Kerala rode on Aditya Sarwate's gritty knock to mount a fightback against Mumbai on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final. Aditya Sarwate's unbeaten 66 helped Kerala recover from early jitters as they finished Day 2 at 131/3, but still trailin by 248 runs. Earlier, Kerala's bowlers had successfully curtailed Vidarbha's first-innings total to 379, preventing them from reaching the coveted 400-run mark.
Vidarbha, who had aimed for a score closer to 450 after a strong start on the opening day, were anchored by Danish Malewar's career-best 153 and Karun Nair's 86. However, Kerala's bowlers staged an impressive comeback, with MD Nidheesh, Eden Apple Tom, and NM Basil collectively limiting the damage. Basil made a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Malewar, ending his impressive innings of 153. The most significant moment came when Eden Apple Tom removed Vidarbha's in-form Yash Rathod for just three, followed by the dismissal of skipper Akshay Wadkar, both caught behind, allowing Kerala to regain control.
Despite losing key wickets, Vidarbha's lower order contributed valuable runs, with Nachiket Bhute, Akshay Karnewar, and Harsh Dubey adding crucial runs to push their total to 379. In their response, Kerala faced an early onslaught from Vidarbha's bowlers. Darshan Nalkande made significant inroads, dismissing both openers, Akshay Chandran and Rohan Kunnummal, leaving Kerala reeling at 14/2.
However, Aditya Sarwate, a former pivotal player in Vidarbha's Ranji Trophy victories, emerged as a stabilizing force for Kerala. Having switched allegiances to Kerala last season, the experienced 35-year-old displayed resilience and determination, navigating challenging spells to reach an unbeaten 66 off 120 balls, punctuated by 10 boundaries. His performance provided much-needed stability to Kerala's innings, offering hope for a strong fightback.
Aditya Sarwate's innings was not without its moments of fortune. He benefited from Vidarbha's decision not to appeal for a caught-behind dismissal off Akshay Wadkar's bowling in the 25th over, a decision that replays later revealed to be a missed opportunity. Sarwate then formed a crucial partnership with Ahammed Imran, who contributed 37 runs. Their 93-run stand for the third wicket proved vital in stabilizing Kerala's innings. Imran also received a reprieve early on when a catch was dropped by a substitute fielder.
Despite these fielding lapses, Vidarbha managed to break the partnership towards the end of the day's play. Yash Thakur dismissed Imran, who mistimed a pull shot, resulting in a simple catch for a substitute fielder. With Sarwate remaining unbeaten, Kerala will now aim to capitalize on their solid foundation and reduce the deficit on Day 3, hoping to build momentum and put pressure back on Vidarbha.