Mumbai will face Vidarbha in the finals of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy to be played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai from 10th March onwards.
Mumbai would be high on confidence as they defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 70 runs in the semi-finals. Shardul Thakur led from the front with a match-winning century that helped them to recover from 106 for 7 and helped them to take 232 runs lead.
On the other hand, Vidarbha showed their class as they won by conceding a lead in the first innings and then scoring big in 3rd innings setting a 321-run target for Madhya Pradesh.
Both teams would be looking to win the Ranji Trophy title with good-quality players on each side.
Here we look at the 5 Players To Look Out For In the Ranji Trophy finals between Mumbai and Vidarbha.
- Musheer Khan
Musheer Khan looked impressive in the semi-finals against Tamil Nadu. He came to the crease after the early wicket of Prithvi Shaw. Musheer played brilliantly as wickets fell from the other end.
He showed intent against the pacers and played well against the spinners. Musheer completed his fifty and was deceived with a lovely delivery by Sai Kishore for 55. He would play a key role for Mumbai depending upon the situation and help Mumbai win the title with his brilliant batting.
- Karun Nair
Karun Nair had a decent outing in the semi-finals against Madhya Pradesh. Vidarbha struggled in the first innings as they were bundled out for 170 runs. Nair looked impressive with some lovely strokes and was the 9th batter to be dismissed for 63.
He then came up with another important knock in the 2nd inning. Nair looked impressive playing attacking strokes that made life tough for Madhya Pradesh bowlers. He was eventually dismissed for 38 and helped Vidarbha post a decent total in the 2nd innings.
Nair would play a key role for Vidarbha in the middle order to keep Mumbai bowlers under pressure.
- Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur was at his best during the semi-finals against Tamil Nadu. He got an early breakthrough of Sai Sudarshan with a beauty and then took the wicket of Vijay Shankar. It was a superb bowling effort as Mumbai bundled out Tamil Nadu for just 146 runs in the first innings.
He finished with figures of 2 for 48 in 14 overs. Shardul Thakur then came up with a match-winning knock of 109 off 105 balls including 13 fours and 4 sixes that helped Mumbai recover from 106 for 7. During his brilliance, Thakur attacked the attack to TN bowlers.
The second innings saw Thakur again producing the magic dismissing Sai Sudarshan cheaply. He bowled with great control, picking 2 for 16 in 10 overs helping Mumbai bowl out TN for 162 winning by an innings and 70 runs. For his all-around efforts, Shardul Thakur was named player of the match.
- Umesh Yadav
The experienced Umesh Yadav bowled superbly well in the first innings. He showed great control keeping lines and lengths and not allowing Madhya Pradesh to score runs easily.
Yadav got the early breakthrough by dismissing Yash Dubey. He then produced a stunning delivery to dismiss MP captain Shubham Sharma leaving them under pressure. He finished the innings by getting Kulwant Kherjoliya. Umesh finished with figures of 3 for 40 in 19.3 overs to bowl out Madhya Pradesh for 252.
Umesh struggled in the second innings as he was not able to get any wickets. He gave away 47 runs in his 11 overs. Vidarbha won the match by 62 runs and helped them to qualify for finals.
Umesh would play a key role with the new ball picking early wickets on a pitch that would have swung and troubled the batters.
5. Tushar Deshpande
Tushar Deshpande made use of the conditions in the first innings against Tamil Nadu. He dismissed Ranjan Paul providing a simple return catch. His bowling efforts led to the wicket of Sai Kishore left Tamil Nadu in trouble.
The right-arm pace bowler then got rid of well-set Baba Indrajith. Tushar ended with figures of 3 for 24 in 12 overs that helped Mumbai bundle out Tamil Nadu for a paltry 146.
Tushar could not pick any wickets in the 2nd innings giving away 26 runs in his 9 overs. Mumbai won the match by an innings and 70 runs. He will be key for Mumbai to bowl good lines and take early wickets against a strong Vidarbha batting lineup.
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