Teenage Musheer Makes History at Wankhede with Maiden Ranji Final Ton
Sachin Tendulkar, the legendary batsman who once dominated at Wankhede Stadium, witnessed a new chapter unfold on Tuesday as 19-year-old Musheer Khan became the youngest Mumbai player to score a century in a Ranji Trophy final.
The youngest centurions in the history of the Ranji Trophy final include Amit Sharma, who scored a century at the young age of 18 years and 127 days for Punjab against Maharashtra in Ludhiana during the 1992-93 season.
For Mumbai specifically, Musheer Khan recently achieved the feat at the age of 19 years and 14 days in the 2023-24 final against Vidarbha played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Mumbai has a rich history of young players scoring centuries in the Ranji Trophy finals.
Other notable names include Rusi Modi (20 years and 113 days against Holkar in 1944-45), Sunil Gavaskar (20 years and 177 days against Rajasthan in 1969-70), and the legendary Sachin Tendulkar (21 years and 337 days against Punjab in 1994-95).
Tendulkar, present in the president’s box for the third day’s opening session, gave Musheer a standing ovation when the youngster and teammate Shreyas Iyer walked back to the pavilion for lunch.
Musheer Khan Mesmerized by Presence of the Great Sachin Tendulkar
Musheer, who admitted to only realizing Tendulkar’s presence halfway through the morning session, went on to etch his name in history. “I didn’t even know that Sachin Sir had come,” confessed Musheer. “Only when I got past 60, I saw Sachin Sir on the screen.”
Tendulkar himself, having scored twin hundreds in his first Ranji final appearance in 1994-95, would undoubtedly understand the significance of Musheer’s feat. The teenager, now the second-youngest centurion in a Ranji final, expressed his elation.
“I am very happy for scoring a century in the final,” said Musheer. “It was a dream for me to score a century in the Ranji Trophy final. We had a good partnership, we communicated well and (Iyer) bhai [brother] was insisting that we have to bat for a long period and take the game as far as we can.”
While Musheer enjoyed paternal support from his coach and father Naushad in the stands, another family witnessed a milestone from the opposite side. Harsh Dubey, the Vidarbha left-arm spinner, claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket during the same match.
“Being the first, that too in a Ranji final and with my family having come down to watch it makes it even more special,” said Dubey.
