Mumbai is called the ‘City of Dreams’; and many dreams were fulfilled on the day of the Ranji Trophy Final as Mumbai beat Vidarbha to win a record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy title at the Wankhede Stadium.
Even though Vidarbha were chasing a mammoth 538-run target in the fourth innings, they still managed to put up a strong fight against Mumbai on the final day. Mumbai were left wicketless in the first session as Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar and Harsh Dubey held off the Mumbai attack.
But Mumbai were always one wicket away from taking control and that is exactly what happened. Wadkar’s dismissal post-lunch triggered a collapse and soon after Mumbai were celebrating win.
Mumbai Beat Vidarbha by 169 Runs to Win Record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy Title
Dhawal Kulkarni, who was playing his last game, took the last wicket, and the whole team rallied around the veteran seamer to celebrate. The rest of the squad, along with coach Omkar Salvi, also came running out of the dressing room. Soon, the families of the whole Mumbai squad followed.
After the post-match presentation, skipper Ajinkya Rahane asked his team to walk over to the only stand which was full of Mumbai fans. The whole team, with Prithvi Shaw carrying the trophy in his hands, followed their skipper towards the fans. The veteran seamer, Kulkarni, was riding on the shoulders of Musheer Khan and Hardik Tamore. Loud Dhols were playing in the background, and it felt like an army marching back home after a hard-fought victory.
The team handed the trophy over to Kulkarni, who raised it high to a huge roar from the crowd. The fans were embracing their team and the achievement with the chants of ‘Dhawal…Dhawal’ as they bid adieu to their very own Mumbai legend. Behind all this commotion was Kulkarni’s family, watching their hero receive all the love he has earned over the years.
The Iyer Cam
Amongst all this was the man who has been in the news quite a lot lately—Iyer. The loud chants of ‘Iyer.. Iyer’ were also heard quite often, and every time they came, Iyer acknowledged and gave a clap back. He was also bombarded with requests for selfies and autographs, to which he happily obliged.
Iyer, who did not take the field for the last two days of the match because of a back issue, was all smiles throughout the ceremony. He pushed youngsters ahead and also did a little Bhangra with them to celebrate the victory. All the noise regarding Iyer and his back issues took a back seat as the KKR captain was busy taking it all in. Musheer and other youngsters called Iyer to hold the trophy and raise it to the fans while they were standing in front of the stands.
‘It means a lot to us…’
Skipper Ajinkya Rahane talked about the importance of this win for Mumbai cricket and the importance of Mumbai players representing India.
“This victory means a lot to us,” Rahane told the media in the post-match conference.
“It is very special, as you mentioned, (Mumbai) representing almost 10 players across formats, which is a very good sign. We all are happy (for) guys who are representing India right now from (the) Mumbai team,” the skipper said.
‘We Started Preparing in June…’
Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur, in an exclusive conversation with News18 Cricketnext, shared the success mantra behind the team’s success.
“We started the preparations for this in June last year itself,” said Thakur after the victory.
“Last two times we lost the finals so all the boys in the team had the fire this time that they have to win this final. We worked on our fitness, our skills and we also went on the practice tours. Even though the tours were not good, but somehow we got to know where we lacked in our game, where do we need to improve, which skill do we need to develop more,” he added.
‘Mentally Fit’
Thakur also shared the challenges of playing Ranji Trophy and the importance of staying mentally fit throughout a long tournament like this.
“If you have to win the Ranji Trophy, you must play 10 first-class games of four days each and then the knockouts of five days each. Moreover, you don’t get enough of a gap between all these matches. Plus, you also need to stay mentally fit as you are on the road all the time. And not only just the players who were playing but also those who were outside have contributed immensely. This season, at least 18-19 players have contributed for the team, and that is why we have won today,” said Thakur.
Mumbai waited for eight years to win the Ranji title as the last time they won was back in 2015-16 under the captaincy of Aditya Tare. For Vidarbha, this was their third Ranji final appearance, and for the first time, they lost in the summit clash.
Players like Thakur, Iyer, Rahane and others will now shift their focus on the upcoming IPL 2024 season.
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