Muzumdar says Ranji final win is one of the best in his career

Mumbai, Feb 5 (UNI) A jubiliant Mumbai captain Amol Muzumdar today thanked his team-mates for ''making the Ranji Trophy final match win possible'', saying the credit for the win should go to the team.

Speaking to the media after Mumbai's 132-run victory over Bengal to lift the coveted Ranji Trophy for the 37th time in their history, Muzumdar said he would rate this win very high up in the order of wins Mumbai has had in the last ten to 12 years.

''It has not been easy. After three games we were blank on the points table. The selectors, the players, the associations, everyone did their bit,'' Muzumdar added.

Mumbai coach Pravin Amre looked satisfied at the way things turned out for his side, this being his first season as the Mumbai coach.

''The way we began the season, it's a nightmare for any coach.

Especially the Mumbai team. It's a high profile team and expectations are high that we win outright every time we go out to play,'' he said.

''After those first three games, we won five outright. We looked at the areas in which we were not doing well and worked on them. The selectors should also get credit because they backed the same set of boys even when they were not doing well. The captain took the team along as a unit all the time. He was always saying that the team could rise like the phoenix at any time. Saying that is one thing but the hard part is doing that out in the middle,'' Amre added.

Bengal coach Paras Mhambrey said the real cause of defeat was Zaheer's spell in the first innings, which shot out Bengal for a mere 143. ''We've played well all season and just had one bad innings really,'' he added.

On their second innings, Mhambrey said the players, in spite of having their backs against a wall while chasing 472, belived they could win. ''The way Sourav and Manoj were going, we definitely were in with a chance,'' said Mhambrey. ''It was a case of building an innings. That's what we looked at. At one stage it was looking easy for us, when Sourav and Manoj were batting well and building a partnership. When Manoj got out, the damage was done.'' Mhambrey also stressed on the positives that have emerged during the season. ''We are disappointed. We've played very well through the season and winning does matter,'' he said. ''But we can take a lot from the way we have played all season. There are individual performances to be proud off as well --- Ranadeb picking up 50-odd wickets, the two young batsmen, Abhishek Jhunjhunwalla and Manoj Tiwari, scoring runs. Deep has led the side well. We're a young side in a development stage,'' he added.

UNI