Ranji Trophy, 2017-18; Semi-Final: Karnataka vs Vidarbha – Statistical Highlights

Vidarbha created history in their first ever Ranji Trophy semi-final by defeating Karnataka by a narrow 5-run margin at the iconic Eden Gardens. Vidarbha were bowled out for 185 in their first innings and later conceded a 116-run lead to the star-studded side. The former Karnataka player Ganesh Satish led Vidarbha’s fight back with an 81-run knock to set a 198-run target in front of the opponents. A spirited bowling performance from Rajneesh Gurbani with seven wickets in the 2nd innings after five in the first essay sealed a 5-run win for his team and paved the way to their maiden Ranji final.

All the stats and numbers that were recorded during Vidarbha’s historic win against Karnataka:

1 – For the first time in first-class cricket, Karnataka lost a game while chasing a target under 200 also the first time Vidarbha successfully defended a target below 200. The previous lowest target Karnataka lost while chasing is 222 against Bengal in the 1968/69 Semis while the previous lowest target successfully defended by Vidarbha is 225 against Odisha in 2012/13 season.

5 – Vidarbha’s 5-run victory in this game is the joint 2nd smallest in a Ranji Trophy knockout game. Haryana defeated Bombay by two runs in the 1990/91 final while Karnataka were on the losing side against Madhya Pradesh in the 1992/93 Pre-Quarters.

5 – Karnataka’s 5-run defeat is their joint narrowest in terms of runs in first-class cricket. Madhya Pradesh defeated them by five runs in the 1992/93 pre-quarterfinal.

5 – The five-run win for Vidarbha in this game is their narrowest win in terms of runs in first-class cricket. They defeated Tripura by 13 runs in the 2007/08 Ranji Trophy game while defending a target of 301. Interestingly, the 412-run win against Kerala in the quarter-final is Vidarbha’s biggest win in terms of runs.

7/68 – Rajneesh Gurbani’s  2nd innings bowling figures of 7/68 are the 3rd best for any player against Karnataka in the last 19 Ranji Trophy seasons. Haryana’s Harshal Patel took 8/40 in 2011/12 while Assam’s J Syed Mohammad took 7/44 in the 2015/16 season.

9 – The final between Delhi and Vidarbha will be the 9th Ranji Trophy final appearance for Wasim Jaffer. He featured in eight Ranji finals while playing for Mumbai and was on the winning side on all the eight occasions.

12/162 – Rajneesh Gurbani’s match figures of 12/162 are the 4th best for a Vidarbha bowler in Ranji Trophy. Akshay Wakhare (13/162) is the only one to take 13 or more wickets in a Ranji game for Vidarbha.

1160 – Mayank Agarwal ended the 2017/18 Ranji Trophy with 1160 runs which is the 7th highest Ranji season aggregate for any player. His tally is also the 2nd highest for a Karnataka player in a Ranji season after 1280 runs by R Vijay Bharadwaj in 1998/99.