The 82nd edition of the Ranji Trophy will draw to a close soon, and one of Mumbai or Saurashtra – who will battle in the Final that begins in Pune on Wednesday – will be crowned champions. No team has won the Ranji Trophy more often than Mumbai, who have won it a record 40 times, while Saurashtra are hoping to win their maiden Ranji Trophy title.
Based on the track record, Mumbai would go in as favourites for the final, specially considering the fact that the team morph into an unbeatable outfit when they reach the knockouts.
In an exclusive chat with The Quint, former Ranji Trophy winning Mumbai captain and eight-time Ranji Trophy winner, Amol Muzumdar explains the reasons for the team’s success in the tournament and singles out a few players who have done well for the team this season.
In a knockout stage, the stakes are very high and it is a crunch situation. I think , because of the expectations, the players find themselves in a corner once they’ve qualified for the knockouts. If you corner a Mumbaikar, he will retaliate. What happens in Mumbai is that once the team has qualified for the knockouts, anything less than the title is seen as a failure.Amol Muzumdar, eight-time Ranji Trophy winner with Mumbai
Power To The Youth
Mumbai have announced a 15-member squad for the Final, of which only two players are on the wrong side of 30. Amol expects the success the team has had this season to have a huge impact on the youngsters.
I see this year as a very important year where Mumbai cricket is concerned. I say that because most of these players are young, and for me, a youngster has to taste a bit of success very early in his career. If that happens, he does not settle for second-best any more in his career. Once a player knows how to win a championship, then he will strive for championship every year. From my experience, I can say that from the moment we stepped on the ground, from the very first day of the season, we played for the Ranji Trophy title because we knew we had done it earlier and could do it again.
Shreyas, The Star
Mumbai have rode to the final on the back of their batting, and one man has stood out among the several Mumbai batsmen who have shone this season. 21-year old Shreyas Iyer, who smashed the third-fastest double century in Ranji Trophy history earlier this year, has scored in excess of 1000 runs this season and has been the top run-getter in 7 of the team’s 17 innings.
Credit to Shreyas Iyer for carrying his form through the season but he must realise that he cannot sit back on his laurels; he must understand that there will be seasons ahead of him where he might struggle just a little bit and those are the times when he needs to revisit this season and look at what are the things he did right – it could be a habit, or some ritual he followed before a match or during a game.Amol Muzumdar, eight-time Ranji Trophy winner with Mumbai
The Problem Areas
Mumbai have had problems at the top of the innings – their average opening partnership this season has been 22.94, with a best of 74. But one opening batsman – Akhil Herwadkar – has held his end firmly.
Akhil, to me, is the typical Mumbai cricketer. The way he bats, the way he conducts himself and the way he has come through the ranks – everything about him is like a typical Mumbai cricketer. He’s been talked about in the Under-15, Under-19 and Under-19 age groups, he even went on to play for India Under-19s, and has graduated to play in the Ranji Trophy. He’s done really well at this level and he is a good bet as someone who can score runs at the top of the order. He needs to take it one step at a time, one season at a time, and I am sure he has got enough potential to serve Mumbai well in the years to come.Amol Muzumdar, eight-time Ranji Trophy winner with Mumbai
Analysing the Mumbai team’s combinations, Amol says, “Saying the Mumbai batting line-up has carried the team to the Final is possibly a fair assessment; the side hasn’t found a settled bowling line-up through the season. Yet, they have found a way to strike when it matters and prise out opponents. I think the team is missing a terrific spinner – a match-winner in the spin bowling department – after Ramesh Powar. That is possibly the only weak link in the Mumbai side at the moment.”
Looking ahead to the Final, Amol expects it to be a close encounter. “Mumbai have dominated Group B and sailed through to the finals, while Saurashtra, who were relegated to Group C, have come back strongly and have played two fantastic matches in the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals. Both teams have a few things going for them and one cannot pick only one particular side to have momentum with them.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)