After fever cut short his Day One, Vidarbha's Rajneesh Gurbani returns with a hat-trick to demolish Delhi for 295 in Ranji Trophy final
Vidarbha's Rajneesh Gurbani celebrates the dismissal of Delhi's Dhruv Shorey to complete his hat-trick on Day Two of the Ranji Trophy final at Holkar Stadium on Saturday. Pic/PTI
It's often said in cricket that a match can turn in a flash. Vidarbha's hat-trick hero Rajneesh Gurbani experienced it first hand on Saturday after the medium-pacer snarled three consecutive wickets to bundle out Delhi for 295 as they managed to add only 24 runs to their overnight score. Gurbani, who claimed a 12-wicket haul against Karnataka to help Vidarbha enter the Ranji Trophy final, once again was the star performer as his 6-59 helped his team claim the upper hand in the summit clash at Holkar Stadium in Indore. Vidarbha were 206-4, trailing by 89 runs at stumps on Day Two.
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However, everything has not gone as per Gurbani's wishes in this all-important contest. The medium-pacer, 24, on Friday had to go off the field after bowling just five balls of his 16th over due to severe fever and cold. He had claimed the wickets of Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant (21) and Himmat Singh (66) on the opening day.While Vidarbha found ways to tackle Dhruv Shorey, who was unbeaten on 123 on Day One, Gurbani received medical attention in the dressing room during the last session.
"I did not want to leave the field, but I had to, eventually as I couldn't cope with the cold and fever. Thankfully, the medicine worked and I had a good night's sleep which helped me feel better today morning," Gurbani told mid-day from Indore on Saturday. "Our coach (Chandrakant Pandit) gave us some inspiring tips and did not want Delhi to score more than 20 to 25 runs. I was also eager to do well after fever forced me to leave the field early on the first day," he added.
Hopes were high from fit-again Gurbani to deliver something special on Saturday. His moment finally arrived when he cleaned up Vikas Mishra and Navdeep Saini off the last two balls in his seventh over. He then came back to disrupt centurion Shorey's furniture in a similar way. The feat helped Gurbani to become only the second bowler after Tamil Nadu's B Kalyanasundaram (v Mumbai in 1972-73) to claim a hat-trick in a Ranji Trophy final. Gurbani wasn't done yet. Four balls later, in the same over, he dismissed Kulwant Khejroliya to end Delhi's innings. "I was only focused on bowling in the right areas. I didn't even know that I was on a hat-trick at the start of my over. I only realised it when someone from the crowd shouted about it," Gurbani concluded.
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