer-turned pacer, ensured that he lived up to the expectations.