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Gurbani takes Vidarbha to maiden Ranji final

By The Assam Tribune

KOLKATA, Dec 21: Medium pacer Rajneesh Gurbani�s sensational bowling guided Vidarbha to their maiden Ranji Trophy final after they stunned defending champions Karnataka by five runs in a thrilling semifinal, here today.

Gurbani finished with 12 wickets in the match, his best bowling figures, laying the foundation for Vidarbha�s historic win. Vidarbha will now play Delhi for the title of the country�s best first-class team.

After picking up 5/94 in the first innings, Gurbani followed it up with yet another stellar show and almost single-handedly dismantled Karnataka�s chase of 198 runs with match-winning figures of 7/68 in the second essay.

Seven down overnight, Gurbani picked up all the three remaining Karnataka wickets to wrap up the issue for Vidarbha.

Needing just three wickets to record the win, Vidarbha started the fifth and final day as favourites on paper but Karnataka�s tail almost did the job, falling just five runs short.

Brief scores: Vidarbha: 185 and 313 vs Karnataka: 301 and 192 in 59.1 overs (R Vinay Kumar 36, Abhimanyu Mithun 33, Karun Nair 30; Rajneesh Gurbani 7/68). � PTI

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