Once again, Shreyas Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane fall short, but Shardul Thakur, the leader, seizes the initiative.

On the first day of the Ranji Trophy final, veteran duo Shreyas Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane's run drought persisted, but Shardul Thakur's versatility as an all-rounder enabled hosts Mumbai to rally against a brave Vidarbha. In addition to giving Mumbai's below-average first innings score of 224 some semblance of respectability with a counterpunching 75 off just 69 balls, Thakur also removed veteran opener Dhruv Shorey (0) with an angular delivery that gave him a favourable DRS result. Atharva Taide (21 not out) and night watchman Aditya Thakare at the crease meant that Vidarbha were 31/3 at stumps, needing another 193 runs to close the first innings.
Medium pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, in his final first-class match of his career, bowled his usual late outswingers, with Test triple centurion Karun Nair (0) and Aman Mokhade (8) nicking it to Hardik Tamore behind stumps.
The 41-time champions fell from 81/0 to 111/6 on either side of the lunch break in a stunning collapse that saw Mumbai's top players, Rahane and Iyer, dismissed for identical scores of 7.
Despite his leadership prowess, Rahane's awful Ranji Trophy career continued when the Mumbai captain played a meek game to mid-on and was removed just when his team needed him to take the field.Rahane was a contender to reclaim his place in the national team around this time last year, but as things stand, it's unclear if Mumbai selectors will stick with the 35-year-old for the upcoming campaign, regardless of the outcome of this final.

Iyer, who was out of favor and had to work hard to get back into the national conversation, was unable to save Mumbai from disaster once more because of his subpar technique.
Umesh Yadav (2/43 in 13.3 overs) was as reckless as he could be during the morning session, splattering the new ball everywhere and primarily drifting on the pads of openers Prithvi Shaw and Bhupen Lalwani.
Though he kept running out of partners, Thakur showed deft use of both hands and feet to inch closer to what would have been his second consecutive ton.
After scoring an incredible 75 off just 69 balls with eight fours and three sixes, Thakur was the final batter to be dismissed. He was caught by the man at deep square leg.
The trio of Shams Mulani (13), Tanush Kotian (8), and Tushar Deshpande (14)—who helped Mumbai win multiple times by scoring valuable runs—also fell for a pittance.