Gurbani Becomes Second Player to Pick Hat-trick in Ranji Final

Vidarbha seamer Rajneesh Gurbani scythed through Delhi's lower-order for a rare hat-trick in the Ranji Trophy final in Indore on Saturday, 30 December. He’s the first to pick a hat-trick in the tournament’s summit clash since Tamil Nadu’s B Kalyanasundaramo achieved the feat against Mumbai in 1972/73.

Resuming on 271 for six, in-form seamer Gurbani rocked seven-time winners Delhi by removing three batsmen in as many balls in the second morning. The 24-year-old ripped through the shaky defence of Vikas Mishra, Navdeep Saini and Dhruv Shorey off successive deliveries before knocking over Kulwant Khejroliya, to cut short Delhi's innings.

What made the feat even more commendable was that Gurbani, bowling the hat-trick ball, was up against a batsman who was nearing 150. Having found the fence on 21 occasions, including four times in the first session of day 2, Shorey was stunned when Gurbani got one to jag back from a shorter length and knock over the off-stump.

Gurbani delivered three more scorchers on either side of Shorey's dismissal, all resulting in the stumps getting knocked over.

Trouble awaited them as Gurbani got one to prodigiously cut back and remove an unmoved Mishra's off-stump with the fifth ball of the 101st over.

Wasim Jaffer brought into play his years of experience as he guided Vidarbha to 206 for four with an unbeaten half-century after seamer Rajneesh Gurbani scythed through Delhi's lower-order for a rare hat-trick in a Ranji Trophy final here today.

At stumps on the second day, Jaffer was batting on 61 off 120 balls and Akshay Wakhare was yet to open his account, as Vidabha trailed by 89 runs.

(With inputs from PTI.)

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