Sachin Tendulkar congratulated Mumbai for the title win but did not forget to mention the gallant effort of the Vidarbha batters in the second innings.
Legendary India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar summed up the Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Vidarbha quite beautifully in just one tweet. It was an interesting final. For the better part, it seemed Mumbai were going to win it in a canter. For they were so far ahead of the game after the first three days but the way Vidarbha fought back in their second innings was commendable and to a certain extent, even unexpected.
Former India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar(PTI)
Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar (102) and the unheralded Harsh Dubey (65) kept Mumbai at bay for the entire first session after Vidarbha resumed on 248 for five, needing another 290 runs to win. The team was eventually bowled out for 368. Mumbai ended their eight-year barren run to lift a record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy title on Thursday, beating a resolute Vidarbha by 169 runs on the fifth and final day of a thoroughly engrossing summit clash.
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Tendulkar, who was present at the Wankhede stands on the third day of the final, congratulated Mumbai for the title win but did not forget to mention the gallant effort of the Vidarbha batters in the second innings.
“Many congratulations to @MumbaiCricAssoc on winning their 42nd Ranji Trophy! Vidarbha’s resilience added to the spectacle, especially Karun, Akshay & Harsh, who batted extremely well and made the match very interesting.
“Mumbai’s bowlers kept bowling relentlessly, and finally the breakthrough was provided by Tanush, who picked up four wickets in the 4th innings. A fantastic display of cricket that had us all captivated. This is what makes domestic cricket so very important,” Tendulkar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The fate of the final — Mumbai’s 48th in the 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.
In a contest that ebbed and flowed, Mumbai came out as the winners after Vidarbha frustrated them for long periods of play in the last two days.
Wadkar not only led the fight for his side with his first century of the year while also crossing the 600-run mark this season. Dubey brought up only his second fifty of the first-class career.
Together, they forged the longest stand of the innings, consuming 255 balls in 194 minutes from day four until a little after the resumption of the second session on the final day.
Wadkar fell shortly after play resumed — leg before off Tanush Kotian (4/95) — and once the pair was broken, it all ended in a jiffy for the visitors who have now lost the Ranji Trophy final on the third instance after winning two titles.
Tushar Deshpande continued to employ the short ball to dismiss Dubey (65 off 128 balls, 5 x4s, 2x6s) 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.
