5 Unknown facts about the Ranji Trophy

#5 The only tie

Hazare took five wickets in the match

The semi-final of Ranji Trophy 1945-46 is remembered for multiple reasons, the foremost among them being the distinction of the first and only tied match in the 80-year old history of the championship. It was Baroda locking horns with Southern Punjab in a 4-day match at Baradari Ground, Patiala.

The eventful first innings saw Southern Punjab surrender meekly to the duo of Vijay Hazare and Amir Elahi until a resilient Lala Amarnath steadied the ship with a fighting 91. It was then Aftab Ahmed who ran through the Baroda batting order with 6 wickets for 37 runs, thereby securing a 61 run lead for his team.

In the second innings, Vijay Hazare scalped another 5 wickets to achieve his best bowling figures in first-class cricket before scoring a decent 46 with the bat. Both teams were at par when Lala Amarnath dismissed No. 11 Ahmed Patel with Baroda on 207. The outcome was ultimately decided by the flip of a coin that ended up favoring Baroda.