How many Ranji Trophy finals has Rohit Sharma been a part of?

Mumbai, India's most dominant side in the domestic circuit, is inching close to yet another Ranji Trophy triumph. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side have Vidarbha on the ropes at the Wankhede Stadium after handing them a 538-run target to chase down in the final innings.

The principal reason behind Mumbai's illustrious silverware cabinet is the sheer amount of talent they have at their disposal as well as the manner with which they nurture them. The current side features established names like Shreyas Iyer and Shardul Thakur, and emerging players like Musheer Khan.

Mumbai are responsible for the rise of legendary players like Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Rohit Sharma, among others who have been part of Ranji Trophy finals in the past, and have won the title as well. Although the aforementioned players could not devote much of their time to the domestic team after being an established member in the national team, they have set time aside for Mumbai cricket as well in whichever capacity possible.

For instance, Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar were at the Wankhede Stadium to witness the action and had the opportunity to see Musheer Khan and Shreyas Iyer's exceptional batting display in the final .

Much like Musheer Khan, Rohit Sharma was also a young spectacle in the past during the Ranji Trophy final. The Hitman has played in two Ranji Trophy finals over the course of his career, and on that note, let us take a look at how he fared in those contests.

#1 Mumbai vs Bengal (Ranji Trophy 2007 Final; Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai)

Rohit Sharma made his first-class debut in 2006 and had the opportunity to mark his appearance in the Ranji Trophy final the very next year. The batter, playing in the middle order back then, had compiled 531 runs in 11 innings at an average of 48.27, which included a double hundred as well.

In the finals, Mumbai had a star-studded team, featuring the likes of Wasim Jaffer, Sachin Tendulkar, skipper Amol Muzumdar, Abhishek Nayar, Zaheer Khan, and Ajit Agarkar. The Hitman scored 14 and 57 runs in the first and second innings respectively, being promoted to No.3 in the latter knock.

Mumbai were initially in a spot of bother at 14-2, but were rescued by a mature partnership between veterans Sachin Tendulkar and Wasim Jaffer, with both batters compiling hundreds. Bengal were bowled out for just 143 in response to Mumbai's 320 in the first innings. The massive lead laid the foundation for the victory as Bengal fell short of the target by 132 runs despite Sourav Ganguly's valiant effort.

Apart from his brief cameos with the bat, Sharma also contributed in the field with two catches, to dismiss Deep Dasgupta and Manoj Tiwari.

#2 Mumbai vs Uttar Pradesh (Ranji Trophy 2009 Final; Hyderabad)

Rohit Sharma's second Ranji Trophy final appearance came only two years later against the Mohammed Kaif-led Uttar Pradesh side. By this time, Sharma had made his Team India debut, albeit only in the white-ball formats.

He was the fifth-highest run-scorer for the season, compiling 747 runs in 11 innings at an average of 69.74. His best knock arguably came in the final, where he struck 141 runs off 258 deliveries, after coming into bat at 44-3 in the 19th over. Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed for a 15-ball duck by Bhuvneshwar Kumar while Wasim Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane also chipped in with low scores.

Sharma struck a crucial partnership with Abhishek Nayar, who unfortunately was dismissed for 99. However, their stand enabled Mumbai to post 420 in the first innings.

Zaheer Khan picked up seven wickets to bundle out the opposition for 245 runs. Rohit Sharma struck a ton in the second innings as well to pile the misery on Uttar Pradesh. He scored 108 runs off 146 deliveries as Mumbai posted a mammoth 525-run target.