Press Trust of India
Pune, Feb 26: Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy for a record 41st time with a comprehensive innings and 21 run victory over Saurashtra on day three of the five-day final here Friday.
Not many would have predicted Mumbai to run away with the title in less than three days but their bowlers dismissed Saurashtra for 115 to cap off a dramatic day three. It was a repeat of the 2012-13 final where Mumbai had made short work of Saurashtra with an innings and 125-run triumph.
Mumbai were mere 27 runs ahead of Saurashtra at the start of day three before they went on to make 371 after resuming at their overnight score of 262 for eight. Siddhesh Lad (88, 102b, 8×4, 5×6) was their batting hero. He was unbeaten on 22 on play started and added 66 of the 109 runs that Mumbai scored. He put on 103 runs for the last wicket Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Jr) who scored an unbeaten 34 (49b, 6×4).
If Lad was the hero with the bat it was pacer Shardul Thakur (5/26) who shone with the ball. Shardul basically means tiger, and the fast bowler hunted down his preys including Cheteshwar Pujara (27) with ease. Thakur was well-supported by Dhawal Kulkarni (2/34) and Sandhu (2/21).
Shreyas Iyer was deservingly named man of the match for his 117 in Mumbai’s only innings of the match. He ended the season as the leading run-getter with 1321 runs at 73.38 including four centuries and seven fifties.
“You can’t express this feeling at the moment, you always dream of winning the Ranji Trophy. All of us worked really hard for this, and it’s been amazing. I am happy to have contributed with the bat,” Iyer said after the game.
Brief scores: Saurashtra 235 and 115 (Cheteshwar Pujara 27, Shardul Thakur 5/26) lost to Mumbai 371 (Siddhesh Lad 88) by an innings and 21 runs.