Chennai, Jan 23: Rajasthan have been crowned Ranji champions for the second year in a row on the basis of securing a first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu in the 2011-12 Ranji Trophy final. This is Rajasthan’s second win in India’s premier domestic first-class competition in 10 final appearances.
After bowling Tamil Nadu out for 295 runs and gaining a vital first-innings lead of 326 runs, Rajasthan had finished Day 4 at 21 for the loss of no wickets. They lost three wickets in the morning session on the final day as Aakash Chopra (18), Vineet Saxena (13) and Hrishikesh Kanitkar (12) all fell before lunch.
However, Robin Bist, the leading Ranji Trophy run-getter this season, held the Rajasthan second innings together with a half-century before the lunch interval. Bist shared an 81-run stand with Rashmi Parida for the fourth wicket before he was dismissed by TN medium-pacer R Prasanna. Bist fell for 92, eight runs short of what would have been his fifth century of this Ranji Trophy season. Prasanna also removed Rajasthan batsman Puneet Yadav (0) shortly afterwards as a result of which Rajasthan went in to tea at 204 for the loss of five wickets. Rajasthan declared their innings immediately after the tea break with Parida remaining unbeaten on 43.
With TN’s second innings a mere formality, Rajasthan reduced the hosts to eight runs for the loss of two wickets in the latter’s second innings. Slow left-arm spinner Gajendra Singh struck off the very first ball of TN’s second innings to get rid of Yo Mahesh (0) and followed it up with the Abhinav Mukund (1) off the last ball of his next over. Both batsmen were trapped lbw as the match ended in a draw giving Rajasthan a well-deserved win on the basis of their first-innings performance.
Man-of-the-match: Vineet Saxena for his marathon innings of 257 (907 minutes) that propelled Rajasthan to a mammoth score of 621 in their first innings.
