After the heartbreak of last year, it was a dream-come-true moment for Usman Ghani. “It has indeed been a dream to hold this magnificent trophy,” the Vidarbha coach said after beating Kerala on the first-innings lead in the Ranji Trophy final at the VCA Stadium on Sunday. “We missed it by a whisker last year.” He … Read more
There is something about Aditya Sarwate, Ranji Trophy finals and the VCA Stadium. He was the player-of-the-match for Vidarbha in the 2018-19 final here. Six years later, he is playing an innings that could go a long way in deciding another final. Except that he is playing against Vidarbha now. Sarwate, coming in at one-drop … Read more
The excitement is palpable in the Kerala camp at the VCA Stadium on this humid afternoon. The team manager, Nazir Machan, is in great demand with the multiple television crews that have come from Kerala. He tells one channel after another how thrilled every player is about Kerala’s first-ever Ranji Trophy final. The team’s captain … Read more
Karun Nair has perhaps known the glorious uncertainties of cricket, and life, more than most players. He scored a triple hundred in only his third Test, was dropped for the next (because he had only stepped in for an injured Ajinkya Rahane). He played three more Tests before he was discarded, back in 2017. Then … Read more
Far from the madding crowd lies the VCA stadium. It is the last stop for a maddeningly thrilling journey for Kerala in India’s premier domestic cricket tournament. An 81-run partnership by the last pair against Jammu & Kashmir that gave a one-run first-innings lead in the quarterfinal; and a two-run lead against Gujarat, courtesy a … Read more