Rana’s unbeaten 68-ball 105 helps Delhi beat Vidarbha by 6 wickets in 347 run chase
Nitish Rana played the “best knock” of his first-class career as Delhi shocked defending champions Vidarbha by six wickets in an incredible final day run chase in the Ranji Trophy here on Wednesday.
With this memorable run chase on day four, Delhi handed Vidarbha their first outright defeat in a first class game after three years.
Chasing 347, Rana, who has made a name with his big-hitting exploits in the IPL, smashed an unbeaten 105 off only 68 balls as Delhi reached the target in 73 overs, leaving Vidarbha gutted.
Delhi now have 16 points and stay in hunt for a quarterfinal berth while Vidarbha stay put on 17 points.
The chase was set up by openers Kunal Chandela (75 off 146) and Hiten Dalal (82 off 146) with a steady stand of 163 in under 49 overs.
The left-handed Rana then took charge and sent the Vidarbha bowlers including fancied Umesh Yadav (0/85 in 19 overs) on a leather hunt with eight fours and seven sixes.
“I had promised our coach (KP) Bhaskar sir that if its 75 overs and around 320 runs, we will win. This is the best first class knock that I have played. I haven’t forgotten the 2017 final in Indore, which Vidarbha won without playing outstanding cricket.
“I knew I can hit their spinners out of the ground,” Rana told reporters having ripped opposition off-spinner Akshay Wakhare (64 off 9 overs) with slog sweeps, cuts and drives.
Vidarbha coach Chandrakant Pandit took a gamble with a sporting declaration but it backfired as a side with its back to the wall produced the best performance of the season.
Openers Kunal and Hiten played confidently without taking pressure on an eased out track.
Once Rana came in, Vidarbha sensing danger, deployed a negative field ‘7-2’ (seven on the off side) field.
Their pacers Rajneesh Gurbani (0/64 in 12 overs) started bowling on an imaginary seventh off stump line.
The umpires started calling no ball and then Delhi started attacking as they were forced to change the line.
“I knew they would bowl negative line but what I didn’t like was time wasting tactic. Once they started bowling within the stumps, I knew I will blast them if it’s in my arc,” said KKR’s dependable middle-order batsman.
“This is my natural game and I don’t like advise if people come and tell me to change my mindset. I only welcome advise when I need them,” he said.
Maiden triple hundred
Mumbai: Staying true to his words, young Sarfaraz Khan stuck his maiden triple hundred to single-handedly give Mumbai the crucial first-innings lead and grab three points on the last day of their Elite Group B match against Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh had posted a humongous 625/8 declared in their first-essay courtesy wicket-keeper Upendra Yadav’s unbeaten maiden double-ton.
But Sarfaraz’s (301 not out off 391 balls; 30x4; 8x6) herculean task overshadowed Yadav’s double-ton on a flat track, which had absolutely nothing for the bowlers even on the final day.
Right-handed Sarfaraz was the cynosure of all eyes at the Wankhede Stadium, as he batted for as long as 633 minutes and hammered 30 fours and eight sixes.
What is more special about his knock is that the pint-sized batsman was suffering from fever two nights ago, but he came out to bat and did the job for his team.
Sarfaraz, who had played for Uttar Pradesh and returned to Mumbai, had all shots in the book.
But more importantly, contrary to his style, he showed restraint and respected the good balls.
Sarfaraz, in the process, became the seventh Mumbai batsman to score a triple ton in first-class cricket and joined the illustrious list comprising Wasim Jaffer (301 and 314 not out), Rohit Sharma (309 not out), Ajit Wadekar (323), Sunil Gavaskar (340), Vijay Merchant (359 not out) and Sanjay Manjrekar (377).
The hosts resumed the final day on overnight score of 353/5 needing 273 more runs to overhaul Uttar Pradesh’s first innings total, with 22-year-old Sarfaraz unbeaten on 132 in company of his skipper Aditya Tare, who was unbeaten on 9.
Sarfaraz first got able support from Tare (97 off 144 balls, 14x4) and then Shams Mulani (65 off 82 balls; 5x3; 1x6), as they took the game away from Uttar Pradesh.
While Sarfaraz and Tare added 179 runs for the sixth wicket, he and Mulani added 150 runs for the seventh wicket and it was their partnership that ensured Mumbai crossed Uttar Pradesh’s first-innings total.
Sarfaraz, who had completed his individual 250, took a single, as Mumbai surpassed Uttar Pradesh’s mammoth total and celebrated like the team had won the match.
Then Mumbai allowed Sarfaraz to complete a well- deserved 300.
He completed his triple ton with a six over wide long on, after which the match was called off.