Ranji Trophy 2024/25, VIDAR vs MUM 2nd semi final Match Report, February 17 - 21, 2025

Ranji Trophy 2024/25, VIDAR vs MUM 2nd semi final Match Report, February 17 – 21, 2025

by

Mumbai, trailing Vidarbha by 195 runs in the Ranji Trophy semifinal, faced a major collapse, losing four wickets in 11 balls. Parth Rekhade stunned them with a triple-wicket maiden over, dismissing Ajinkya Rahane (18), Suryakumar Yadav (0), and Shivam Dube, turning Mumbai’s score from 113 for 2 to 113 for 5. Shams Mulani was trapped lbw by Harsh Dubey, leaving Mumbai at 188 for 7 despite Akash Anand’s unbeaten 67*. Vidarbha had earlier scored 383, with key contributions from Malewar (79) and Shorey (74), while Dube took a five-wicket haul. Mumbai’s fight depends on Anand as the innings unfolds.

Mumbai 188 for 7 (Anand 67*, S Thakur 37, Lad 35, Rekhade 3-16, Y Thakur 2-56) trails Vidarbha 383 (Malewar 79, Shorey 74, Rathod 54, Dube 5-49) by 195 runs

A dramatic middle-order collapse – four wickets lost in 11 deliveries – has left Mumbai facing a challenging situation in their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Vidarbha in Nagpur.

Left-arm spin allrounder Parth Rekhade, playing only his second first-class match, claimed the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shivam Dube in a single over, the 41st of the innings, sending Mumbai from a solid 113 for 2 to a precarious 113 for 5.

Rahane was the first to fall for 18 in the triple-wicket over when the ball deflected onto the stumps after a defensive stroke. Suryakumar Yadav followed, departing for a two-ball duck after he edged an in-drifter, with Danish Malewar at silly point taking the catch on the second attempt after it rebounded off his pad. Dube then played back to a delivery that skidded from around the stumps, thickly edging it into slip where Atharva Taide made a superb catch.

Further drama unfolded when Shams Mulani, who had played a pivotal role in the quarter-final with a century partnership alongside Tanush Kotian, was adjudged lbw by left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey. Initially given not out after he played around a sharply turning delivery, Akshay Wadkar reviewed the decision, which confirmed the ball would have hit the stumps. Mulani had to depart for 4 as Dubey reached his 60th wicket, becoming the sixth bowler in Ranji history and the first since Jaydev Unadkat in the 2019-20 season to achieve 60 or more wickets in a season.
As he often does, Shardul Thakur spearheaded a spirited Mumbai fightback, forming a half-century partnership with wicketkeeper Akash Anand, who valiantly reached his own half-century from the top of the order. Shardul displayed aggressive batting, seizing every opportunity to score. Their partnership amounted to 60 runs when Shardul was dismissed, caught at deep square for a brisk 37 off 41 balls while attempting to pull Yash Thakur, marking one of the final highlights of an eventful session.
Yash Thakur bowled with full intensity in the sweltering afternoon, with figures of 2 for 56 in 11 overs not fully reflecting his contributions. This included the crucial wicket of Siddhesh Lad, breaking a half-century partnership by delivering a delivery that angled in and maintained its line, sneaking past Lad’s outside edge. He should have also had Rahane lbw on 11, but a no-ball while attempting to bowl with aggression saved Rahane.

In the morning session, Vidarbha could only add 75 runs to their overnight score of 308 for 5, with Yash Rathod, their leading run-scorer this season, reaching his half-century before falling and initiating a batting collapse. Dube, who had already taken the wickets of Rekhade and Karun Nair on the opening day, captured three wickets in three overs to finish with impressive figures of 11.5-1-49-5, marking his third five-wicket haul in first-class cricket.

Leave a Comment