Gujarat vs Kerala : Semi Final 1 (QF1 v QF4) Highlights
Cricket fans saw a thrilling culmination of the Ranji Trophy semifinal between Gujarat vs Kerala at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 21, 2025. Although, after five intriguing days of play, the match ended in a draw, Kerala still emerged victorious, registering a thin two-run lead in the first innings over Gujarat, and thus making it a memorable first entry to the finals. Gujarat resumed the game on day five, at 429 for 7, requiring just 28 runs for victory, as the other team in the final match was Kerala with a score of 457. With three wickets in hand, the home side seemed prepared to take the lead and advance.
However, in the morning session, one Kenya spinners whirled into a mix of drama that turned the match’s fate upside down.Construction of this victory rested chiefly on the shoulders of diving duo of bowlers, Aditya Sarwate and Jalaj Saxena. Jaymeet Patel, well entrenched at the crease with 79 runs, was first to go.
A sharp stumping off Sarwate’s malicious delivery saw Patel stumble forward to drag his foot out of the crease. A benumbed review done by the third umpire put everything on panic mode in Kerala’s camps. Desai fittingly had turned it down for his side, and after the ball tracker confirmed it, Desai left by a leg before for 30 runs. With nine runs left and Gujarat at 446 for 9, Veera was hectic.
The climax arrived when Arzan Nagwaswalla, Gujarat’s No. 10, walked in to face Sarwate with merely two runs to be scored for a tie in the score. Taken by a flighted delivery, Nagwaswala lofted the ball and it clipped short-leg fielder Salman Nizar’s helmet on flight before it rode to captain Sachin Baby in slip, who took a breathtaking catch.
It was one of the freak dismissals which gave Kerala a lead of two runs at 457 to 455 and have all but advanced them into the final, according to Ranji Trophy knockout rules where the winner of a drawn match is determined by the first innings lead. The walk back for Nagwaswalla was disconsolate. It was another moment of jubilation for Kerala’s players, albeit Nizar was later stretchered off for a concussion check.
The Gujarat bowlers enjoyed a revival in the second innings of Kerala, reducing them to 114 for 4 by the conclusion of 46 overs. Siddharth Desai and Manan Hingrajia picked up two wickets each, but Jalaj Saxena’s fighting innings of 37 did not give Kerala any further trouble. With insufficient time for Gujarat to complete an outright win, the teams finally shook hands on a draw. In a way, this journey had been defined by resilience so far when one considered how close this team called Kerala went on to register a one-run victory over Jammu & Kashmir in the quarter-finals.
An unbeaten 177 by Azharuddeen in the first innings provided the perfect seed for this nail-biting finish. Despite Priyank Panchal’s 148 and Patel’s top-class efforts, Kerala’s spin brigade emanated an aura of inevitable demise as Sarwate finished with 4/111 and Saxena with 4/149.
The match had Kerala display patient accumulation against aggressive chasing from Gujarat, culminating in a climax to be remembered for the intensity and for that unthinkable catch. Kerala heads to Nagpur in the final showdown against Vidarbha on February 26, carrying with it the hopes of a state that, for the first time in 74 years, has reached the mighty Ranji Trophy final. And for Gujarat, it was a tragic end to what promised to be a mature campaign but instead fell far short.
ALSO READ : SOUTH AFRICA VS AFGHANISTAN MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
