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It was a perfect start to the new year for Vidarbha, as they defeated Delhi by nine wickets to win the Ranji Trophy for the first time ever.
After bowling Delhi out for 295 in the first innings, Vidarbha put on a mammoth total of 547, thus achieving the vital first-innings lead.
The Delhi batsmen weren't able to do much in the 2nd innings as well as they were bowled out for 280. Vidarbha, who had to chase just 29 for victory, did so, in just 5 overs.
Rajneesh Gurbani was named the man of the match for his 8 wickets in the final.
Here is what the players had to say after the match:
Rajneesh Gurbani:
It was a dream come true. I used to dream about the trophy. Very pleased to get the hat-trick and contribute to the team's victory. We are satisfied and we want to see the trophy. We will look to do well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy too.
We always wanted the trophy. After every match we wanted the trophy, and we finally have it in our kitty. I am thankful to Chandrakant Pandit who changed my mindset. He sat with me for hours, and so did Subbu sir (Subroto Banerjee). Where should we celebrate it, sir?
Rishabh Pant:
Yeah, the team that played better, won. Unfortunately we failed in the final. We played well throughout the season, but not in the final. I'm thankful to DDCA, and support staff and Gautam bhaiyya (Gambhir). We've been doing well at all levels. The coaching staff supported us well, but we didn't repay their faith in the final.
Faiz Fazal:
Really worked for the trophy. A fairy tale. Months of training has paid off. The bowlers did really well in the first innings and that set the tone for us. Thakare had some nerves but bowling the first over settled the nerves. I also wanted Gurbani to bowl the second over. This is really a team-effort and I am thankful to the boys, Chandrakant Pandit and Subroto Banerjee. We were working towards it all along, and we have finally achieved it. I didn't start off that well with the bat but I got 5 hundreds in five games after that. I enjoyed the company of Sanju (Ramaswamy).
Here is how the cricketing fraternity reacted to Vidarbha's historic win:
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