Ajinkya Rahane played down his lack of big runs in the Ranji Trophy season as he took great pride in Mumbai going on to win their 42nd Ranji Trophy title. The captain said he has always believed in the team-first approach after having led the team to their first title in 8 years. Mumbai defeated Vidarbha by 169 runs on Day 5 of the final of the premier domestic red-ball tournament.
Ajinkya Rahane scored just 218 runs in 8 matches in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 season. 73 of them came in the big final when the captain stitched a 130-run stand with young Musheer Khan after Mumbai were reduced to 34 for 3 in their second innings. While Musheer went on to hit a hundred, Rahane missed out on a well-deserved three-figure score.
Rahane might not have scored big, but the senior campaigner used all his experience to guide Mumbai, who fought back from behind on multiple occasions throughout the season. Rahane’s presence in the dressing room was a big boost to the likes of young Musheer, who credited the captain’s influence on his form in the 2023-24 season.
“Ups and downs as a part of the game, I never think about myself, it is always team first. I’m 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,” Rahane said after lifting the Ranji Trophy on Thursday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Rahane, who lost his place in the Test side after the tour of West Indies in 2023, was expected to score big and keep the selectors interested, but form deserted him in the Ranji Trophy campaign. Rahane was not part of India’s Test squad in the tour of South Africa in 2022-23 and the recently concluded 5-Test series against England.
Mumbai hammered Vidarbha by 169 runs despite a gritty fight from the visiting team in the second innings. Mumbai rode on Shardul Thakur’s rescue act to post 224 in the first innings of the final and bundled Vidarbha out for just 105. Mumbai then set Vidarbha a 538-run target.
Captain Akshay Wadkar hit a hundred and Karun Nair and all-rounder Harsh Dubey hit fifties, but Vidarbha managed only 368 runs in their final innings.
RAHANE CONGRATULATES HIS GOOD FRIEND
Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane also congratulated his good friend and teammate, Dhawal Kulkarni, who finished his first-class career on Thursday. Dhawal shone with 4 wickets, including a crucial 3-wicket haul that broke the back of Vidarbha’s batting line-up in the first innings.
The 35-year-old pacer ended his first-class career with 281 wickets in 95 matches.
“I have been playing with him since Under-14 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,” Rahane said.
