Kerala has reached the final of the Ranji Trophy for the first time in 74 years in the most unexpected way possible. A helmet, a sensational catch and some controversy was all that took them to reach the Ranji Trophy final on the fifth morning of their semi-final match against Gujarat, even before the day was over.
Kerala had put up a total of 457 runs in the first innings. A huge chunk of those runs had been scored by their wicketkeeper Mohammed Azharuddeen, who made an unbeaten 177* off 341. Chasing the massive first inning total, Gujarat was off to a great start, thanks to the brilliant opening partnership between Priyank Panchal (148 of 237) and Aarya Desai (73 of 118). Kerala got their much-needed breakthrough from Nedumankuzhy Basil, who ticked off Aarya. It was Jalaj Saxena who made it difficult for Gujarat after that, picking up four important wickets.
The Controversial Catch that took Kerala to the Ranji Trophy Final
1⃣ wicket in hand
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) February 21, 2025
2⃣ runs to equal scores
3⃣ runs to secure a crucial First-Innings Lead
Joy. Despair. Emotions. Absolute Drama! 😮
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/kisimA9o9w#RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank | #GUJvKER | #SF1 pic.twitter.com/LgTkVfRH7q
However, the highlight of the day was definitely the moment that virtually took Kerala to the Ranji Trophy final. They pulled up their socks with only 28 runs and three wickets to play for on the final day and things unfolded dramatically. When the drama started to unfold after Kerala had picked up two wickets, Gujarat had one wicket in hand and needed 2 runs to equal scored. Arzan Nagwaswalla’s slog-sweep attempt off of Sarwate’s delivery hit the helmet of Salman Nizar at silly point, ricocheted, got all the way up in the air and was caught by captain Sachin Baby at slip.
Though a controversial dismissal, ICC’s new rules dictate that if a catch is taken off of a helmet of a player (who is not the wicketkeeper), it is counted as a fair catch, as after hitting the helmet, the chances are equally good and bad for the fielding team. Thus, it marked the fall of Gujarat’s last wicket and gave Kerala a 2-run lead. What it also did was virtually take Kerala to the final of the Ranji Trophy, where they are set to take on Vidarbha.
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