Mumbai winning the Ranji Trophy for the 42nd time was probably the best end to what has been a truly memorable season for Indian cricket. Yes, there was the disappointment of tripping at the last hurdle of the ICC World Cup and not being able to cross another hurdle of a series win in South Africa, but overall when you look at the performances there is so much to be proud of this Indian team led by a captain for whom a senior player like Ravichandran Ashwin said he would give his life for. The other players as well raised their game beyond expectations to get India a memorable victory over England. It is never easy to replace giants like Virat Kohli and Mohd Shami, but the young Indian players showed that given the opportunity they also could rise to the occasion like these stalwarts have done so often in the past. 

Rohit’s touching gesture

Ashwin’s story of how Rohit Sharma went out of his way to be with him at a time when his mind was in a turmoil after hearing about his mother’s sudden and unexpected illness was most touching. Of course, another former teammate Cheteshwar Pujara also came in for a lot of praise as did Jay Shah for arranging flights for him to travel to Chennai and then come back after a couple of days. The return to action also deserves praise for the family, because the family realised that it was important for Indian cricket for Ashwin to be back playing in the Test match. Something similar had happened 25 years ago, when Sachin Tendulkar lost his dear father and had to fly back from the World Cup in England to attend to the last rites. His family then also recognised his importance to Indian cricket and encouraged him to return to England to continue playing the World Cup. This awareness of the family that their member is what he is because of Indian cricket is a crucial factor. It is always nice when not just the player but the family also recognises the huge role of Indian cricket in the position that their family is currently in.