Ranji Trophy 2018-19, Final, Day 5, Review: Vidarbha win their second Ranji Trophy title in a row

The Ranji Trophy 2018-19 final lived up to expectations and thrilled the fans throughout the five days. In the end, it was Vidarbha who emerged victorious to clinch the title for the second consecutive time. They looked the clear favourites to win the game right at the close of play of day 4.

It was just a matter of time before the Faiz Fazal led side reached the glory. Such has been their dominance in the tournament that they didn’t lose a single game in the last two seasons. Whenever the team was subjected to any kind of pressure, some or the other player put up their hands and took the responsibility.

Wasim Jaffer was the leading run-scorer in the season for the champions. He scored 1,037 runs in 15 innings (11 matches) at an average of 69.13. Overall, he was the second highest run-scorer of the season. Aditya Sarwate, the Messiah in the final, was the leading wicket-taker for Vidarbha. He claimed 55 wickets in 11 games and finished third overall.

Aditya Sarwate picks up an 11-wicket haul in the match

Saurashtra resumed batting with an overnight score of 58/5. Vishvaraj Jadeja was the overnight batsman who was batting on 23 along with Kamlesh Makvana. Makvana was the first to fall on the day after piling up 14 runs. Soon, Prerak Mankad followed him back to the hut as Akshay Wakhare dismissed him for 2 runs.

Soon, Jadeja, on whom all the hopes lied on, ended up falling a victim to a lapse in concentration. Just after the drinks break, he went got out with a poor sweep shot on a delivery that was bowled very full. It wrapped him on the pads right in front and he was gone for 52.

Also read- Ranji Trophy 2018-19, Final, Vidarbha vs Saurashtra – Who Said What

There wasn’t anything of sorts left for the Saurashtra team after he fell and a loss was just inevitable. Sarwate picked up 6 wickets in the innings while Wakhare accounted for three as the opposition was bowled out for 127. In the match, Wakhare picked up a total of 7 wickets. Saurashtra lost the third final in the last seven seasons and are still due to get their hands on the trophy. Celebrations erupted soon after the win in the Vidarbha camp and there was a delight on the faces of all the players.

Brief Scores:

Vidarbha, 1st innings: 312/10 in 120.2 overs (Akshay Karnewar 73*, Akshay Wadkar 45; Jaydev Unadkat 3/54)

Saurashtra, 1st innings: 307/10 in 117 overs (Snell Patel 102, Jaydev Unadkat 46; Aditya Sarwate 5/98)

Vidarbha, 2nd innings: 200/10 in 92.5 overs (Aditya Sarwate 49, Mohit Kale 38; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 6/96)

Saurashtra, 2nd innings: 127/10 in 58.4 overs (Vishvaraj Jadeja 52, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 17; Aditya Sarwate 6/59)

Match Result: Vidarbha won the match by 78 runs.

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