Sachin Tendulkar is set to make his sixth Ranji Trophy final
appearance for Mumbai, against Saurashtra in Mumbai from January 26.
Tendulkar, who has played three Ranji Trophy matches this season for
Mumbai including quarter-final and semi-final, is almost certain to pad
up in the title clash too. Of the five finals, Mumbai won four and lost
the other match.
On Monday, Mumbai qualified for a record 44th final, edging out
Services on first innings lead.
In Ranji Trophy finals, Tendulkar averages over 75 with 755 runs (4
centuries, 2 fifties) in 10 innings. So far, he has played in 36 Ranji
Trophy games.
Last time Tendulkar was in the Mumbai playing XI in Ranji Trophy final
was in 2009 against Uttar Pradesh in Hyderabad. It was a forgettable
game for Tendulkar as he was out for 0 and 4. However, Mumbai won the
trophy with a mammoth 243-run triumph.
In that final, played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Bhuvneshwar
Kumar handed Tendulkar his first duck in Indian domestic cricket.
Tendulkar, who announced his retirement from One Day Internationals last
month (December, 2012), first played in a Ranji Trophy final in 1991.
He was just 17 then.
It was against Haryana at Wankhede Stadium with Bombay losing the game
by just two runs. Tendulkar scored 96 in the second innings of that
final at Wankhede Stadium but could not take his team home.
The 39-year-old most memorable Ranji Trophy summit clash was in 1995 at
Wankhede when he struck century in both innings against Punjab and
Mumbai took the trophy on first innings lead.
Tendulkar, 21 years of age at the time, smashed 140 in the first innings
and returned in the second essay to impress again with a 139.
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