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'Warrior’ - Rohit Sharma’s Special Message For Dhawal Kulkarni After Ranji Win

Kulkarni bagged four wickets in the final. (PTI)Kulkarni bagged four wickets in the final. (PTI)

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma paid tribute to the retiring Dhawal Kulkarni after the pacer played a crucial role in Mumbai's 169-run win over Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy final on Thursday, March 14.

Mumbai secured their 42nd Ranji Trophy title by defeating Vidarbha by 169 runs at the Wankhede Stadium. In his final match, Kulkarni delivered a fairytale ending to his first-class career by taking the last wicket of the match, uprooting Umesh Yadav's off-stump.

Overwhelmed with emotions, Kulkarni shed tears of joy after clinching the final wicket. This victory marked his fifth Ranji Trophy title out of six appearances in the final for Mumbai. It is Mumbai's first Ranji Trophy triumph since the 2015-16 season.

Following Mumbai's remarkable win, Rohit, who has been teammates with Kulkarni in both the Indian team and Mumbai Indians franchise, praised the pacer as 'The warrior of Mumbai' on his Instagram story, which shortly went viral.

"Mumbai's warrior. Well done on a fantastic career," Rohit wrote in his Instagram post dedicated to Kulkarni.

Rohit Sharma's Instagram Story (Instagram)Rohit Sharma's Instagram Story (Instagram)

A stalwart of Mumbai cricket, Kulkarni concluded his first-class career with 281 wickets in 95 matches, including 15 five-wicket hauls and a 10-wicket haul. Both Rohit and Kulkarni share a special bond, having risen through the ranks of Mumbai cricket together over the years.

In the final match, Mumbai was bowled out for 224 in the first innings, with Shardul Thakur top-scoring with 75 runs. In reply, Vidarbha managed only 105 runs, with Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, and Dhawal Kulkarni each claiming three wickets.

Mumbai posted a formidable total of 418 runs in their second innings, led by Musheer Khan's 136 and Shreyas Iyer's 95. Chasing a daunting target of 538 runs, Vidarbha fell short and were dismissed for 368 despite valiant efforts from skipper Akshay Wadkar and all-rounder Harsh Dubey.

While Kulkarni has bid farewell to cricket, Rohit is gearing up for the upcoming IPL 2024, where he will be playing under Hardik Pandya's leadership for the first time.