Sixty-eight years after playing their first match, Kerala secured an entry into their maiden Ranji Trophy final on a dramatic fifth morning against Gujarat in Ahmedabad.Needing to pick up three wickets while having just 28 to defend at the start of the day’s play, left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate rose to the occasion by picking up all the remaining wickets to fall as Kerala bowled Gujarat out for 455 to clinch a two-run first-innings lead. This after they made it to the semi-final on the back of a one-run first-innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir.Kerala will play Vidarbha in the final, which will be played in Nagpur from February 26.Each of the three wickets had an element of drama attached to it. The prelude to the first wicket of the day, of the well-set Jaymeet Patel, was a dropped catch by Sachin Baby, the Kerala captain, at extra cover with Gujarat needing 23 to draw level. But two balls later, Baby sprung back to life as Sarwate’s slider from around the stumps accounted for Jaymeet who played for the turn when there was none.Having played down the wrong line as he lunged forward, Jaymeet dragged his foot outside the crease as the ball passed his outside edge as Mohammed Azharuddeen effected an excellent stumping. An agonising three-minute wait and multiple replays later, Kerala celebrated as the umpire deemed Jaymeet’s foot to be on the line when the bail was knocked off its groove.
Arzan Nagwaswalla, the No. 10 batter, showed good technique and used the first opportunity to pick up a boundary, when he rocked back and punched part-time spinner Akshay Chandran to the cover boundary to bring Gujarat within 14 runs of levelling the score. That would be Chandran’s only over of the day – he was only brought on to allow a change of ends for Jalaj Saxena, with Kerala opting to go all-out with their spinners.With Gujarat trailing by 11 came another big moment when Siddharth Desai, who had stonewalled the bowling for 163 deliveries up until then, opted for the DRS after he had been given out caught at silly point. When Ultra-Edge showed no spike as the ball passed bat, the Kerala camp threw their heads back in agony, but they were jumping in joy a few second later when ball tracking showed the ball that pitched in line would’ve gone on to hit leg stump. Desai couldn’t believe his luck as luck smiled Kerala’s way even though the appeal wasn’t made for the lbw.Nagwaswalla and Priyajitsinh Jadeja, the No 11, then brought the equation down to eight runs needed when Kerala had another half-chance. Nagwaswalla whipped one into the leg side with the ball lodging between Salman Nizar’s legs before slipping out as he attempted a reflex action catch.Then, Saxena was agonising close to his fifth wicket when he deceived Nagwaswalla in flight as he lunged at one that spun back in from the rough to take the inside edge and brush past leg-stump towards the fine leg fielder. It meant Gujarat needed just two to level the scores, which would’ve been enough to see them through in case of a draw because of having more points in the group stages.The big moment arrived for Kerala when Sarwate tossed one up. Nagwaswalla attempted a hoick as the ball flew off a thick inside edge to short leg, where it hit Nizar flush on the helmet before lobbing up to Baby who took the deflection at slip. Initially pumped by adrenaline, Nizar celebrated wildly with the rest of the Kerala team as they celebrated the prospect of making their first-ever Ranji final as a crest-fallen Nagwaswalla trudged back slowly up the long flight of stairs into the dressing room.After the ecstasy of their achievement sunk in and players made their way off the field, Nizar was duly stretchered off for a concussion check, even as Kerala’s batters quickly regrouped to play out the remainder of the match on the final day.Saxena wheeled away for 71 overs in the second innings for his four wickets, three of which turned the game around on its head on the fourth morning. Sarwate, who had figures of 1 for 101 coming into the day, ended with 4 for 111 as the prospect of playing against his home state, Vidarbha, at his home ground in Nagpur loomed.Gujarat managed to take four wickets in the 46 overs they bowled in Kerala’s second innings, but Saxena batted Kerala to safety.
