Why Madhya Pradesh winning maiden Ranji Trophy is a historical feat
Ranji 2021-2022 champions Madhya Pradesh with the trophy. (Photo credit: BCCI)
It's highly unlikely that you would know the name of the players of Madhya Pradesh (MP) cricket team, unless you follow domestic cricket closely. Mumbai, on the other hand, is full of players who have played international cricket and have won the Ranji Trophy for a record 41 times.
But that didn't stop the Aditya Shrivastava-led side to completely outplay the domestic powerhouse in the final and win the match by six wickets to lift their maiden title at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
On the final day of the match, Mumbai could only manage to score 269 in their second innings, which meant that MP needed just 108 runs to win the game.
That Winning Feeling! ?? ??
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) June 26, 2022
Madhya Pradesh Captain Aditya Shrivastava receives the coveted Ranji Trophy ?? from the hands of Mr Jayesh George, Honorary Joint Secretary, BCCI ?? ??@Paytm | #RanjiTrophy | #Final | #MPvMUM
Scorecard ?? https://t.co/xwAZ13D0nP pic.twitter.com/qDX68IF5UT
MP lost four wickets in the chase, but in the end the target was just too easy for them. First innings centurion Rajat Patidar remained unbeaten on 30 and also hit the winning runs.
HOW MP WON THE GAME
After winning the toss, Mumbai decided to bat first in the summit clash of the tournament. Inspired by a terrific century by Sarfaraz Khan (134), Yashasvi Jaiswal (78) and 47 runs by captain Prithvi Shaw, Mumbai scored 374 in their first innings. Gaurav Yadav picked four wickets for Madhya Pradesh while Anubhav Agarwal took two.
In reply, Madhya Pradesh scored a massive 536 runs in their first innings with Yash Dubey (133), Shubham Sharma (116), and Rajat Patidar (122) all scoring centuries. Shams Mulani took five wickets and Tushar Deshpande took three, but MP took a crucial 162-run lead.
????????. ??. ??????! ?? ??
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) June 26, 2022
Madhya Pradesh beat Mumbai by 6 wickets & clinch their maiden #RanjiTrophy title?? ?? @Paytm | #Final | #MPvMUM
Scorecard ?? https://t.co/xwAZ13D0nP pic.twitter.com/XrSp2YzwSu
In the second innings, Mumbai were bundled out for 269 with Kumar Kartikeya taking four and Gaurav Yadav and Parth Sahani picking two wickets each. For Mumbai, Suved Parkar (51) was the only player to cross the 50-run mark.
MP needed just 108 runs in the final innings and they reached the target with six wickets in hand. Patidar was not out at 30
THE LEGENDARY CHANDRAKANT PANDIT
MP coach Chandrakant Pandit has now won a record sixth national title as a coach. He took Mumbai to three titles, Vidharbha to two titles and now has lifted the trophy of India's premier domestic tournament with MP.
Of captain-coach's solid partnership & Madhya Pradesh's maiden #RanjiTrophy triumph. ?? ??
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) June 26, 2022
DON'T MISS as Aditya Shrivastava & Chandrakant Pandit chat after the team's historic title win. ?? ?? - By @ameyatilak
Full interview ?? ?? @Paytm #Final #MPvMUMhttps://t.co/NzPgncmV8Z pic.twitter.com/1gPpzvRsm1
India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik and former India Test player Wasim Jaffer took to Twitter to laud Pandit.
Chandu bhai, tumhaala maanla ????
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) June 26, 2022
1st Mumbai, then Vidarbha, and now MP, it's incredible! Best coach when it comes to winning trophies ?? Many congratulations to skipper Aditya Shrivastava, MP team, and support staff ???????? #RanjiTrophyFinal pic.twitter.com/BqR1gGXtDW
Karthik even called him Alex Ferguson of Ranji Trophy. Ferguson is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time.
Lovely pictures @BCCI
— DK (@DineshKarthik) June 26, 2022
Couldn't be happier for CHANDU sir . Amazing
- Understanding personality traits
- Preparing them accordingly
- Using them tactically to win championships ??
ALEX FERGUSON of RANJI trophy #GOAT https://t.co/N7CdX3WU2b
WHY IS IT A BIG DEAL?
Madhya Pradesh had last won the Ranji Trophy 69 years back, and at that time MP was known as Holkar state. But, the 2021-22 Ranji victory is one of the greatest achievements for the team since they reached the tournament's final in 1998-99 season.
?? Post #RanjiTrophy triumph ?? scenes, straight from the Madhya Pradesh dressing room. ?? ??@Paytm | #Final | #MPvMUM pic.twitter.com/zR39YSFSLs
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) June 26, 2022
And considering that Mumbai had the likes of Prithvi Shaw, Dhawal Kulkarni, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan, MP had a huge task ahead. But they almost made the final one-sided even when their star bowler Avesh was absent. He is part of the India squad touring Ireland for the T20I series.