Nagpur: Skipper Jaydev Unadkat (2/26) removed run-machine Wasim Jaffer with a gem of a delivery as Saurashtra dominated the opening day of the Ranji Trophy final by reducing the defending champions Vidarbha to 200 for seven here Sunday.
It proved to be a good toss to lose for Saurashtra, who succeeded in removing the most impactful Vidarbha batsmen – Jaffer (23) and captain Faiz Fazal (16) – cheaply.
The defending champions struggled to create partnerships and had it not been for the 57-run seventh-wicket stand between Akshay Wadkar (45) and Akshay Karnewar (31 batting), they would have been in more mess.
Most of the Vidarbha batsmen were guilty of losing the plot after starts. Among them were Ganesh Satish (32), Mohit Kale (35) of 126 balls) too got a start but did not build on that.
The other wicket-takers were Saurashtra were Chetan Sakariya (1/13), Prerak Mankad (1/27), Dharmendraisnh Jadeja (1/72) and Kamlesh Makwana (1/46).
However, all the action unfolded before empty stands despite it being a Sunday, with a handful of school students cheering for the home side, often teasing the fielders in the deep.
For Vidarbha, Satish batted with a lot of positive intent. He drove the ball when it was pitched up and did not mind going for cuts behind the square on back-foot. He also used his feet against spinners, playing a crucial role in keeping the Vidarbha innings together.
PTI