The young Mumbai team led by Aditya Tare under the able guidance of coach and former Mumbai captain, Chandrakant Pandit beat Saurashtra in less than three days in Pune to win the title in the 2015-16 season.
Speaking about the resounding win, Pandit said, “It's a prestigious tournament. When you come back and you win whether as a player or as a coach, it doesn't matter. Of course, winning is entirely a different feeling. The way the bunch has played throughout the season, it was outstanding. They responded well to everything. Of course, there was a time we had to bounce back, but we never lost confidence.
“Aditya Tare also controlled the team well. We always gelled as a team. We worked for the process and ultimately, we are standing here,” he added appreciating the captain’s efforts.
“From the players' point of view, many of them are playing for the first time. For them, I'm sure it's the best win. If you look at every player, you will say he has done something in that game. It was a team effort,” the coach said.
Asked what about this team makes them different from the rest, Pandit observed, “This is a young team. It's easy for me to get them on the same platform. They are just following the instructions and are responding. That makes it easy for the coach.
“They had faith in each other. When they entered the field, they knew what had to be done. It was the same age group, with same experience and they wanted to stay together as a family. They've taken initiatives every game, it's not that only (Shreyas) Iyer, or Dhawal (Kulkarni) or (Abhishek) Nayar took initiative. They've all shown character and that could be seen on the field,” he added.
Speaking about Tare, who captured a record 48 dismissals in the season, he said, “He's been very consistent in his wicket-keeping. It's a pressure job, you are the backbone of the team and then you are leading the team. He's been very calm and composed, I would say.”
Another of his wards who also has been rewriting the record books for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy is Shreyas Iyer. “Looking at his runs and his consistency, he has given a big boost to the team. We knew that when he is at the crease, the run-rate would never be a problem. We were only hoping that he would continue at the crease. And he's been doing that.
“If you think about today's game, (Siddhesh) Lad and (Balwinder) Sandhu changed the entire scenario of the game. That is what we spoke in the morning, that another hundred runs can change the game, and similarly that happened. The entire team is showing character and I hope that they continue. They are still young and they should not get carried away. They should maintain it,” the coach added while highlighting the duo’s contribution that set up the match for the team.
While the final was a convincing win, it was culmination of the efforts put in throughout the season after a poor start. Mumbai had conceded the first innings lead in their very first game of the 2015-16 season. Reflecting on the mood then, he said, “It was tough. Basically, Mumbai is expected to win. We believe that beginning is very important. We were very close, but that never put us down. That was the only shock for us this season. The team said we definitely have to go all-out with our planning. We spent a lot of time. Probably they must have not liked it, but I had to do a lot of talking and planning. I'm very happy that they've stuck to the plan.”
While his players followed the instructions and executed the plans on the field, Pandit also credited former Mumbai captains for their advice and input that helped the team close in on the goal. “There has been support from lots of cricketers. Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Dilip Vengsarkar have been in constant touch. I must specially thank Sachin, he's always been there to help. He visited the ground so many times to help every individual.
“I must thank Omkar Salvi (bowling coach), he has helped the bowlers a lot,” he mentioned.
“Also, thanks to MCA, for the support they provided. The Chairman of the selection committee - Milind Rege - he never said no to whatever the bunch we wanted. I would definitely thank the boys because they have followed my guidance,” he added.
