On May 7, 1991, the greatest Ranji Trophy final reached its climax. Kapil Dev's Haryana defeated Bombay at Wankhede Stadium by just two runs, marking Haryana's first title and a stunning end to a nail-biting contest. Let's revisit this epic from Indian domestic cricket.
The 1990-91 season was full of twists and turns. Haryana finished behind Delhi in the North Zone but secured a spot in the final by gaining the first-innings lead (FIL) against Uttar Pradesh and Bengal. Bombay dominated Madhya Pradesh, took the FIL against Delhi by a single run, and then Manjrekar's 377 crushed Hyderabad in the semi-final. The final began on May 3 at Wankhede Stadium.
Haryana batted first after winning the toss, closing the first day at a solid 290/3. Deepak Sharma continued his excellent form, falling for 199 the next day. Chetan Sharma contributed 98, and Ajay Jadeja added 94, with Haryana reaching 522 in their first innings. Debutant Abey Kuruvilla, an inspired selection by the captain Sanjay Manjrekar, took 4/128 for Bombay.
Bombay batters were off to good starts but failed to convert it into big scores. Their night-watchman, Sanjay Patil, ended up top-scoring with 85. Yogendra Bhandari took 5/118 as Haryana captured a 112-run lead on the penultimate day. All they needed to do was bat Mumbai out of the game.
Salil Ankola led the charge for Bombay. His 3/39 with Sanjay Patil's 3W and the rest reduced Haryana to 154/8 by the end of day four. On the final day, Ajay Banerjee (60*) and the tail fought to take their final score to 242. Bombay now needed 355 in around 68 overs to win the Ranji Trophy.
The start was disastrous. Lalchand Rajput, Shishir Hattangadi and captain Sanjay Manjrekar were back in the pavilion by lunch break. At 34/3, Dilip Vengsarkar and 18-year-old Sachin Tendulkar set about chasing the target. Later in an interview, Amol Muzumdar, a ballboy in that game, captured the crowd's emotions best
"The public there was mainly office-goers, who watched a lot of Mumbai games. Manjrekar was just gone before lunch. Everyone had just one thing on their minds, 'Tendlya laagla pahije, bas [Tendulkar must click]'".
"The public there was mainly office-goers, who watched a lot of Mumbai games. Manjrekar was just gone before lunch. Everyone had just one thing on their minds, 'Tendlya laagla pahije, bas [Tendulkar must click]'".
And click he did! Tendulkar smashed 96 off 75 balls while adding 134 runs with Vengsarkar. The news of Mumbai's resurgence spread and by the end of the day, around 20,000 witnessed the epic. After Tendulkar's dismissal off a full toss, Kambli contributed 45 in the 81-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Vengsarkar was going strong at one end but he was losing partners quickly. Chandrakant Pandit, Raju Kulkarni and Salil Ankola were out cheaply. Sanjay Patil's run-out left Bombay at 305/9, still 50 runs away from the target. Kuruvilla, the debutant, walked in.
Batting on 98, Vengsarkar decided to speed up the chase. He went after Bhandari, smashing him for 6,4,6,6,4. Bombay 24 runs away now. Kapil Dev spread the field, all nine at the boundary for the senior batter. Vengsarkar responded by collecting singles. Kuruvilla vindicated his trust by safely negotiating Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma overs.
Earlier, Vengsarkar had suffered cramps, with Rajput acting as his runner. He was standing at square leg when Bombay needed just three runs with 15 balls remaining. Kuruvilla hit the next ball toward short fine leg, prompting Rajput to run from the other end. Amarjeet Kaypee threw accurately, and Kuruvilla was run out, falling short of his crease!
Haryana became the new Ranji Trophy champions by two runs! Kapil Dev led them to it and that too by humbling Bombay on their home soil. Vengsarkar couldn't believe what he had seen. His 139* off 137 balls ended in vain. He couldn't hold back his emotions as tears welled up.
H Natarajan put it best in Wisden Asia - “The enduring image of the final was the sight of a forlorn Vengsarkar crying unabashedly as he dragged himself on wobbly legs back to the dressing room where he proceeded to sit in a corner, eyes bloodshot, with not a team-mate venturing near him.”
That was the 1990-91 Ranji Trophy final. One for the ages.
That was the 1990-91 Ranji Trophy final. One for the ages.
Source: ESPN Cricinfo, CricketCountry
Images: @suubsy
Images: @suubsy
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@sanjaymanjrekar @therealkapildev @vinodkambli349 @shishhattangadi @Lalchandrajput7 @sachin_rt
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