Senior defender Ajinkya Rahane knows the importance of playing domestic matches religiously to become a battle-hardened cricketer. So it came as no surprise when batsmen on Thursday praised the BCCI for pushing players to excel in red-ball cricket. The BCCI has been actively urging senior cricketers to participate in red-ball cricket, including domestic competitions such as the Ranji Trophy. “I would like to mention the importance BCCI is giving to domestic cricket, which is a very good thing. It is very important to allow players to go and play domestic cricket,” Rahane said after leading Mumbai to a record 42nd Test Said after winning the Kyrgyzstan Cup.

The board recently dropped middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan from the Central contract list as they did not heed the advice of the Indian team management to play in the Ranji Trophy to regain form and Prove your health status.

Talking about the win, Rahane said Mumbai must repeat this performance next season.

Mumbai won the top domestic tournament for the first time since 2015-16, defeating Vidarbha by 169 runs in the final at the Wankhede Stadium.

In fact, for the Ranji Trophy giants, this was their 11th victory in 13 finals played at the Wankhede.

“The important thing for us is (in) the last few years, we have played good cricket as a team. Our players will actually be in the Indian team and represent the Indian team, which is great for the Mumbai board. Again a very good sign for the sport,” Rahane told the media after leading his team to the title.

“I am not too worried about other teams but from now on it is important for Mumbai cricket to keep growing and keep thinking about how we can get better as a team in all formats. We hope to repeat this in the future year, so our focus will be on that,” Rahane said.

Rahane said Mumbai can be proud that several of their players are either playing for Team India or have recently been with the national team.

“This win means a lot to us. As you mentioned, (Mumbai) represented nearly 10 players across different formats, which is a very good sign. We are all happy with the players who are now representing India (Mumbai, ” said Rahane.

The win also ended the career of Mumbai and India player Dhawal Kulkarni, who retired after taking 281 wickets in 95 first-class games while also playing for the national team 12 ODIs and 2 T20Is.

Kulkarni said he has no complaints about not having a long-term career on the international stage.

“The past is in the past and I focus on the future rather than what happened in the past. I know I should play more cricket for Team India,” Kulkarni said.

The right-arm pacer said he can play any role that keeps him connected to the sport.

“I don’t think about it too much but cricket has given me a lot and I want to give it back to cricket. Whether it’s coaching or whatever I get, I want to give it back to cricket,” Kulkar Ni said.

Kulkarni, who had the unique advantage of taking the first and last wickets in the final, said Mumbai remained patient against Vidarbha’s resistance.

“Winning the final the hard way is what you want and that’s what we did as a team. We held on to our nerves, applied pressure and bowled well and all the bowlers put in the effort and you You could say bowling is collaborative and that’s what we did,” Kulkarni said.

“We didn’t lose our nerve. At the end we knew we wanted a wicket and we wanted to break that partnership,” he added.

Rahane had described Mumbai head coach Omkar Salvi as “low profile” in domestic cricket but said he had made a huge difference.

“Big difference. Credit goes to him. Our journey as a team started in June (2023) and it all goes to Omkar’s vision,” Rahane said.

“We have some vision as a team, but it comes from Omkar, so he’s focused on health, creating a great culture within the team and giving freedom to all the players, not just on the field but off the field. When someone doesn’t When you’re out there and do well, you have to support that person,” he added.

Kulkarni backed Rahane and said Salvi created the right environment for their team.

“I would also like to add that when you want a coach, you want to be a good friend to the team you coach. Omkar is someone that everyone respects. He taught me a lot in my bowling career Help,” Kulkarni added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)