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 for three.

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.