Vidarbha beat Mumbai in the semis to reach Ranji Trophy 2024-25 final
Vidarbha registered an 80-run victory over Mumbai in the second semi-final of Ranji Trophy 2024-25 on Friday (February 21) at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
Vidarbha batted first in the game and notched up a decent total of 383 in the first innings. Mumbai could only score 270 runs in reply despite a century from opener Akash Anand (106), giving the opposition a healthy lead of 103 runs.
Yash Rathod then played a brilliant knock of 151 (252) to help Vidarbha score 292 runs in their second innings, setting a massive target of 406 runs for the defending champions. The Mumbai batters put on a fight to get close to the target but we're eventually bundled out for 325 on the last day. All-rounder Shardul Thakur continued to impress with the bat as he top-scored for them with a gritty knock of 66 (124).
"I am proud of the entire team"- Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane after loss vs Vidarbha in Ranji Trophy 2024-25 semi-final
At the post-match presentation, Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane expressed satisfaction with his team's efforts and also extended congratulations to the opposition. Reflecting on the loss, he said (via Cricbuzz):
"We tried our best. No-one likes to lose but congratulations to Vidarbha for making it to the final for the second time in a row. We made a great comeback with the lower order. I am proud of the entire team. Those three wickets in an over gave Vidarbha the momentum."
He continued:
"We did manage to come back well but they were disciplined with the ball. Many positives for us. It's very easy to pinpoint when you lose. We will take positives from this game and I am sure we will learn and come back stronger next year.
Vidarbha will now face Kerala in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 final on February 26. Kerala beat Gujarat in the first semi-final.