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Vinayak Samant celebrates his hundred in the Ranji final yesterday. PICS/ SURESH KK</td></tr></tbody></table>'Keeper Samant, the oldest player in the Mumbai team, is also the fittest his hundred and five dismissals in an innings provide strong proof of it He is the oldest player in the Mumbai dressing room. But he is probably the fittest too. Moreover, his wit has made the gritty customer the most popular player in the dressing room. So, it wasn't surprising to see the whole dressing room giving Vinayak Samant a standing ovation, and a round of applause when Samant, who was saddled with the additional responsibility of opening the innings, jumped in the air after completing his maiden ton minutes before lunch. In control Riding on Samant's 113, his 146-run opening stand with skipper Wasim Jaffer (85), and Rohit Sharma's 108, Mumbai finished their second innings at 367 on the penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy final at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. It leaves Uttar Pradesh an improbable target of 525 runs off a maximum of 90 overs. When a 36-year-old keeps wickets for 100 overs and then bats for 312 minutes, spread over the third and the fourth days, you would expect him to relax, probably have a nap, after his job on the field is done. But Samant, after edging bowler Parvinder Singh to 'keeper Amir Khan 11 minutes after lunch, had a quick shower and joined his teammates near the boundary rope. He was the most vocal of the Mumbai players who egged Sharma on towards his second ton of the match. Fitness freak "Fitness is something I am very particular about," Samant, without any hint of tiredness, said. "I keep on telling myself that I have to be as fit as the under-19 and under-22 youngsters who walk into the team. And it drives me on." The man with the most dismissals for Mumbai behind the wicket in Ranji Trophy was obviously pleased about eventually reaching the three-figure mark. Though it's come a tad late, in his 13th first-class season (seventh for Mumbai), Samant could not have asked for a better time than a Ranji final. "It's slightly late, but I would say better late than never. I really couldn't have asked for a better time to get that hundred which has eluded me," said Samant, who was confused whether this knock or the 66 that he made against Baroda in the 2006-07 semi-final after Mumbai had lost five wickets without a run on the board, was the most important knock of his career. "It's the Ranji final, and with Sachin (Tendulkar) being a part of the team, I couldn't have asked for more." Samant's effort of five victims behind the wicket in UP's first innings and a hundred were invaluable. Skipper Jaffer and coach Praveen Amre, who received a lot of flak when they decided to drop Sahil Kukreja and asked Samant to open the innings since the Punjab game, were obviously pleased with Samant's show. "With the sheer hard work that he puts in and the hunger that he has to overcome all challenges thrown at him, he deserved a hundred today," Jaffer said. "Your first hundred is always a memorable one. I am sure the whole team will cherish the moment for a long time." Samant's only regret was that he could not bat with Tendulkar. "I wanted to be there till Sachin came on to bat (Tendulkar batted at No 7)," Samant said. "I wanted to experience that feeling of being at the other end with him." With the optimist that he is, Samant must be telling himself: there is always next time!

'Keeper Samant, the oldest player in the Mumbai team, is also the fittest u2014 his hundred and five dismissals in an innings provide strong proof of it 

Samant, Mumbai cricket's ageless warrior

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Samant, Mumbai cricket's ageless warrior

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