'Legendary Presence': Sachin Tendulkar and Other Indian Legends Enjoys Ranji Trophy Final At Wankhede – News18

The legendary Sachin Tendulkar was in attendance at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday to watch the Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Vidarbha. Besides Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Chandrakant Pandit were also spotted in the stands of the iconic venue. The BCCI shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) where the trio could be seen enjoying the summit showdown of India’s premier domestic tournament. The caption of the post read, “A legendary presence at the Wankhede Stadium.”

India’s U-19 star Musheer Khan, who has been playing for Mumbai in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final, shattered a domestic record of Sachin Tendulkar early on Day 3. The 19-year-old is currently the youngest batter to notch a century in the Ranji final. Musheer breached the triple-figure mark off 255 balls.

Apart from securing the individual record, Musheer Khan stitched two crucial partnerships with Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer that helped the team come out of a crunch situation. The home side had lost both openers at 34 runs. A 130-run stand by Musheer and Rahane first revived the innings.

Shreyas Iyer arrived at the crease following the dismissal of Rahane, who returned to the pavilion for 73 runs. Musheer then joined hands with Iyer and the duo racked up 168 runs together. Iyer missed his hundred by just five runs but Musheer went on to demonstrate his grit and resilience.

The occasion certainly turned more special for Musheer Khan, who achieved the historic feat in front of the previous record holder, Sachin Tendulkar himself. The India great registered twin centuries in the 1994-95 Ranji Trophy final against Punjab. Riding on his contributions, Mumbai won the clash to secure the domestic title. Tendulkar also played his first Ranji Trophy match at Wankhede.

On Monday when the stadium completed 50 years of its journey, Tendulkar shared an emotional note on X, shedding light on his bond with Wankhede. Labelling it as his “second home,” the Master Blaster wrote, “When I witnessed the magic of the Wankhede Stadium for the first time as a 10-year-old boy, little did I know that I would be making my debut for Mumbai against Gujarat at the same venue just five years later. Then the best moment of my career – winning the 2011 World Cup for my country – happened at the Wankhede Stadium as well. I also had the honour of playing my 200th Test match here”

Before Sachin Tendulkar, another World Cup-winning batter Sunil Gavaskar and former India women’s team captain Diana Edulji visited the Wankhede Stadium on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final. While sitting in the President’s box, Gavaskar cheered for his ex-team Mumbai. He was also seen giving a standing ovation to Musheer Khan and Ajinkya Rahane after the pair completed a 100-plus partnership.

At the time of writing, Mumbai were at 358/7 in the Ranji Trophy final. They had already secured a second-innings lead of 477 runs. Vidarbha, in their first innings, managed only 105 runs.