Mumbai skipper Rahane lauds Vidarbha’s fight in Ranji finals; says he is “happiest” despite lack of form

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 14 (ANI): Having scored a 169-run win over Vidarbha to capture their 42nd Ranji Trophy title, Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane said that he is the “happiest” despite not being among runs this year so far and noted that it is a phase that every player goes through.

Mumbai skipper Rahane lauds Vidarbha’s fight in Ranji finalsMumbai skipper Rahane lauds Vidarbha’s fight in Ranji finalsMumbai skipper Rahane lauds Vidarbha’s fight in Ranji finals. Even though the margin of victory indicates a dominant performance from Mumbai, Vidarbha put up a fight with Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar and Harsh Dubey striking a defiant partnership.

“I never think about myself, it is always team first. I am the happiest that we are champions despite me being the lowest run scorer for the team this year. This is a phase every player goes through, you need to keep working hard. Tonight, we celebrate. We enjoy the win because this has been a long, hard season.

Whenever we get back in June, we will plan for the next season. I want to credit the Mumbai support staff for their efforts in the backend throughout the season,” Rahane said at the post-match presentation.

Rahane had a very disappointing Ranji with the bat. In eight matches, the Indian middle-order veteran scored just 214 runs in 13 innings at an average of 17.83, with just two half-centuries. His best score was 73.

Rahane lauded Vidarbha for putting up a fight during the game, scoring 368 runs in their run-chase of 538 runs.

“Before talking about us, I want to take a moment to appreciate Vidarbha. The way they showed fight throughout, it would have been very easy for them to give up. The way they have been playing for the last 7-8 years has been great to see,” said Rahane.

Talking about the Mumbai cricket legend Dhawal Kulkarni, who is retiring from first-class cricket, that he has been a role model for the youngsters.

“I have been playing with him (Dhawal) since U14 level, we toured U19 for India together. The way he conducts himself on and off the field, sharing his experiences with the younger boys has been really helpful for the side. He has been a role model, someone to look up to. I want to wish Dhawal all the very best in whatever he does with his future,” concluded Rahane.

Coming to the match, Vidarbha opted to bowl first and bundled out Mumbai for 224 in their first innings, with Shardul Thakur (75) and Prithvi Shaw (46) doing the bulk of the scoring. Yash Thakur (3/54) and Harsh Dubey (3/62) were the top bowlers.

Mumbai got a 119-run first-innings lead as Shams Mulani (3/32), Tanush Kotian (3/7) and Dhawal (3/15) bundled out Vidarbha for 105 runs with Yash Rathod scoring 27 and Atharva Taide 23.

Mumbai’s overall lead increased to 537 runs as century from Musheer Khan (136), fifties from Shreyas Iyer (95), Rahane (73) and Mulani (50) took Mumbai to 418 runs in their second innings. Harsh Dubey (5/144) was the pick of the bowlers for Vidarbha.

Chasing 538, Vidarbha was 223/5, but a 130-run partnership between skipper Akshay Wadkar (102) and Harsh Dubey (65) gave them a chance to fight. Tanush Kotian (4/95) was the pick of the Mumbai bowlers, Tushar Deshpande and Musheer got two wickets while Dhawal and Mulani got one as they all restricted Vidarbha to 368 runs, winning the game by 169 runs.

Musheer was the ‘Player of the Match’ with his century and two wickets in the second innings.