Umesh Yadav recorded his career-best figures of seven for 48 as he helped Vidarbha bowl Kerala out for 106 on the first day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Wayanad on Thursday.
Yadav and his fellow fast-bowler, Rajneesh Gurbani, shared four wickets before 10 overs as Kerala were tottering with just 28 runs on the board.
Yadav’s best bowling figures in Tests are six for 88 while his previous best first-class figures were seven for 74. He had earlier taken a five-wicket haul in the second innings against Uttarakhand to put Vidarbha in the semi-final.
Yadav’s onslaught continued as the Kerala batsmen departed in quick succession. Captain Sachin Baby (22), Vishnu Vinod (37 not out) and Basil Thampi (10) apart, none of Kerala’s batters registered a double-digit score. Three of them returned to the pavilion without scoring a run.
As Yadav picked up seven wickets, Gurbani took the other three. Kerala could not contend with the Vidarbha pacers and were dismissed in 28.4 overs.
This is Kerala’s first semi-final appearance in Ranji Trophy and they need a remarkable turnaround to win it from this stage.