Ranji Trophy final: Harsh Dubey records his maiden FC fifer
Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey has picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket. The Vidarbha spinner reached the landmark on Day 3 of the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy final against Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium. Despite Dubey's heroics, Vidarbha were left with a target of 538 runs. They bowled out Mumbai for 418 in the second innings. Here are the key stats.
A second-inning fifer for Dubey
Dubey took his first wicket in the form of Vidarbha opener Bhupen Lalwani on Day 2. He then dismissed a well-set Ajinkya Rahane the following morning as the latter scored 73. In his final spell, Dubey got rid of Tanush Kotian, Shardul Thakur, and Dhawal Kulkarni. He bowled the most overs for Vidarbha (48), having conceded 144 runs, including four maidens.
Three wickets in first innings
Dubey was the pick of Vidarbha's bowlers in the first innings as well. He snapped up three wickets for 62 runs in 20 overs, including three maidens. Notably, Yash Thakur also took three wickets in that innings.
A look at his FC career
As mentioned, Dubey registered his maiden five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket. The left-arm spinner made his debut in red-ball cricket during the 2022/23 Ranji Trophy, against J&K. Dubey has now raced to 28 wickets from eight matches at an average of under 30. The tally includes a four-fer and a fifer. Dubey also has a half-century to his name in the format.
Match summary: Vidarbha require 538 runs
Mumbai compiled 224 after Vidarbha invited them to bat in the final. Shardul's late 75(69) bailed out Mumbai, who were down to 111/6 at one stage. In response, Mumbai's concerted bowling effort helped them bundle out the visitors for 105. Mumbai took a massive second-innings lead by smashing 418. Musheer Khan, Rahane, and Shreyas Iyer were their stars. Vidarbha (10/0) are now chasing 538.
