Ranji Trophy final: Mumbai prestige at stake against Vidarbha

Vidarbha won the title in 2017-18 and 2018-19 while Mumbai, even in their past 6 trophy-less seasons, reached the final twice.

It’s fitting that at a time when the Indian cricket board is making a push for India cricketers to make themselves available for domestic cricket, the Mumbai-Vidarbha Ranji Trophy final starting on Sunday will be played at the Wankhede Stadium – entry will be free – and not at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s academy ground in suburban Bandra.

Shreyas Iyer in action during the Ranji Trophy semi-final match between Tamil Nadu and Mumbai (PTI)

The storied Wankhede Stadium will also mark its golden jubilee, having hosted its first Test in 1975, when India took on West Indies in their pomp. Wankhede is also where India quenched the thirst of a billion Indians for a ODI World Cup trophy after 28 years in 2011.

For Ajinkya Rahane’s Mumbai boys, this is home. In Vidarbha’s case, it will be about whether they let big match pressure overpower them or show fight like they did in the semi-final win over Madhya Pradesh. Speaking in the pre-match press conference at the stadium, Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar exuded confidence. “It’s a special game for us,” he said. “Any final is special; particularly the Ranji final, more so against the 41-time champions. We look at this as a good opportunity to beat a big side.”

Mumbai surely are a domestic powerhouse. Vidarbha may have shot to prominence in the past few seasons – they were winners in 2017-18 and 2018-19, but even in Mumbai’s past six trophy-less editions, they reached the final twice. They have been winning Ranji Trophy from before Independence, when they were Bombay. Every time they don’t lift the trophy, it’s considered a failure.

This edition, they have been marshalled by Ajinkya Rahane, who despite enduring his poorest first-class run with the bat (134 runs in 11 innings) has done enough in top-flight cricket to command respect from the dressing room. “I am not at all anxious or worried (for runs),” he said. “It’s easy to be a captain and think of only your game, but more important to get them to play to their potential. I want to see many players go on to play for India.”

While Sarfaraz Khan has been away on India duty, younger brother Musheer has filled in nicely in the knockout rounds. Without Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prithvi Shaw has returned with his flashing blade. While only Bhupen Lalwani is aggregating more than 500 runs this season, Mumbai’s lower order has been in sensational form. With Nos 10 and 11 scoring hundreds, Mumbai has no tail. Baroda in the quarter-finals and Tamil Nadu in the semi-finals experienced that first hand.

Vidarbha are a study in contrast. A mix of domestic journeymen cricketers -- none from their past two winning Ranji campaigns -- have come into national contention. Aditya Sarvate, 34, was five years younger when his 11-wicket haul spun them to victory in the 2018-19 Ranji final against Saurashtra. He is still picking wickets (40) in a heap and scoring plenty of runs (365). Additional pizzazz has been added this year by their imports – Karun Nair (616 runs) and Dhruv Shorey (549 runs). Umesh Yadav’s international decline has boosted Vidarbha’s bowling stocks.

Yadav and fellow pacer Yash Thakur may become key figures as Mumbai look to dish out a pitch with a green tinge for their pace trio Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande and Mohit Avasthi to exploit.

One thing Vidarbha has shown this season is the stomach for a fight. This was exemplified best in the semi-finals against Madhya Pradesh, coached by their former coach Chandrakant Pandit who had led them to the previous wins. After conceding a first innings lead of 82 runs and reduced to 161/5, they recovered to post 402 thanks mainly to skipper Wadkar's and Yash Rathod’s sixth wicket stand.

Both the teams are coached by less charismatic characters – Mumbai by Omkar Salvi and Vidarbha by Usman Ghani. “It shows that you don’t need flashy coaches,” Rahane said. “You can stay under the radar and get the best out of the players. Low profile coaches doing well is a good sign for Indian cricket.”