Vidarbha vs Kerala, Final at Nagpur, Ranji Trophy, Feb 26 2025 - Match Result

With that, Wadkar receives the Ranji Trophy from Roger Binny, the BCCI president. Shouts of "Veedarbha, Veedarbha" - don't miss the Marathi accent - echo around the ground, as the Ranji Trophy is lifted and boasted about. That concludes India's 2024-25 domestic season, which seemed to have started ages ago. Vidarbha make up for last year's loss with their third Ranji title, and so we wrap up. Thanks for your company throughout these last six or so months. See you, and take care!

Akshay Wadkar, Vidarbha captain: "It was the last day of the season. Everyone worked hard throughout, and we're all very happy. Last year, we lost the final. So we prepared during the monsoon itself. Every individual worked on himself. There are four Vidarbha batters among the top-ten run-getters this season. Harsh Dubey is the highest wicket-taker. Yash and Danish can turn a game around. Yash is the highest run-getter, and he scored runs at crucial stages. Danish added 215 [with Nair] from a crucial time - even in the second innings. He showed toughness. As a captain, if you're playing the Ranji Trophy, I had a dream to lift it. Every first-class cricketer has that dream, and we've fulfilled that. We're ticking all aspects, and we'll look at what we can work on in the off-season."

Harsh Dubey is the Player of the Tournament: "It's a dream-come-true moment. We lost the final last year. Akshay bhai is retiring, so for him, it's a big thing. In the off-season, I worked on my fitness and skills. This is a result of all that. I have a simple plan: take it one game at a time. I try to bowl in the right areas. I wouldn't call myself a bowling allrounder; rather, I'm a batting allrounder. I love batting! The end goal is to play for India, and I don't want to complicate things thinking about it from now. I'll start [preparing] again soon."

Danish Malewar is the Player of the Match: "It was a great season for me. I got a lot of experience and learnings. I was able to contribute, and luckily, I had an impact in the final. I was prepared to get to a hundred; I was getting out in the 50s or 60s. Luckily, I was able to convert [into a hundred]. Karun bhaiya has a lot of experience. We keep it simple, and look to score with as much of a straight face of the bat as possible. There's a lot of difference between the Under-19 level and the Ranji level."

Sachin Baby, Kerala captain: "It's a big final, and me and my team are very proud to have played this prestigious final. Big congrats to Vidarbha team. We have been playing very good cricket. Lots of good performances, and I'm proud to lead this team. Whoever makes the lesser mistakes has the upper hand. As the leader, I'll take the blame - my shot changed the momentum of the game. I wanted to be there for the team, and we were six down. I wanted to get the lead. If we got a lead, it should have been hundred-plus. Kerala Cricket Association have put in a lot of effort. This is our first final in all three formats. Next time, guys [Vidarbha], we'll beat you! We'll give you a tougher time!"

Time for the presentations

Bhuvan Dave: "Really, Really happy to see my home team make all of us proud once again. Still remember when I used to read the sports section in the local news papers and we were nowhere to be seen in the Ranji Trophy and now the team is regularly reaching the knockouts and winning the tournaments as well. Amazing turnaround this by Vidarbha. Tarri Poha to the entire team from my side." --- From Sitabuldi market?

Yash Rathod, highest run-getter this season: "There's no secret, just that I did a lot of preparation before this season. I wanted to get 1000 runs, but I fell 40 short! Very grateful. It's important to have a purpose. What you need in a season, and where the ball moves - you need to analyse all of this. Technique is very important. Red-ball [format] was good, while white-ball was decent. I want to give my best."

Usman Ghani, Vidarbha coach: "Very excited. It's real hard work. The process we followed was important. Last year, we fell short by a whisker. We have a system here in Vidarbha. Amazing [support staff]. It's a teamwork behind this, and we've done it. Very proud of the youngsters [Harsh Dubey and Yash Rathod]."

Vichu: "Congratulations to Vidarbha. Most deserving team, indeed. Well played to our boys representing Kerala too. We took our first step to semis few years ago. We took one more step this time, hopefully a trophy in future!"

Thanks Shashank. The Kerala coach digs bits of the pitch, and takes it with himself. Meanwhile, the Vidarbha squad acknowledges the support of the crowd at Jamatha. It has been a fantastic season for them: they won six out of their seven group games, and followed that up with outright wins in the quarter-final and semi-final. The team now parades around the ground, and salutes their fans.

2.20pm Absolutely magical scenes in Jamtha. A strong crowd in excess of 5000 have trooped in on a hot afternoon to see their team lift the Ranji Trophy. Usman Ghani, their coach, had a straight face for most parts of the game is delighted as one can be. And why not? The entire team gets together in the middle and jumps in delight, some are dancing, some jiving, some not sure how to celebrate, some just soaking in the feeling of being champions. Incredible scenes. Himanshu will wrap the day up.