Karun Nair Hits Century as Vidarbha Dominates Kerala in Ranji Trophy Final

Nagpur, March 1: Karun Nair's stunning form continued as he struck his fourth century of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, placing Vidarbha in a commanding position against Kerala in the final here on Saturday.

Pursuing their third Ranji Trophy title, Vidarbha reached 189/3 by tea on the penultimate day, extending their overall lead to 226 runs.

Karun Nair remained unbeaten at 100 off 187 balls, anchoring a crucial 182-run partnership for the third wicket with Danish Malewar. Malewar supported brilliantly with a gritty knock of 73 from 161 balls, hitting five boundaries along the way.

Earlier in the day, Vidarbha faced early setbacks as both openers departed quickly, leaving them struggling at 7/2 within just the first three overs. The remarkable partnership between Nair and Malewar, however, rescued the innings, stabilizing the batting and taking control away from Kerala.

Kerala, appearing in their maiden Ranji Trophy final, had earlier been dismissed for 342 runs on day three, allowing Vidarbha a crucial 37-run first-innings advantage.

Brief Scores:​

• Vidarbha: 379 & 189/3 in 61 overs (Karun Nair 100*; Danish Malewar 73; MD Nidheesh 1/37, Jalaj Saxena 1/63, Akshay Chandran 1/7).
• Kerala: 342.

Vidarbha now stands firmly poised to clinch their third Ranji Trophy, powered by another exceptional batting display from Karun Nair.