THE CLASH OF THE TITANS

 

Image Credit- The Indian Express.

Venue- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai [May 1991]

Ranji trophy is one of the oldest and most prestigious cricket tournaments of our country. Even though IPL has taken all the limelight today, but the prestige of Ranji trophy will always remain intact. Today we don't see international cricketers toiling hard for this coveted trophy. However this was not always the case. Legendary Sachin Tendulkar played a total of 38 Ranji trophy games despite of his hectic international schedule. In those 38 games he averaged 87.36 which is truly unbelievable. Out of the 38 games he featured in, he faced defeat in only one game. Which match it was? This blog deals with that. 

In the summer of 1991 Kapil  Dev led Haryana were facing the tournament favorites Mumbai in the finals of the Ranji trophy. The match was to be played in Wankhede Stadium which was a bonus to the Mumbaikars. Kapil Dev won the toss and elected to bat first. On a batting friendly wicket the Haryana side did not start off very well as they lost their first wicket at the score of 5. It is when Ajay Jadeja joined Deepak Sharma on the crease and slowly and steadily the duo brought back Haryana into the game. Jadeja missed a well deserved hundred as he was dismissed for 94, but he ensured that Haryana goes on to make a big score. Deepak Sharma scored a brilliant 199 before he was dismissed by Salil Ankola. Apart from Deepak Sharma and Ajay Jadeja, Chetan Sharma also scored a vital 98 and took Haryana total way past 500. Eventually the visitors were bowled out for 522 in their first innings. 

In response the hosts were bowled out for 410 runs. Lalchand Rajput scored 84 whereas Sanjay Patil scored a crucial 85. Apart from these 2 batsmen every Mumbaikar got a start, but failed to convert it into something big. The hosts know knew that if they want to lift the trophy they have to win the game or else Haryana will lift the cup. As a result the Mumbai bowlers came out strong in the second innings and bowled out Haryana for 242 in the second innings. Despite all this the hosts needed 355 runs to win the match. Furthermore there was little more than 2 sessions left in the end of the play. As a result everyone was expecting a draw. Furthermore the Mumbaikars lost 3 quick wickets just at the score of 34. So it appeared that it is quite impossible for them to win the test. Even a draw looked difficult.

With only two sessions remaining, 321 runs to score, and seven wickets in hand, most of the teams would settle in for a draw. But the then Mumbai or Bombay was not an ordinary side. While Tendulkar, then 18 years old, was just getting started, Vengsarkar, who was 34 at the time, was past his prime but was still a batsman of the highest caliber. There was little doubt that they were two of the top batting talents in the nation, despite the fact that their careers may have been at complete opposite ends of the spectrum.

Tendulkar built the groundwork for Mumbai's pursuit. The young boy launched an impressive attack. Despite his youth, he engaged the opposition head-on and pursued targets like Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma. He scored 96 runs off of just 75 balls, including five sixes, and dominated his 134-run partnership with Vengsarkar. Sachin never lost his shape or played cross-batted. All of the spectator cricket fans in the stadium gasped in wonder after one of his strokes to Kapil Dev. He merely punched the ball off his front foot, which caused it to fly flat and strike the sightscreen even though it had been pitched slightly up.

After Tendulkar was dismissed, Mumbai still had a lot of work to do. The left-hander Vinod Kambli stepped in after Tendulkar's departure and scored vital 45 runs, thereby adding 81 runs with Vengsarkar for the fifth wicket. But while they were batting together, Vengsarkar began to cramp, so Rajput was asked to serve as his runner. Once Kambli was dismissed, it was up to the seasoned player Vengsarkar to help his team score the final 106 runs. The hosts appeared to have the advantage at that time with five wickets still remaining. But the game's twists and turns were far from over. The final recognizable batsman before the tailenders was Chandrakant Pandit, who entered at no. 7. However, he lost his wicket for only 12 runs after making a hasty hit. In no time Mumbai lost 3 more quick wickets and the scorecard read 305/9. The hosts needed more than 50 runs to win, whereas the visitors were just wicket away from a famous win. 

However Vengsarkar batted sensibly along with the number 11 Kuruvilla and took Mumbai closer to the target. The Mumbai scorecard read 352/9 with 3 runs required in 15 deliveries. It seamed that Mumbai side will clinch a famous win in the Wankhede. But, this is when we witnessed a final twist to to the tale.  The hosts had a terrible run-out. Kuruvilla attempted to play the ball backward square-leg but was mistaken for Rajput and was ultimately run-out. The defeat was painful for Mumbai. Standing next to the square-leg umpire, Vengsarkar saw the dramatic change of events and fell to his knees in tears. It was a terrible finale for a man who had scored an undefeated 139 off 137 balls while displaying equal parts brilliance and bravery. 

The entire stadium went silent. No one could believe what they have just witnessed.  The unthinkable had happened. The favorites have been defeated. Haryana under Kapil Dev won their first Ranji trophy. Till date this remained the only Ranji trophy game which Sachin Tendulkar lost. 22 years later he played his final Ranji game against Haryana in Lahli wherein he scored an unbeaten 79 and ensured that they win the game against Haryana. The side which did the unthinkable 22 years earlier. 

[The author failed to find a video recording of this test. As a result, no clip has been posted this time.]

References- 1. ESPN CricInfo.

2. Aditya Chaturvedi, Underdog Story: How Haryana defeated the mighty Bombay in the great Ranji trophy final of 1991, The Scroll. Accessible at-  https://scroll.in/field/961236/underdog-story-how-haryana-defeated-mighty-bombay-in-the-great-ranji-trophy-final-of-1991