Salman Nizar's 'helmet' helps Kerala reach Ranji Trophy final for first time; Sachin Baby-led side will take on Vidarbha in final

AHMEDABAD: The Ranji Trophy match between Kerala and Gujarat ended in a draw. Kerala reached the Ranji Trophy final for the first time in history after taking a two-run lead in the first innings in the match held at the Narendra Modi Stadium against Gujarat. The match was ended by both teams as Kerala scored 114 losing 4 wickets in the second innings.

Chasing Kerala's 457 runs earlier, Gujarat was all out for 455 runs. Although national players like Sreesanth and Sanju Samson have played before in these tournament, Kerala has not yet reached the final of the Ranji Trophy, which is the premier domestic first-class cricket championship. The team led by Sachin Baby has achieved what many thought was impossible. Kerala reached the semi-finals with a one-run lead thanks to Salman Nisar's century against Jammu and Kashmir in the quarter-finals.

When Gujarat reached 455 in response to Kerala’s first innings score of 457, the last wicket fell with Salman Nizar’s helmet becoming Kerala’s saviour. A shot by Nagwaswala, which would have gone for a boundary, was fielded by Salman Nizar at short leg. The ball struck his helmet, ricocheted over both the batter and the wicketkeeper, and ultimately landed in the hands of Kerala captain Sachin Baby in the slip, making history.

The helmet that saved Salman’s life and Kerala’s game will be preserved as a memento, said Kerala Cricket Association Secretary Vinod S. Kumar.

Meanwhile, in the second semi-final, Vidarbha defeated Mumbai, which had five national team players, by 80 runs to reach the final. Chasing a target of 406 runs, Mumbai were all out for 325 runs. Despite the presence of players like Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav and Shardul Thakur, Mumbai could not win.