Ranji Trophy semi-final: 'Rajneesh Gurbani, you beauty!' Twitter left in awe as Vidarbha edge Karnataka in nail-biter

Vidarbha left India's cricketing circle in awe as it defeated Karnataka in a thrilling Ranji Trophy semi-final on Thursday.

Trailing by 116 runs in the first innings, Vidarbha came back to register a sensational five-run win at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The star of the show was fast-bowler Rajneesh Gurbani. Although Vidarbha had premier Indian pacer Umesh Yadav in its ranks, it was Gurbani who stole the limelight with his match haul of 12 wickets.

The 24-year-old right-arm quick returned with figures of 7 for 68 in Karnataka's second innings to set up Vidarbha's date with Delhi in the Ranji Trophy 2017-18 final.

Twitter couldn't get enough of the 'underdog's' stunning victory on Thursday. From noted commentator Harsha Bhogle to former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra, congratulatory messages kept pouring in for Gurbani and the entire Vidarbha team.

Here are some tweets

What a thriller - the SF between Vidarbha and Karnataka at the Eden Gardens.
Do you remember the 1997-98 SF which Karnataka won by 1 wicket v Hyderabad?
Dodda Ganesh was celebrating when Karnataka needed 1 run which irked skipper Dravid, who was shouting - One run is needed!

— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) December 21, 2017

If you have a raw, talented team and want to make it a winning team, look no further than Chandrakant Pandit.
Well done Vidarbha!#RanjiTrophy2017

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) December 21, 2017

What a result for Vidarbha! Must have been a thriller to watch. Will be keeping an eye out for Rajneesh Gurbani. Hearing good things about him.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 21, 2017

Vidarbha create history making it into the finals of #ranji trophy 2017.The man who made all the difference. Well bowled@Rajneesh gurbani pic.twitter.com/ZVnbVCbLul

— karnn sharmaa (@sharmakarn03) December 21, 2017

Rajneesh Gurbani, you beauty! What an absolute thriller. Vidarbha beats Karnataka by 5 runs, thanks to Gurbani's 7-fer and will play the first ever final in their #RanjiTrophy history.

— Srini Mama  (@SriniMama16) December 21, 2017

Rajneesh Gurbani. You beauty. Singlehandedly bowling Vidarbha into the #RanjiTrophy final. What a spell, what a bowler.

— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) December 20, 2017

Vidarbha, you beauty. What a season...played like a top team right from the beginning. #RanjiTrophy

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 21, 2017

The second semi-final between Karnataka and Vidarbha at the iconic Eden Gardens couldn't have asked for a better finish. Rajneesh Gurbani's seven-fer didn't let Abhimanyu Mithun's cameo ruin Vidarbha's commendable effort of playing their first ever Ranji final. #KARvVID

— Wasim Sheikh (@iamwasimsheikh) December 21, 2017

What a win!!! Glad I cud play small role. Rajneesh was awesome. 12 wkts in semis is fantastic. Now for a repeat vs Delhi. BOL Vid#Vidarbha #RajneeshGurbani #Ranjitrophy pic.twitter.com/yJdH90CQ46

— Umesh Yaadav (@y_umesh) December 21, 2017

Outright win from a first innings deficit against arguably the best team in domestic cricket, thats the greatness of our game,got to love it. Well done and congrats Vidarbha #RanjiTrophy @BCCIdomestic

— Deep Dasgupta (@DeepDasgupta7) December 21, 2017

Congratulations Vidarbha for its first-ever Ranji Final.

— Sanjay Dixit संजय (@Sanjay_Dixit) December 21, 2017

Closest finishes in Ranji Trophy knockouts:

2 runs - Haryana v Mumbai, 1991-92 Final

5 runs - MP v Karnataka, 1992-93 Pre-QF

5 runs - Vidarbha v Karnataka, 2017-18 semifinal#RanjiTrophy2017

— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) December 21, 2017

Now that Vidarbha has reached Ranji Trophy final, it's time to take us seriously.
Go Vidarbha!!! We are so gonna win the trophy. #RanjiTrophy2017

— Pushkar Trivedi (@beingnotorious2) December 21, 2017

You just got to love the ranji trophy ..... what an exciting game of cricket to start the day ..... well done Vidarbha..... now put on another solid show against Delhi in the final #RanjiTrophy

— Dhruv Mullick (@DhruvMullick) December 21, 2017

What a match this has been.. an absolute thriller and #vidarbha holding the nerve in the end. Domestic cricket at its best @BCCIdomestic . Take a bow #RajneeshGurbani #RanjiTrophy2017 #karnatakavsvidarbha.

— Abhishek Joshi (@joshiabhi19) December 21, 2017

Well done #Vidarbha. Wat a nail biting #RanjiTrophy semis.

— Devendra Pandey (@pdevendra) December 21, 2017

Deserving winners, Vidarbha. What a match. Fitting of a semi-final. Hope they go on to win the title. Rajneesh Gurbani, their new star. #RanjiTrophy

— Shashank Kishore (@captainshanky) December 21, 2017