A classic Bollywood ending
Mumbai, March 14
Domestic heavyweights Mumbai ended their eight-year drought to lift a record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy here today, beating a resolute Vidarbha by 169 runs on the fifth and final day of an engrossing summit clash.
Sun sets on Kulkarni’s career
The win also brought an end to the career of Mumbai and India seamer Dhawal Kulkarni, who retired after taking 281 wickets in 95 First-Class matches while having also played 12 ODIs and two T20Is for the country. Kulkarni said he has no complaints about not having a long career on the international stage. “What is gone is gone, I look at the future than what has happened in the past. I know I should have played more cricket for the Indian team,” Kulkarni said. The right-arm pacer said he would be available to take up any role which keeps him associated with the sport. “I have not thought about it much but cricket has given me so much that I want to give it back to cricket.” PTI
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For the Ranji Trophy behemoths Mumbai, it was their 11th win in 13 finals at the Wankhede
It is important to keep growing, keep thinking about how we can get better as a team in all the formats. We want to repeat this in the coming years so our focus will be on that. — Ajinkya Rahane, Mumbai Captain
The fate of the final — Mumbai’s 48th in 90 years of the tournament’s history — here at the iconic Wankhede Stadium was sealed when the hosts set a 538-run target for the visiting team.
Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar (102) and the unheralded Harsh Dubey (65) kept Mumbai at bay for the entire first session on the last day after Vidarbha resumed on 248/5, needing another 290 runs to win.
The team was eventually bowled out for 368 in a contest that ebbed and flowed with Vidarbha frustrating the hosts for long periods of play on the last two days.
Wadkar led the fight for his side with his first century of the year, which also helped him cross the 600-run mark this season. Dubey brought up only the second fifty of his First-Class career.
Together, they forged the longest stand of the innings, consuming 255 balls in 194 minutes from Day 4, until a little after the resumption of the second session on the final day.
“When we spoke in the huddle and about partnerships, not for once did we say that we were out of the game. We were only thinking about pulling it off as batters together,” Wadkar said.
Wadkar fell shortly after play resumed — leg before off Tanush Kotian (4/95) — and once the stand was broken, it all ended in a jiffy for the visitors who have now lost the Ranji final for a third time after winning two titles.
Tushar Deshpande continued to employ the short ball to dismiss Dubey and Aditya Sarwate, who missed the majority of the game owing to a back spasm.
While Kotian cleaned up Yash Thakur (6) for his fourth wicket, Dhawal Kulkarni signed off from all forms of cricket with the final wicket of the game in the form of Umesh Yadav for a fairytale ending.
For a team which paid a heavy price for a poor first-innings score — 105 to concede a 119-run lead in response to Mumbai’s 224 — Vidarbha showed quite some resilience in the second innings.
Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane praised Vidarbha for their gritty display before lifting the trophy. “I want to appreciate Vidarbha’s fight. Chasing 538, giving up is easy but they played really well,” he said.
The Mumbai team will receive an additional Rs 5 crore for its triumph after the state cricket association doubled the prize money today.
Brief scores: Mumbai: 224 & 418 vs Vidarbha: 105 & 368 in 134.4 overs (Wadkar 102, Nair 74, Taide 32, Mokhade 32; Kotian 4/95)
