Mumbai clinched their record-42nd Ranji Trophy title after they hammered Vidarbha by 169 runs on the fifth and final day of the summit clash at the historic Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Mumbai’s spin-bowling all-rounder Tanush Kotian (4/95) and pacer Tushar Deshpande (2/53) were the chief architects of the win as their fantastic bowling effort resulted in Vidarbha’s downfall. Mumbai wrapped up their opponents for 368 runs in their second innings in a massive chase of 538.
Despite the commendable efforts of Vidarbha’s captain Akshay Wadkar and Harsh Dubey, who displayed resilience against Mumbai’s bowlers during a wicket-less morning session, resulting in a noteworthy 130-run stand for the sixth wicket. This partnership left Vidarbha with a target of 290 runs to chase on the fifth day of the final.
Wadkar was the first to depart on day five as Kotian caught him before the wickets. The scintillating 102-run knock by Wadkar kept Vidarbha alive in the game. However, after his departure, it was a cakewalk for Mumbai.
Mumbai stalwart Dhawal Kulkarni put the final nail in the coffin as he packed back Umesh Yadav to register a historic victory for his side in Ranji Trophy. Notably, it was also Kulkarni’s final game in the domestic circuit.
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“It is a cricketer’s dream to start and finish on a high. This is my 6th final, 5th time we’ve won and this will be dear for me,” Kulkarni told the broadcasters after the win. “It was an excellent gesture, I didn’t expect Rahane to give the ball to me. Hats off for Tushar who gave the ball to me despite taking two wickets in his last two overs,” he added.
Brief scores:
Mumbai 224 & 418 all out in 130.2 overs (Musheer Khan 136, Ajinkya Rahane 73, Shreyas Iyer 95, Shams Mulani 50 not out; Harsh Dubey 5-144, Yash Thakur 3-79) beat Vidarbha 105 & 368 all out in 134.3 overs (Akshay Wadkar 102, Karun Nair 74; Tanush Kotian 4-95, Musheer Khan 2-48) by 169 runs.
