Parthiv's happy Gujarat bunch clinch maiden Ranji title by stunning 41-time champs Mumbai
Gujarat players celebrate their Ranji Trophy victory over Mumbai by lifting skipper Parthiv Patel at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Saturday. Pic/Prakash Parsekar
Indore: Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel stood tall amidst his teammates as well as Ranji Trophy giants Mumbai who Gujarat beat by five wickets to clinch domestic cricket's biggest prize at the Holkar Stadium here on Saturday.
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Members of a dejected Mumbai team at the presentation ceremony at Holkar Stadium in Indore on Saturday. Pic/Prakash Parsekar
Being without the services of India bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel, wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv shoulder the responsibility commendably and guided Gujarat to outplay 41-time Ranji champions Mumbai.
A marathon knock of 144, a first innings 90 in the first innings, six catches behind the stumps and a hand in two run-outs meant Parthiv was more than a mere guiding force.
However, the 31-year-old opener who played 23 Tests, 38 ODIs and two T20Is was lucky to get an inside edge but only to earn four vital runs on at least seven occasions.
Gujarat started the day with all 10 wickets in tact for their of 312 run chase with openers Priyank Panchal (34) and Samit Gohel (21) at the crease. Their crowning glory moment came when Chirag Gandhi cut Shardul Tahkur's short pitched delivery for a boundary after the tea break. Despite some anxious moments Parthiv put on 116 runs for the fourth wicket with Manprit Juneja (54) which was followed by a 94-run stand for the fifth wicket with Rujul Bhatt (27 not out). Parthiv had 24 hits to the fence during his 194 ball innings.
Juneja, who hit eight fours in his knock, played an important role of releasing the skipper's pressure with some splendid shots.
"Honestly, we weren't thinking about runs at all. We just wanted to make sure we play 100 overs and we knew if we do that then we can get the runs. It's difficult to stop runs on this red soil pitch.
"The start was important. We got a good start, but we lost three wickets early on and that is when I changed the tactics by trying to play aggressively to counter attack," said Parthiv.
Mumbai skipper Aditya Tare's disappointment couldn't be measured. Pointing to the lion crest on his chest, Tare said: "It really hurts."
Tare added: "You won't believe me, but even at tea-time we were thinking that we can win this game. That is the sort of belief we had in the dressing room."
But then, very few teams make it to the victory podium after fielding and catching poorly. Mumbai can never under-estimate this factor in all their post mortems.
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