New Delhi, Feb 25: After India’s thumping six-wicket win over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia lauded the team for their effort and advised them to not be complacent and focus on the big matches ahead.

Virat Kohli’s stunning unbeaten century guided India over the line in 42.3 overs in the chase of 242. His knock was laced with seven boundaries, including his picture-perfect cover drives, reminding his critics of his vintage days.

During the match, Kohli became the fastest batter to complete 14,000 ODI runs and also surpassed Mohammad Azharuddin’s feat for most catches for India as a fielder in ODIs. He was named Player of the Match for his dual heroics.

In bowling, Kuldeep Yadav bagged three wickets while all-rounder Hardik Pandya returned with the figures of 2-31 in his eight overs.

“We don’t need to be complacent… should focus on the big matches ahead (semi-final and final). The entire team is performing well, Rohit (Sharma) is scoring, Virat (Kohli) smashed a brilliant ton and Hardik Pandya bowled really well. So, we’re very happy with the win over Pakistan. 70 per cent of the crowd present in the stadium (in Dubai) was supporting Team India and the atmosphere was electrifying. Everybody is so proud of the team,” Saikia told media.

After registering consecutive wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan in Group A, the Rohit Sharma-led side will next take on New Zealand in their final group fixture on March 2.

Both India and New Zealand have qualified for the semi-finals from Group A with hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh set to make early exits after consecutive defeats in the tournament.

India and New Zealand last faced each other in an ODI in the 2023 World Cup semi-final, where Men in Blue sealed the tie by 70 runs at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to qualify for the summit clash.

On the other hand, South Africa, Australia, England and Afghanistan are in the fray for two semis spots from Group B. South Africa and Australia started their campaign with a win against Afghanistan and England, respectively.

New Delhi, Feb 25: The first-ever finalists Kerala will take on two-time champions Vidarbha in the summit clash of the Ranji Trophy, which will be played at the VCA Stadium here in Jamtha from Wednesday.

Kerala, who entered the semi-final clash only for the second time, will look to seal their maiden title, whereas Vidarbha are aiming to go one step further from their 2024 heartache and win the trophy this time around.

Kerala sealed their maiden Ranji Trophy final by taking a slim two-run first-innings lead over Gujarat, ending a 68-year wait to reach the title clash in India’s premier domestic competition.

Vidarbha, which will make its fourth appearance in the Ranji final after winning the title in 2017-18 and 2018-19, qualified for the summit clash after a commanding 80-run win over defending champions Mumbai.

Here is all you need to know about the Vidarbha vs Kerala Ranji Trophy final:

When to watch: Vidarbha vs Kerala, Ranji Trophy final happens at 9:30 AM IST from February 26 to March 2.

Venue: Vidarbha vs Kerala Ranji Trophy final will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur

Where will the Vidarbha vs Kerala Ranji Trophy final be telecast and live-streamed?

Vidarbha vs Kerala Ranji Trophy final will be available to stream live on the JioHotstar app and website in India. The telecast details are yet to be known.

Squads:

Vidarbha : Akshay Wadkar (captain/wicketkeeper), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Akshay Wakhare, Aditya Thakare, Shubham Kapse, Nachiket Bhute, Siddhesh Wath (wicketkeeper), Yash Thakur, Danish Malewar, Parth Rekhade, Karun Nair, Dhruv Shorey.

Kerala: Sachin Baby (captain), Rohan S.Kunnummal, Baba Aparajith, Vishnu Vinod, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Akshay Chandran, Shoun Roger, Jalaj Saxena, Salman Nizar, Aditya Sarwate, Basil Thampi, M.D. Nidheesh, N.P. Basil, N.M. Sharafuddeen, E.M. Sreehari.

Nagpur, Feb 25: Kerala have set their eye on their maiden Ranji Trophy title when they take on two-time champions Vidarbha in the summit clash, which will be played at the VCA Stadium here in Jamtha from Wednesday.

Kerala has had an impressive season, reaching the semifinals for the second time in their history, previously achieving this milestone in the 2018-19 season. However, they have never advanced beyond this stage since then. But, under the guidance of head coach Amay Khurasiya, the team broke this long-standing barrier and made history by reaching their first-ever Ranji Trophy final after taking a slim two-run first-innings lead against Gujarat.

En route to the final, Kerala drew all four of their group-stage matches, facing Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Bengal, and Karnataka and advanced to the knockout stage.

The Sachin Bay-led team then drew their quarterfinal match against Jammu and Kashmir, progressing to their second-ever semifinal with a first-innings lead. They secured their maiden final berth with a dramatic win in the semifinal.

Kerala’s run to the final has been dotted with key performances from their 38-year-old veteran Jalaj Saxena and Salman Nizar. Saxena completed the rare Ranji double of 6000 runs and 400 wickets earlier in the season, while Nizar has been their highest run-getter with 607 runs at an average of 86.71. Fast bowler MD Nidheesh has become a formidable force and even took a match haul of ten wickets in the quarterfinal.

On the other hand, this will be Vidarbha’s fourth Ranji Trophy final and the second on the trot. The Akshay Wadkar-led side, who have remained unbeaten this year, would like to make amends from last year’s final, where they lost against Mumbai. Interestingly, they secured a commanding 80-run victory over 42-time champions Mumbai to reach the final.

Vidarbha have won five of their seven group stage matches with two ending up in a draw. In the quarterfinal, they defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 88 runs, followed by their win over Mumbai in the semis.

Vidarbha will bank majorly on batter Yash Rathod, who has scored 933 runs in 9 matches this year, at an average of 58, and bowler Harsh Dubey, who has 66 wickets this season. Their skipper also led from the front with his gritty performances and is the second highest run-getter for the team with 674-runs.

Vidarbha, however, retained their 17-member squad for the final of the Ranji Trophy while Kerala are yet to name their sqaud.

Squad-

Vidarbha: Akshay Wadkar (c&wk), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Akshay Wakhare, Aditya Thakare, Darshan Nalkande, Nachiket Bhute, Siddhesh Wath (wk), Yash Thakur, Danish Malewar, Parth Rekhade, Karun Nair, Dhruv Shorey.

Kerala: Yet to be named