Ajinkya Rahane struggled for runs but inspired Mumbai to another Ranji Trophy title with his leadership

For all the runs that he did not score this season as Mumbai's most experienced batter, skipper Ajinkya Rahane won praise as a leader for guiding the domestic giants to their 42nd Ranji Trophy title. Rahane's leadership remained a crucial factor in Mumbai making their way through to the final of the Ranji Trophy this year, while fighting fires on several fronts such as injuries to players and even their non-availability.

While he grappled with a severe drought of runs — Rahane averaged 17.83 for his 214 runs with two fifties in eight matches — there was no reflection of his struggle individually when it came to leading the side.

"I'm the happiest that we are champions despite me being the lowest run scorer for the team this year," Rahane said at the presentation after the game.

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Forming a vital partnership with a 'low-profile' coach Omkar Salvi, Rahane chalked out the 'processes' which Mumbai followed to the tee and emerged winners here on Thursday.

A lot of Mumbai's frontline players were not available. Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is now a permanent member of the Indian side and so is middle-order mainstay Sarfaraz Khan, who played only one game this Ranji season -- against Bihar.

Tushar Deshpande went away for a while for India 'A' duty, while the now-retired Dhawal Kulkarni played selectively and a large chunk of responsibility in the pace department fell on Mohit Avasthi, who returned the faith showed in him with 35 wickets.

Tanush Kotian, who scored 502 runs and grabbed 29 wickets, remained one of Rahane's most trusted lieutenants and there was no dearth of backing for the young players in Musheer Khan and Royston Dias.

And not surprisingly, once again it took that extreme situation to bring the best out of Rahane.

Like it did in Australia a few years ago, when he led India to a series win with players who were never meant to play on that tour.

His second-innings 74 was scratchy to begin with, but the resilient and gutsy Rahane ensured his team sailed through choppy waters to build an unassailable lead.

When Vidarbha challenged Mumbai with a defiant batting show, Rahane's uncluttered attitude bemused his counterpart Akshay Wadkar who kept an eye on Mumbai captain, trying to catch a glimpse of him being unhappy with his bowlers or even being unhappy with the situation in general.

But by Wadkar's own admission, he got nothing. Rahane remained cool and composed to walk away with a massive win which only cements his place as an astute leader who may not be as flashy as his counterparts.

And for perhaps his last move as a leader, once Rahane noticed that photo-ops with Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officials and his teammates were done, he himself picked up the Ranji Trophy and marshalled his troops to one specific corner of the ground.

This one corner, on the west end, has the Vijay Merchant Pavilion — the only stand open for fans with free entry for this final.

And for the first time over the last five days, the crowd turned up in numbers to celebrate their team's win with the players.

It was only fitting that Rahane's teammates were behind him carrying Kulkarni on their shoulders.