Kolkata, Dec 21 : Rajneesh Gurbani, a qualified civil engineer whose 12-wicket match haul helped Vidarbha beat Karnataka by five runs to qualify for their maiden Ranji Trophy final, on Thursday revealed that his eyes welled up when he saw coach Chandrakant Pandit ecstatic.
"I got quite emotional after getting the final wicket and seeing Chandu sir's reaction," said Gurbani, who returned career-best figures of 7/68 in the second innings to star for Vidarbha in a topsy-turvy match that swung in favour of both sides.
"I was quite nervous all throughout the night, first woke up at 12:30 thought it was 6 am, again I woke up at 4:30 couldn't sleep any more got up at 5 am and got ready within 6. We were determined to reach the finals this year after having lost in the quarter-finals twice," said Gurbani.
Gurbani passed with 68 percent marks in his BE exams. He only played his first List A game after completing his final semester where he scored 80 percent.
"When I went to the ground, coach sir motivated me and calmed my nerves somewhat. On the field, when wickets were not coming, I was feeling a bit restless and then my captain, senior teammates and Chandu sir told me to calm down," Gurbani said.
The young pacer added that the presence of India speedster Umesh Yadav, who was largely ineffective in the second essay, was a dream-come-true moment.
"The presence of Umesh Yadav was a big help for me and it was my dream to open the bowling with Umesh bhaiya. From one end, he was bowling fast and watching him bowl, I was feeling very relaxed. Umesh Yadav is my idol and he is my favourite fast bowler," he said.
Gurbani returned figures of 7/68 and a match haul of 12/162 and was declared man of the match.
In the first innings, Vidarbha chose to bat and were skittled out for 185. Karnataka, in reply, rode Karun Nair's brilliant 153 to amass 301.
Karnataka, who resumed on 111/7, were bowled out for 192 in the first session of the fifth and final day chasing 198 for victory.
