Internet Desk: Mumbai and Saurashtra face off against each other in the final of Ranji Trophy 2015-16 at Pune starting February 24, 2016. Mumbai are chasing their world record 42nd title, while Saurashtra are searching for their first-ever Ranji Trophy title. Saurashtra had previously won Ranji Trophy when they were called Nawanagar, but that was years ago. Few would have expected these two teams to make the final at the start of the year. Neither team were favorites coming into the tournament, but both have managed to overcome every hurdle they faced. In fact, Saurashtra were in Group C, which was the plate division after they got relegated from Group A last season. That they not only progressed to the elite division but made it to the final speaks volumes of their development this year.
Mumbai have been without the services of Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma — two of their mainstays — for virtually the entire tournament. On the other hand, Saurashtra had the huge advantage of a deadly Ravindra Jadeja at the start of their campaign. Jadeja’s tremendous all-round performance helped them to get off to an terrific start. Jadeja’s fantastic run with both bat and ball helped him back into India’s squad, and he made his comeback in all three formats with the Test series against South Africa and then the One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) series in and against Australia.
Mumbai have been well-served by their outstanding 21-year old batting sensation Shreyas Iyer. The rate at which Shreyas is scoring runs, there is a high chance he could get a call-up to the national team sooner or later. In only his second first-class season, Shreyas is within striking distance of becoming the highest scorer in a single Ranji Trophy season. Shreyas is currently fifth on the list of all-time highest scorers in a season, behind VVS Laxman, Vijay Bharadwaj, Wasim Jaffer, and Kedar Jadhav. Another 212 runs and Shreyas will reach the landmark.
Saurashtra meanwhile have the services of Cheteshwar Pujara, as usual overlooked for India’s limited-overs teams. Pujara has not been as prolific this Ranji season as usual, but is a big-match player whose international experience will be invaluable in the tense final. Jaydev Unadkat bowled Saurashtra to the final, and will be expected to play a big role this time around as he is growing through a talismanic form.
The final is being scheduled to be in Pune, which hosted the recent T20I between India and Sri Lanka. If the pitch for the final is anything like the one seen in that T20I, the match could be over within three days. Indian skipper MS Dhoni had compared conditions on the day of the T20I with those seen in England. If the weather is overcast and the pitch as conductive to pace bowling as seen that day, the final of Ranji Trophy 2015-16 will almost certainly be decided by an outright result.