Aditya Sarwate leads Kerala's reply against Vidarbha in Ranji Trophy final

NEW DELHI: Aditya Sarwate’s unbeaten 66 led Kerala’s fightback as they reached 131/3 at stumps on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final, trailing Vidarbha by 248 runs in the first innings. Earlier in the day, Kerala’s bowlers ensured the hosts were restricted to 379, preventing them from breaching the 400-run mark.
Vidarbha, eyeing a total around 450 after reaching 254/4 on the opening day, were anchored by Danish Malewar’s career-best 153 and Karun Nair’s 86. However, Kerala struck back impressively, with MD Nidheesh (3/61), Eden Apple Tom (3/102), and NM Basil (2/60) combining to limit the damage.

Basil provided the breakthrough by sneaking one through Malewar’s bat and pad, dismissing him for a well-made 153 off 285 balls (15 fours, 3 sixes). The biggest breakthrough, however, came when Eden Apple Tom removed Vidarbha’s in-form Yash Rathod for just three, inducing an edge to the slips. Skipper Akshay Wadkar (23) also fell to Eden, edging behind to keeper Mohammed Azharuddeen.
Vidarbha’s lower order added some crucial runs, with Nachiket Bhute (32), Akshay Karnewar (12), and Harsh Dubey (12*) helping them reach 379.
In response, Vidarbha struck early with the new ball. Darshan Nalkande (2/22) rattled Kerala’s top order, cleaning up openers Akshay Chandran (14) and Rohan Kunnummal (0) to leave them struggling at 14/2.
However, Sarwate, once a key player in Vidarbha’s two Ranji-winning campaigns (2017-18, 2018-19), stood tall against his former team. The 35-year-old, who switched to Kerala last season, battled through testing spells to reach 66* off 120 balls, striking 10 fours.
Sarwate was fortunate to survive when Vidarbha chose not to appeal for a caught-behind off Wadkar’s bowling in the 25th over—replays later showed the ball had brushed his gloves.
He was well-supported by Ahammed Imran (37 off 83, 3x4s), as the duo stitched a crucial 93-run stand for the third wicket. Imran, too, had an early reprieve when substitute fielder Atharva Taide, stationed at second slip, spilled a chance off Bhute’s bowling.
Despite their fielding lapses, Vidarbha managed to break the stand late in the day. Yash Thakur (1/45) outfoxed Imran, who mistimed a pull shot straight to substitute Aman Mokhade at midwicket, handing Vidarbha their third wicket.
With Sarwate still holding fort, Kerala will look to build on their innings and narrow the deficit on Day 3.