Yash Rathod and Akshay Wadkar shared an unbroken 91-run partnership as Vidarbha recovered from a mini collapse to lead by 260 runs against Mumbai at stumps on day three of their Ranji Trophy semifinal here on Wednesday. After Vidarbha dismissed Mumbai for 270 to take a first-innings lead of 113 runs, the hosts found themselves in trouble after being reduced to 56 for four, thanks to Shams Mulani’s (2/50) two-wicket burst. However, Rathod (59) and Wadkar (31) steadied the ship, guiding Vidarbha to 147 for four in 53 overs.

At stumps, the duo, who train at the same academy in Nagpur, remained at the crease, but with Mulani and the spinners making the ball talk, Vidarbha are aware that the job is far from over, with two full days of play remaining.

With a 113-run first innings lead in hand, the hosts had a solid foundation, but Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur (1/14) gave them a glimmer of hope with an early breakthrough in the second over.

Thakur, who is set to join Essex for the County Championship, removed Atharva Taide for a duck, trapping him in front with an inswinger.

Danish Malewar (29), who scored a vital 79 in the first innings, looked in good touch, hitting five boundaries before Mulani dismissed him off his own bowling with a sharp caught-and-bowl effort, leaving Vidarbha at 40 for two.

Karun Nair (6), in scintillating form, joined opener Dhruv Shorey (13) at the crease, but Tanush Kotian (1/33) made an impact, dismissing Shorey LBW after he missed a classic off-break delivery.

Much was expected of Nair, but he too fell, sent back by Mulani, as Vidarbha slumped to 56 for four. Nair was rapped on the pads while trying to defend and although he challenged the on-field umpire’s decision, he lost the appeal.

Wadkar and Rathod then regrouped, building a steady partnership to bring Vidarbha back on track.

Earlier, Akash Anand completed his second first-class century and shared a 69-run stand with Tanush Kotian (33) to lead Mumbai’s recovery after they ended the second day at 188 for seven.

Anand, who resumed his innings on 67, played a gritty knock, facing 256 balls and hitting 11 fours. His partnership with Kotian took Mumbai close to the 250-mark before left-arm spinner Parth Rekhade broke the stand, removing Kotian with a delivery that drifted in from around the stumps to bowl him out.

Anand, who had reached double figures with a boundary to fine leg, was dismissed in the 88th over, caught behind while chasing a wide delivery from Nachiket Bhute.

Mohit Avasthi was the last man to fall, cleaned up by Harsh Dubey, as Mumbai were bowled out for 270 just before lunch.

Gujarat vs Kerala

Gujarat’s seasoned batter Priyank Panchal played a solid knock, remaining unbeaten on 117, as the former champions reached 222 for 1 at stumps on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Kerala, here on Wednesday. Trailing by just 235 runs with two full days remaining, Gujarat’s batting unit showed resilience and intent on a placid Motera surface, where it seemed Kerala found themselves 100 runs short, having scored at snail’s pace.

Resuming their first innings at 418/7, Kerala added 39 more runs before being bowled out for 457 just 10 overs into the morning session.

Mohammed Azharuddeen remained stranded on a magnificent 177 off 341 balls, his career-best knock featuring 20 fours and a solitary six.

His innings provided the backbone to Kerala’s total as wickets tumbled around him.

Gujarat skipper Chintan Gaja provided the first breakthrough of the day, dismissing Aditya Sarwate with a delivery that straightened from middle stump to clip the off-stump.

Sarwate managed just one run before becoming Gaja’s 200th first-class victim in his 59th match.

Sensing the urgency to add quick runs, Azharuddeen took Kerala past 450 with a boundary off Arzan Nagwaswalla.

However, with wickets falling at the other end, the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter was left stranded as Nidheesh MD (run out) and Nedumankuzhy Basil (bowled by Gaja) perished in quick succession.

In response, Gujarat began their innings with a positive intent as openers Panchal and Aarya Desai put together a solid 131-run stand in 36.4 overs.

Desai, aggressive yet composed, scored 73 off 118 balls, striking 11 boundaries and one six.

He looked assured before losing control and dragged a wide delivery from Basil onto his stumps.

Despite that breakthrough, Kerala’s bowlers struggled to make further inroads.

Panchal, a veteran of the domestic circuit, anchored the innings with a mix of caution and aggression.

Panchal reached his 29th first-class century– his second of the season — off just 155 balls, bringing up the milestone in style with a six over long-on against Sarwate.

The 34-year-old, once on the fringes of the Indian team after Gujarat’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph in 2016-17, has had an ordinary season with only one century (against Rajasthan) and a half-century (against Vidarbha) prior to this match.

However, he delivered when his team needed him the most.

Hingrajia provided solid support at the other end with a patient, unbeaten 30 off 108 balls, hitting three boundaries.

For Kerala, veteran spinner Jalaj posed some questions and induced a few edges, but the lack of support from the field meant Gujarat kept consolidating.

Brief scores:

Vidarbha 383 & 147 in 53 overs (Yash Rathod 59 not out; Shams Mulani 2/50) lead Mumbai 270 all out in 92 overs (Akash Anand 106; Parth Rekhade 4/55) by 260 runs. 

Kerala 457; 187 overs (Mohammed Azharuddeen 177 not out, Sachin Baby 69, Salman Nizar 52; Arzan Nagwaswalla 3/81, Chintan Gaja 2/75). Gujarat 222/1; 71 overs (Priyank Panchal 117 batting, Aarya Desai 73, Manan Hingrajia 30 batting; Nedumankuzhy Basil 1/40). Gujarat trail by 235 runs.

Hosts Gujarat are unlikely to digress from their tried and tested template of out-batting oppositions with dogged first innings displays as they take on a gutsy Kerala in their Ranji Trophy semi-final beginning here on Monday. Gujarat, the champions of the 2016-17 edition, advanced to the semifinals for the first time since the 2019-20 season after thrashing Saurashtra by an innings and 98 runs in the quarter-finals in Rajkot. The victory was built on a formidable middle order performance featuring Manan Hingrajia, Jaymeet Patel, and keeper Urvil Patel, who form the core of their batting unit this season.

Fresh from his maiden first-class hundred with 140 runs, Urvil led Gujarat’s charge in an imposing first innings total of 511, while Jaymeet contributed a crucial century.

Jaymeet has been their top run-getter this season with 582 runs at an average of 48.50 — including two centuries and four fifties.

Close on his heels with 570 runs, Hingrajia has also been consistent with two tons as he also contributed to their batting dominance against their state-rivals.

On the other hand, it’s been an emotional journey for the Sachin Baby’s Kerala, who secured their second semi-final berth (since 2018-19) after a hard-fought quarterfinal against Jammu & Kashmir that came via a slender one-run first innings lead.

Set a challenging target of 399, Kerala showed remarkable patience on the final day to bat out and force a draw and result on their first innings lead.

A crucial seventh-wicket partnership of 115 runs between Salman Nizar (unbeaten on 44 off 162 balls) and Mohammed Azharuddeen (67 not out off 118 balls), proved decisive in grinding down the opposition’s attack.

Thalassery’s Nizar has been the man in form for Kerala this season. He struck a first inning century, an unbeaten 112, as his form would be crucial as Kerala would look to continue their dream run.

MD Nidheesh has been the spearhead of Kerala’s bowling attack.

It was he who led the demolition of Jammu and Kashmir, claiming an impressive 10 wickets in the quarter-final match.

Now, he would look to work his magic once again, aiming to outfox the Gujarat batters with his pinpoint line and length, diverse variations, and lethal outswingers.

He has already picked up 22 wickets this season.

Domestic stalwart Jalaj Saxena, who has more than 6900 runs and 470 wickets in first-class cricket, will also look to make a statement for Kerala.

The 38-year-old has emerged as their leading wicket-taker with 34 scalps at an eye-catching average of 16.84 with his spin bowling.

Additionally, the Madhya Pradesh veteran has contributed valuable runs with the bat, notching up two fifties to bring his season tally to 271 runs at an average of 30.11.

A true utility player for Kerala, Saxena has consistently delivered crucial performances including his match-winning haul of 10 wickets — five in each innings — against Bihar paved the way for an innings and 169-run victory, sealing their berth in the quarter-finals.

Teams:

Gujarat: Priyank Panchal, Aarya Desai, Siddharth Desai, Manan Hingrajia, Jaymeet Patel, Urvil Patel (wk), Chintan Gaja(c), Vishal Jayswal, Ravi Bishnoi, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Priyajitsing Jadeja, Rishi Patel, Aditya Udaykumar Patel, Rinkesh Vaghela, Umang Kumar, Tejas Patel, Hemang Patel, Het Patel, Kshitij Patel.

Kerala: Akshay Chandran, Rohan Kunnummal, Shoun Roger, Sachin Baby (c), Jalaj Saxena, Salman Nizar, Mohammed Azharuddeen (w), Aditya Sarwate, MD Nidheesh, Nedumankuzhy Basil, Basil Thampi, Vaisakh Chandran, Baba Aparajith, Vishnu Vinod, KM Asif, Fazil Fanoos, Vathsal Govind, Krishna Prasad and Anand Krishnan.