Vidarbha’s fast bowler Rajneesh Gurbani, who has already claimed a star status in the domestic circuit in a small time, continued to shone for the minnows in their Ranji Trophy final match against Delhi on Saturday.
Gurbani took a hat-trick to help Vidarbha restrict Delhi to 295 in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy final. The medium pacer bowled Vikas Sharma and Navdeep Saini in last two deliveries of his 23rd over and dismissed Dhruv Shorey on the first ball of his 24th over to complete a hat-trick.
Taking his first hat-trick in the first class cricket, the 24-year-old from Nagpur the second bowler after Tamil Nadu's B Kalyanasundaram to claim a hat-trick in a Ranji Trophy final match.
Kalyanasundaram had taken the first ever hat-trick in 1972/73 during final between Chennai against Mumbai.
Gurbani excelled for Vidarbha in the semi-final, in which he took 12 wickets to help them beat favourites Karnataka to enter their maiden Ranji Trophy final.
Earlier, Indian pacer Umesh Yadav had said he would like to see him becoming second bowler from Vidarbha to play for the national team after him.
"He has been bowling really well in recent times. This was his fifth five-wicket haul and in the final he will do well I am sure. My best wishes will be with him always. I wish he becomes the second player from Vidarbha to make it to the Indian team," he said as quoted by IANS.
