Ranji Trophy 2018-19, Final: Vidarbha vs Saurashtra: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

After converting their first appearance in the Ranji Trophy final into a title, Vidarbha now have a golden chance of defending the title something not a lot of teams have achieved over the years. Wasim Jaffer’s consistent run has powered the team’s success as he became the first player to score 1000 runs in two different Ranji seasons. Umesh Yadav’s efficiency has backed the efforts of the other bowlers. On the other hand, the Saurashtra team’s aim will be to claim their first title since 1944 and the first with the name – Saurashtra.

They won the 1936/37 season as Nawanagar and in the 1943/44 season as Western India. Saurashtra made it to the final of the 2012/13 and 2015/16 seasons but received a thumping from Mumbai in the final. The Cheteshwar Pujara motivation has worked big time for the team as they won the Quarter-Final and Semi-Final after conceding a first-innings lead. The man in-form Pujara played a key role with the bat in both the matches including an unbeaten hundred on a tricky track against Karnataka.

Match Details:

The Final match of the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 will be played between Vidarbha and Saurashtra at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur.

The match with begin on 3rd February 2019 at 9:30 AM local time (IST) (4:00 AM GMT). Streaming of this game will be available on Hotstar in India.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The Nagpur Stadium has enough help for the pacers on the first day of the game. The pitch produces turn as the game progresses. The 2nd and 3rd days will be best for the batsmen. Four of the last five FC matches here had results with an innings margin.

Form:

Vidarbha’s road to Final:

Vidarbha finished 1st in the Elite Group A and B with 29 points coming from three outright wins and five draws from 8 matches.

Defeated Uttarakhand by an innings and 115 runs in the Quarter-Final.

Beat Kerala by an innings and 15 runs in the Semi-Final.

Saurashtra’s road to Final:

Finished 2nd in the Elite Group A and B with 28 points coming from three outright wins and five draws from 8 matches they played.

Got the better of Uttar Pradesh by six wickets in the Quarter-Final.

Thumped Karnataka by five wickets in the Semi-Final.

Probable XIs:

Vidarbha:

Sanjay Ramaswamy, Faiz Fazal (C), Wasim Jaffer, Atharwa Taide, Ganesh Satish, Akshay Wadkar (WK), Akshay Wakhare, Aditya Sarwate, Umesh Yadav, Rajneesh Gurbani, Yash Thakur.

Bench: Apoorv Wankhade, Akshay Karnewar, Mohit Kale, Suniket Bingewar.

Saurashtra:

Harvik Desai, Snell Patel (WK), Vishvaraj Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sheldon Jackson, Aarpit Vasavada, Prerak Mankad, Kamlesh Makvana, Jaydev Unadkat (C), Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Chetan Sakariya.

Bench: Shaurya Sanandia, Samarth Vyas, Jay Chauhan, Kishan Parmar.

Injury and Availability Updates:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Power Picks:

In his previous three first-class matches in India, Umesh Yadav has produced the best three performances in his first-class career. He bagged 31 wickets in the three matches at an average of 10.48 and a strike-rate of 20.97. Umesh will be crucial for Vidarbha once again in the big final.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain options – Cheteshwar Pujara, Wasim Jaffer, Sheldon Jackson.

Vice-captain options – Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Aditya Sarwate.

Available Options – Faiz Fazal, Harvik Desai, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja.

Playing XI #1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Akshay Wadkar

Batters – Atharwa Taide, Harvik Desai, Wasim Jaffer (VC), Cheteshwar Pujara (C)

All-Rounders – Aditya Sarwate, Kamlesh Makvana

Bowlers – Jaydev Unadkat, Umesh Yadav, Yash Thakur, Chetan Sakariya

Playing XI #2 for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Snell Patel

Batters – Atharwa Taide, Ganesh Satish, Harvik Desai, Sheldon Jackson, Wasim Jaffer (C)

All-Rounders – Aditya Sarwate, Kamlesh Makvana

Bowlers – Jaydev Unadkat, Rajneesh Gurbani, Umesh Yadav (VC)

Expert Advice:

Due to high price tags of players on both sides, only one among Pujara, Jaffer and Jackson can be picked. The three consume 31.5 credits and other consistent players from all-rounders and bowlers category cannot be picked.

Probable Winners:

The defending champions Vidarbha will start as the favourites but Saurashtra can make a comeback even if they have a poor first inning.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

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