Ranji Trophy final: Karun Nair's Vidarbha stands between Kerala and cricket history

On Friday, Kerala sealed their maiden Ranji Trophy final berth-- 68 years after making their debut in Indian cricket's premier domestic competition. They managed to do so by taking a dramatic two-run first-innings lead over a superior Gujarat who were clear favourites even on the final day of the contest.  Going into the fifth day at 429/7 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the home side, who won the Ranji title in 2016-17, needed just 29 runs to take a first innings lead.

However, left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate delivered under pressure, taking all three wickets to bowl Gujarat out for 455 in 174.4 overs -- leaving them two runs short of the mark. Arzan Nagwaswalla was the last batter to fall when he swung hard at a tossed-up delivery from Sarwate. The ball ricocheted off Salman Nizar's helmet at short leg before lobbing to the safe hands of skipper Sachin Baby at slip. A dramatic end to an edge-of-the-seat David vs Goliath tale...

But the Davids from the south had fought and won a similar battle a few weeks earlier as well. They made it to the semis in similar fashion, managing a slender one-run first-innings lead over Jammu & Kashmir in the quarterfinal.

VIDEO: How Salman Nizar’s ‘helmet’ helped Kerala enter historic Ranji Trophy final

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

A crucial seventh-wicket partnership of 115 runs between Salman Nizar and Azharuddeen proved decisive in grinding down the opposition's attack.

Thalassery-native 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.

M.D. 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.

Kerala, who last made the semifinals in 2018-19 after making their Ranji debut back in 1957, will face Vidarbha in the summit clash after the latter defeated heavyweights Mumbai by 80 runs in the other semifinal.

The Kerala Cricket Association has witnessed a growth in cricketing facilities in the state over the past two decades. There was a targeted effort to tap talent from schools and colleges. Almost 700 coaches were sent to different institutions across the state to impart expert training. The result was a good spread of cricket across Kerala.  It changed the trend of Kerala getting cricketers from urban pockets like Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. The current squad got talent from all over the state, including from Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Idukki, Alappuzha and Palakkad.

Mohammed Azharuddeen, who made a hundred in the semifinal to bag the Player of the Match award, pointed out that Kerala Cricket Academy ensured a good supply of quality players to the team. Getting the opportunity to train together at the Academy from a young age has helped the players to gel and develop a bond of brotherhood, Azharuddeen said. This camaraderie was crucial to push ahead even when the team lost top players like Sanju Samson, Vishnu Vinod and Baba Aparajith to injuries, he pointed out.

The story of Kerala's dream run won't be complete without mentioning Jalaj Saxena. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder, who is a true titan of domestic cricket, has been central to Kerala's growth over the years. He has been Kerala's Weapon X for eight seasons running and was the pillar when the team progressed to the knock-outs in 2017-18 and 18-19 seasons.

Saxena at 38 bowled 71 overs during Gujarat's second innings and took four crucial wickets. He single-handedly brought Kerala back into the game with his tricky spin bowling on day four. From 238/2 on Day 3, Gujarat stumbled to 326/6 after Saxena spun a web around the Gujarat batters. But his job was not done yet...

After having bowled 426 deliveries, he hardly got two hours of rest before being sent out to see off the day's play after Kerala lost a few early wickets. He delivered yet again, securing a historic final berth to his side as he remained unbeaten on 37 from 90 balls. It won't be exaggeration to say Kerala owes Saxena the Ranji Trophy. But standing in their way is Karun Nair, a Malayali who has had a memorable domestic season. Nair had managed to score a truckload of runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy ahead of Ranji and managed to carry on his fine show in the longer format. Nair played a crucial role in Vidarbha’s quarterfinal win against Tamil Nadu, scoring a match-winning 122 in the first innings and being named the Player of the Match.

Vidarbha have good reasons to be confident after having seen off the mighty Mumbai. But they have reason to be scared as well. Their next rivals are a disciplined lot who have come a long way!