History and form make them the odds-on-favourites, but Mumbai are not taking things for granted ahead of the Ranji Trophy final against Saurashtra, beginning at the Wankhede stadium on Saturday.
Skipper Ayush Badoni played the most defining knock of his short but eventful first-class career as his maiden double hundred not only gave Delhi three points against Jharkhand but more importantly kept them in contention for a possible quarter-final berth in the Ranji Trophy on Saturday.
Saurabh Kumar was virtually unplayable on a raging turner, returning with a match-haul of 10 wickets as Rest of India beat Saurashtra
Tanush Kotian's five-wicket haul helped Mumbai bounce back as the visitors bowled out Baroda for 185 in their second innings.
It's a mismatch of sorts. One team is attempting to win its 40th title, the other its first! Yet, the final of the Ranji Trophy between Mumbai and Saurashtra, starting Saturday at the Wankhede stadium, promises a lot more.
Round up of the ranji matches being played on Tuesday.
Replying to Rajasthan's first innings of 201, the hosts were 250 for 6 at stumps on day 2 of the Ranji Trophy Plate final.
Saurashtra batsmen survived nasty body blows from Umesh Yadav during their gallant fight against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy final, which is now on even keel after third day.
Opener Desai was well-supported by Snell Patel (72), Cheteshwar Pujara (67 not out) and Sheldon Jackson (73 not out) as Saurashtra pulled off the 372-run chase by losing just four wickets in 115.1 overs.
'He is one of the most complete cricketers you will ever see.'
Saurashtra took firm control as India discard Jaydev Unadkat grabbed a five-wicket haul to skittle out Vidarbha for a paltry 151 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh. After Unadkat's 5/70 saw Subramanium Badrinath's side being bowled out in just 50.4 overs, Saurashtra batted cautiously to end the day at 70 for one in 30 overs. Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara looked in good touch as he remained unbeaten on 45 from 71 balls with nine boundaries to his credit. With the wicket easing out, Pujara looks set for a long haul and Saurashtra will be aiming to out-bat the opposition. Giving Pujara company is the other opener Sagar Jogiyani, who consumed 87 balls to remain undefeated on 19.
Sheldon Jackson scored a sparkling century to enable Saurashtra post 477 in their first innings against Punjab on the second day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final, in Rajkot, on Thursday.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Wednesday.
Spinner Shams Mulani (5/71) and Himanshu Singh (4/77) wreaked havoc by sharing nine wickets between them as defending champions Mumbai crushed Odisha.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Saturday.
They may be playing in their first Ranji Trophy final in 75 years, and against a team that has 39 titles in its kitty, but Saurashtra aren't getting intimidated by their opponents' credentials. Instead, they are plotting to upset Mumbai's applecart in its own backyard, the Wankhede stadium.
Mumbai crushed Saurashtra by an innings and 21 runs in the final to win their 41st Ranji Trophy title, in Pune, on Friday.
A round up of the fourth and final day's action of the Ranji Trophy matches on Sunday.
Mumbai's bid to clinch their 41st Ranji Trophy crown, and the first after two seasons, got a significant boost with the availability of fit-again pacer Dhawal Kulkarni for the final against Saurashtra in Pune. Kulkarni missed the semi-final against Madhya Pradesh at Cuttack, after picking up an injury during their quarter-final victory over Jharkhand at Mysuru. Other than his inclusion, the Mumbai selectors have retained the squad that secured their place for their 45th title clash in Cuttack. Significantly, when Mumbai clinched their 40th crown, Saurashtra were their opponents in the 2012-13 season. The five-day final will begin on February 24.
Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh led from the front as his four-wicket haul brought Punjab right back in the hunt on the penultimate day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Saurashtra in Rajkot on Saturday.
Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane flopped with the bat as defending champions Mumbai were shocked by Baroda by 84 runs.
Shreyas Iyer would be aiming to revive his start-stop international career, while Ishan Kishan would aim to clear the popular perception about his allegedly 'misplaced priorities'.
Defending champions Mumbai got their Ranji Trophy campaign back on track with an emphatic nine-wicket win over Maharashtra in their second group A league game in Mumbai on Monday, offsetting the heavy loss to Baroda in the opening game.
A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played across India on Saturday.
Suryakumar Yadav and Aditya Tare hit unbeaten half-centuries to put Mumbai in a commanding position against Madhya Pradesh on day three of the Ranji Trophy semi-final in Cuttack, on Monday.
Saurashtra coach Debu Mitra blasted the Railways team management for preparing a track which he feels is not conducive for a first-class match after 18 wickets fell on the first day of the Ranji Trophy tie at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.
A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches played on Saturday.
The Bermuda Cricket Board has roped in Saurashtra's Niraj Odedra as the national team's head coach on a short term basis with an eye on qualification for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States.
A young but mighty Mumbai have history and form firmly on their side when they chase their 41st Ranji Trophy title by locking horns with Saurashtra, who are taking a rare shot at domestic cricket's biggest prize, in the summit showdown beginning in Pune from Wednesday. While Mumbai will be appearing in their 45th final of the top domestic tournament, it is only the second time that Saurashtra are in the title clash. Incidentally, it was Mumbai who put paid to Saurashtra's hopes of a maiden triumph by wrapping the final in three days in 2012-13. That was the only time Saurashtra came close to the title. Mumbai won that match by an innings and 125 runs for their 40th trophy. Three seasons later, the scene remains more or less the same and it will take a huge effort from Saurashtra to upset a side which has almost won more titles than the rest of India combined. For the record, since 1990-91, Mumbai haven't lost any of the 10 finals they have played. Mumbai have at least five of those who played in the earlier final in the squad -- Aditya Tare, Abhishek Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur and Vishal Dabholkar.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Tuesday
Jemimah's success is carved not just from talent and hard work, but from dreams, faith, and an unshakable spirit.
Saurashtra batter Avi Barot, a former India Under-19 captain and a member of the Ranji Trophy winning team in the 2019-20 season, has died after suffering a cardiac arrest at a shockingly young age of 29, the Saurashtra Cricket Association said.
A round-up of Ranji matches played on Sunday
Ravindra Jadeja will captain Saurashtra in their final Ranji Trophy league fixture against Tamil Nadu, starting on Tuesday, marking his comeback to competitive cricket after close to six months.
Round-up of the matches across various venues in the Ranji Trophy
Mumbai off to flourishing start in SMAT, beat Railways by 7 wickets
Doshi represented India in 33 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals from 1979 to 1983.
Vidarbha defeat Madhya Pradesh by 62 runs, to meet Mumbai in final
A summary of the day's play in the Elite division matches of the Ranji Trophy.
Unadkat, who led the team to three premier domestic titles across formats in as many years, said 'this decade and era belongs' to Saurashtra.
