Image Credit- The Hindu
Venue- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai [March 2024].
On 14th March 2024 Mumbai ended their 8 years wait as they defeated their state side Vidarbha in the Finals of the Ranji Trophy at Wankhede. It is interesting to note that it was Vidarbha who won the toss and elected to field first. But it was Mumbai who had the last laugh. Be it batting or bowling, the Mumbaikars outplayed their opponents in each and every department.
The Hosts got a solid start as the openers shared an opening stand of 81 runs. However, the Mumbaikars failed to capitalize on their great start as they were bowled out for just 224 in their first innings. Shardul Thakur was the leading scorer for the Hosts as he scored a quickfire 75 of 69 deliveries and took his team to a fighting total. In response Vidarbha were bowled out for just 105 in their first innings. The Mumbai Bowling Attack just blew away the Vidarbha Side in this do or die encounter.
Due to their lethal bowling, Mumbai got an edge in the game, and they made sure that they capitalize it to the fullest. Riding on Musheer Khan's 136 and Iyer's 95 the Hosts piled up a score of 418 in their second innings. The Mumbai Batsmen were on their best at a time when it mattered the most.
In order to win the title Vidarbha required 538 runs to win the game. It was never going to be easy, and the bowlers of Mumbai made sure there is no upset. Even though Vidarbha fought hard but were eventually bowled out for 368 in their second innings. Akshay Wadkar (102) and Karun Nair (74) tried their best but failed to get their side past the target.
It was a perfect farewell for Dhawal Kulkarni who was playing the final game of his career. It was indeed a dominant performance on the part of the Hosts as they beat Vidarbha by 169 runs to win their 42nd Ranji Title.
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