Most of us are aware of the rules followed in Ranji Trophy and the way the results are decided. The most common result, ofcourse, is a draw. I bet most Ranji results were decided based on the first innings lead (which, ofcourse, is the first criteria to decide on drawn matches. I did find something interesting that happened nearly 27 years ago.
Delhi was playing Karnataka in the finals of the Ranji Trophy, at the Feroz Shah Kotla. The mantra that most teams follow in this tournament, as you can imagine, is bat first and make a huge score and bank on your bowlers to get you that all important first innings lead. G R Vishwanath won the toss and decided that Karnataka would bat first. The team batted really well and piled on 705 runs before being dismissed in the 256th over (surprisingly on the 4th day). This was then the 10th highest score in first class cricket in India. There were 4 centurions in the Karnataka innings with Brijesh Patel top scoring with 125 runs.
Usually first class matches are played for 4 days. But, finals are a 5 day affair. Delhi went into bat early on the 4th day, knowing that the Ranji Trophy was slipping away from their hands. They did a good job at that.. By the end of day 5 (which was the scheduled close of play), they had scored 543 for the loss of 6 wickets. This was a final (probably the rules dictate that since Karnataka did not declare, Delhi would have to bat till they either were all out or they got a first innings lead, whichever came first). The match was extended to a 6th day!!!
Resuming on the 6th morning, Delhi lost their star batsman, Amarnath and were almost down and out at 589 for 8, a staggering 116 runs behind with just 2 wickets in hand.
Rescue act by RS and RP
Rakesh Shukla and Rajesh Peter got together and proceeded to architect a stunning comeback. Their partnership yielded 118 runs for the 9th wicket (Rajesh Peter's 67 would be his highest score in first class cricket) and got the all-important first innings lead without further loss of any wickets.. (Captain, Mohinder Amarnath top scored with 185 runs)
A true thriller but not during any of the 5 scheduled days of the match :)
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