From Rohit Sharma to Ravichandran Ashwin, here’s how the cricket fraternity reacted after Mumbai outclassed Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy final.
With Mumbai living up to their heavyweights tag in the summit clash, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma posted a heartwarming message for one of his former India teammates on Thursday (March 16). Ajinkya Rahane’s Mumbai side ended their eight-year trophyless run by defeating Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium. The Shreyas Iyer-starrer side hammered Akshay Wadkar’s men by 169 runs to seal their record-extending 42nd title in the Ranji Trophy.
Rohit Sharma lauded his former India teammate while R Ashwin praised Ajinkya Rahane after Mumbai’s win(PTI)
Rohit drops special message for ex-India star
Taking to Instagram after Mumbai’s historic win, Indian skipper Rohit shared a special message for veteran Dhawal Kulkarni. Mumbai’s Kulkarni has decided to hang up his boots. “Mumbai cha yodha (Mumbai’s warrior). Well done on a fantastic career,” said Rohit, who recently guided India to a 4-1 series win over England in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). Rohit also attended the Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Vidarbha after the England series.
Hindustan Times – your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.
ALSO READ: Yashasvi Jaiswal got ‘reprimanded’ by Sunil Gavaskar in hotel before 700-plus run series: ‘Who listens in their 20s?’
Ravichandran Ashwin lauds Rahane
Leading the reactions on X, formerly known as Twitter, Rohit’s teammate Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Rahane for guiding Mumbai to title glory. “Congratulations Mumbai on title no 42 @ajinkyarahane88 . #RanjiTrophy,” Ashwin wrote. Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik gave a special mention to Mumbai coach Omkar Salvi. The Mumbai coach replaced Amol Muzumdar last year.
Dinesh Karthik’s special mention
When Mumbai named him the head coach, Salvi was the assistant bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) when Mumbai roped him for the top job last year. “Very happy for Mumbai to have won ranji trophy but happier for the coach OMKAR SALVI. Quietly toiling in the background and doing everything possible to create a good culture and getting the boys to collectively believe in his Vision. Well done to MCA for choosing Omkar,” former KKR skipper Karthik said.
Kulkarni bids farewell in style
Talking about the Ranji Trophy final, retiring Kulkarni bagged the final wicket of the contest to seal Mumbai’s first Ranji title in eight years. The 35-year-old picked up three wickets in the 1st innings. Bowling his eighth over, Kulkarni bagged Umesh Yadav’s wicket as Mumbai recorded a comfortable win over Vidarbha at home.
Kulkarni made first-class debut in 2008
One of Mumbai-cricket’s stalwarts, Kulkarni has played 12 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 2 T20Is for India. The Maharashtra-born made his India debut against England at Edgbaston in 2014. The Mumbai star scalped 22 wickets in the international arena. He also won the Ranji Trophy with Mumbai in 2008-09, 2009-10, 2012-13 and 2015-16 seasons. Kulkarni has played for Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and now-defunct Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
