Sachins last Ranji partner was born on day he made debut Partha Bhaduri, TNN | Oct 31, 2013, 12.18 AM IST Dhawal Kulkarni, who put on 50 runs with Sachin and hit the winning runs, was understandably overwhelmed. (TOI Photo) LAHLI: No scriptwriter would have dared to pen such a coincidence. But then, the extraordinary is routine when it comes to Sachin Tendulkar. As the maestro ended his Ranji Trophy career by guiding Mumbai to a hard-fought four-wicket win against Haryana, the batsman at the other end was Dhawal Kulkarni, who was born on December 10, 1988 -- the exact same day that Tendulkar made his Ranji Trophy debut. That sums up just how remarkable and enduring Sachins cricketing odyssey has been. The Ranji journey, which began with Tendulkar scoring an unbeaten 100 on debut, ended with an unbeaten 79 that saw the legend being carried off the field on the shoulders of Mumbai team physio Amogh Pandit. His exultant team-mates crowded around him, trying to touch him, as if they hoped some of the magic would rub off on them. Even the policemen hid their batons and stared on in fascination. Kulkarni, who put on 50 runs with Sachin and hit the winning runs, was understandably overwhelmed. Its a dream come true for me. I wanted to go down in history as the last player to partner him in a domestic match and Im glad I could do it, he told TOI. The day began with Haryanas players, led by Ajay Jadeja, once again forming a guard of honour for Sachin him as he walked out to bat. What are you doing! Kal bhi toh thaa (you did it yesterday too), he said, smiling at Haryana skipper and former India teammate Ajay Jadeja, who retorted, But sir, aaj hi toh last day hai (But today is the last day)! Tendulkar did not disappoint, holding fort patiently for two hours in tough batting conditions as Mumbai took their time knocking off the 39 runs they needed for victory. They did it without losing a wicket, as a stoic Kulkarni held firm in the face of some tight bowling and inspired fielding. It was the perfect prelude to Tendulkars season of farewells. The moment Kulkarni hit the hitting runs, Tendulkar raised his arms in celebration, setting the stage for a frenzied, impromptu farewell party in Lahli. He looked so pumped up it was hard to believe there are only two more Tendulkar moments to go before the kitbag will be stowed away forever. Later, he admitted the innings had taken some effort. It was a challenging wicket which had a lot in it for the bowlers, it was fun to bat on this, he said. (The target) might be 240 on paper, but it is 280 anywhere else. This was just the kind of outing I was looking for. It was all about talking cricket, getting to know each other, keeping each other relaxed. The West Indies series will be a good one. Hopefully we will live up to the expectations of people. That Lahli is now an important landmark in his story wasnt lost on Tendulkar. Thanks to the people of Lahli. Thank you everyone for making this match memorable for me. The hard-fought battle here will hopefully have rejuvenated Tendulkars lust for contest before the Kolkata and Mumbai Tests. Hopefully, his international career will end on a similarly joyous note. As for Lahli, whose cricket fans will be remembered for their trademark salute every time Tendulkar walked past, it is back to being an ordinary village in a humdrum world. The journey never ends Tendulkars Mumbai teammates joined in the encomiums but the most memorable ones were from Haryanas Ajay Jadeja, who admitted his side lost the game because they couldnt get Tendulkar out. You call him god, Ive always called him master. But if he is god, who can fight with god? Tendulkar showed today that the journey never ends, that learning never stops. He remained not out, that means his score here is infinite. If he had needed to score 30-40 more, he would have done that too. The plan was very simple. We needed to get Sachin out but we couldnt do it. Mumbai skipper Zaheer Khan appeared more serious as he reflected on a lifetime of sharing the dressing room with Tendulkar. I cant say what I feel in just a few words. Its been special. He would have been an all-time great in any era. Hes been a master, everybody calls him master. I guess match practice is the best practice before his farewell Tests. Mumbai batsman Kaustubh Pawar talked about how Tendulkar sat down with the team before the game to let them know this would be his last Ranji outing. It was a special moment. It was difficult to believe, he said.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 22:03:29 +0000