The journey of the Aditya Tare-led Mumbai team towards the 41st Ranji Trophy title started in the 2014-15 season. While seniors retired, debutants came in. Some players were away on national duty as Mumbai built a young team that made it to the semi-finals then, and went a step further to lift the Ranji Trophy in 2015-16.
After Mumbai beat Saurashtra to claim the title in Pune, the captain said, “Winning the Ranji Trophy means the world to me. Be it as a player or captain. My aim has been to win games for Mumbai. That is why you play in the Ranji Trophy.” The last time he was part of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy winning side, they had beat the same opposition in less than three days as well and by a similar margin.
While thanking the former cricketers, fans and support staff, Tare said, “The support staff, selectors and the team management were all on the same page. This is a dream we charted out together when we assembled in Chennai for the Buchi Babu tournament. Abhishek Nayar told us that whenever we win the Buchi Babu tournament, we don't won the Ranji Trophy title. So that is the jinx we have broken this year,” he added.
The captain acknowledged the contributions of his entire squad. “For the first two days, we gave away momentum, but we pushed the pedal hard to extract this win. For that, the credit goes to the entire team.”
While reflecting on the success this season, Tare acknowledged the contributions of the bowlers. “To win the Ranji Trophy, apart from the bowlers, you need batsmen in form. Of the top six or seven, everyone scored 500 plus runs. If you do that, you are bound to give cushion to the bowlers, which you need. That didn't happen consistently last season. Having said that, Pravin Amre also deserves a lot of credit for working with the batsmen. He had a tough job in setting this team up. Chandu (Chandrakant Pandit) sir is an experienced coach, he turned around the ethics in the team. He brought around his style of coaching. Our consistency in our everyday process developed discipline and good habits within the team.”
Looking back on the grand finale and Siddesh Lad’s 88-run knock and 103-run partnership for the last wicket with Balwinder Sandhu which tipped the balance back in Mumbai’s favour, Tare said, “Siddesh’s knock gave us the breathing space. Had it been a small lead, the game could have turned either way. That small contribution from Ballu (Balwinder Singh Sandhu) and that spell from Shardul (Thakur) was match-winning. The two runs that Ballu scored against Tamil Nadu was crucial for us, that turned around the season for us. Each time we had a bad day or a bad session, we bounced back as a team. That’s a sign of a good team going forward.
“Conceding lead to Andhra (in the first match of the season) was a huge setback for us. When we came back from there, we had an open talk within the team. We needed to change a few things. Talent won’t win you championships. Our commitment and character has won us the title,” he added.
While the tenth wicket partnership set-up the game, Mumbai opened the bowling with Dhawal Kulkarni and Balwinder Sandhu instead of the senior pacer Shardul Thakur. They dealt blows upfront (15 for two) to push Saurashtra further on the backfoot. Discussing the strategy he said, “It was coach’s idea to give the new ball to Ballu. If you have Shardul and Dhawal from both ends, the pace is the same. With Ballu being a little slower, it helped us. Dhawal is a big-match player. I thought something we missed last season was a bowler like Dhawal. It made a huge difference to the side.”
While his team trampled over oppositions on occasions, Tare himself did well behind the stumps too. He accounted for a record 48 dismissals (stumpings and catches) surpassing KS Bharat’s 46 in 2014-15 as the most number of victims in a season. “It’s good; all credit to the bowlers for producing the edges. I’ve worked hard on my wicketkeeping, but credit to them.”
Asked about his goals going forward, Tare said, “I believe I can play at the highest level, but I have to improve my game and come up with better performances. As far as I know, I can play there (at the highest level). I am in control of my work ethics. Winning the Ranji Trophy will make a big difference, and help some of the players break into the national team. That’s how it’s always been.”
While they have lifted the most coveted domestic Trophy, Mumbai will now take on Rest of India led by Naman Ojha in the ZR Irani Cup from 6th March and hope to finish the season with another feather in their cap.
