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Madhya Pradesh's Ranji Trophy-winning coach Chandrakant Pandit has revealed that he had to use harsh words to bring the best of Kumar Kartikeya in the recent edition of the tournament. With 32 wickets in 11 innings, Kartikeya had played a pivotal role in Madhya Pradesh's maiden Ranji-winning season.

Dinesh Karthik has praised Chandrakant Pandit for coaching Madhya Pradesh to their maiden Ranji Trophy title and compared him with a renowned football manager Alex Ferguson. Pandit has won three Ranji Trophy titles in the coaching capacity with Mumbai and two with Vidarbha in the past.

Sarfaraz Khan, one of the many promising Indian youngsters around, has stepped up for Mumbai, scoring 134 runs off 243 balls, in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final against Madhya Pradesh. After reaching his hundred, he brought out the signature step of Sidhu Moose Wala, who was shot dead on May 29.

Madhya Pradesh have reached the Ranji Trophy final for the first time since the 1998-99 season following a comprehensive 174-run victory against Bengal in the semi-final. They will now face Mumbai, who made the cut on the basis of the first-innings lead against Uttar Pradesh in the other contest.