Ranji: Nair-Malewar duo lead Vidarbha on Day 1

Nagpur: A horrible mix-up between Karun Nair (86) and Danish Malewar (138 not out) denied the former a deserving century but their much-needed resistance took Vidarbha to a formidable 254/4 at stumps on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy final against Kerala here on Wednesday.

Nair and Malewar led a strong fightback for the hosts at the VCA Stadium after Kerala seamers struck early thrice to leave Vidarbha struggling at 24/3. The pair put on a resolute 215-run stand for the fourth wicket consuming as many as 414 deliveries across the three sessions, mixing caution with aggression to give Vidarbha a strong footing in the summit clash. But it ended abruptly against the flow of the game, when both Nair and Malewar went for a non-existent run which ended up in the dismissal of the former, 14 runs short of a deserving century.

Earlier, it all began on a nervous note for the hosts Vidarbha on a green-top wicket as the Kerala seamers tested the opposition batters to the hilt. MD Nidheesh (2/33) deserved full marks for finding the right lengths early on with the new ball.