Watch | Ranji Trophy: How a helmet and a bizarre rule helped Kerala reach historic final

CHENNAI: Kerala edged closer to the Ranji Trophy final for the first time in the 74 years it has been playing in the premier first-class tournament by taking a strong lead against Gujarat on the 5th day at Ahmedabad.

The final dream was well within the reach of Gujarat when they were trailing by just two runs and the team’s No 10 batter Arzan Nagwaswalla looked to smack the ball to the leg side but got a thick inside edge and hit the helmet of the short-leg fielder Salman Nizar, helping skipper Sachin Baby take a dolly of a deflection at slip as the Kerala camp erupted in joy since they knew they were through to the final.

It was agony for Gujarat as they had finally come close with the eighth-wicket pair of Jaymeet Patel and Siddarth Desai adding 60 runs, giving them hope.

Had they equalled the scores, Gujarat would have qualified for the finals as they were leading in the points table. A decisive result is nowhere in the equation with just two sessions left and the team with the first-innings lead would be through to the final.

Why did Gujarat get an nth-moment dismissal?

The rule behind the dismissal was introduced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2017 where it allows a batter to be dismissed if they are “caught”, “stumped”, or “run out” even if the ball strikes the helmet worn by a fielder.

The revision came following the death of 25-year-old Australian cricketer Philips Hughes who was struck by a ball on the back of his neck in 2014. The Masuri helmet he was wearing had left a significant part of his neck exposed. Later, the MCC World Cricket Committee had called for higher standards of helmets for batters facing fast bowlers, wicket-keepers standing up to the stumps, and close-in fielders, except those in slip positions.