Mumbai will look to be the old-fashioned Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Uttarakhand starting in Bengaluru on Monday.
By the time the hill state – with a new generation of players looking to scale new heights – came into existence nearly 22 years ago, the heavyweight had won the country’s premier domestic tournament an unprecedented 34 times.
From 2000 to 2022, Mumbai had another seven humble title-winning cups in their enviable trophy cabinet.
It is ironic to use the words effort and Mumbai in the same breadth, in the context of the Ranji Trophy, that winning the title came naturally to the Mumbai outfits of recent times, when they were superior, stubborn and perhaps at times Was a little arrogant.
Of course, his game was also punctuated by his well-documented never-say-die attitude and hate-lose attitude, something that the once-cradle of Indian cricket is trying to rediscover.
Mumbai’s entry into the quarter-finals of this edition was not an easy one as they only made it after Saurashtra failed to win with a bonus point in their last group match against Goa.
Still, the 41-time winner remains a strong favorite for his latest challenge.
Mumbai will bank on their skipper Prithvi Shaw to take the lead from the front as the weak right-handed batsman has the ability to challenge the inexperienced Uttarakhand attack at Alur. Cricket Stadium II.
A Lootera Shaw is always a threat to the opposition in any format, and Uttarakhand will be aiming to get him early.
Mumbai have a relatively new set of batsmen including Armaan Jaffer, Bhupen Lalwani and Hardik Tamor who will need to play their part well.
However, two players who can make a big impact are young openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan.
With his younger brother Musheer selected in the team, Sarfaraz will be keen to put on a good show and perform.
Sarfaraz, who performed well for Delhi Capitals in IPL-15, has bailed Mumbai out of trouble on several occasions and would like to open the innings again.
Same for Jaiswal, on whom the team management and coach Amol Majumdar have reposed faith time and again. Both have all the necessary shots in the book and can press to submit the opponent’s attack.
Veteran batsman-keeper Aditya Tare will need to shoulder more responsibility along with left-arm spinning all-rounder Shams Mulani.
Mulani, who took 11 wickets in the team’s last league match against Goa, would again like to spin his net around the opposition batsman.
He also made a match-winning partnership with Tanush Kotian in the match against Goa.
With Mulani being a certainty in the playing XI, off-spinner Kotian could be preferred over senior pro Shashank Attarde, considering his ability with the bat.
Mumbai have a decent pace attack led by the experienced Dhaval Kulkarni, who will have company in Tushar Deshpande.
The match for the third fast bowler could be between Mohit Awasthi and Royston Dias.
While the Majumdar-coached team will aim to move a step closer to their 42nd title, Uttarakhand will be in for a surprise.
Gill’s focus in Punjab vs Madhya Pradesh match
Meanwhile, after a successful outing with Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, the focus will be on opener Shubman Gill when his team Punjab take on Madhya Pradesh in another quarter-final match.
The elegant right-hander will be up against various MP attacks including left-arm spinner Kumar Karthikeya Singh, who recently IPL First entry.
The game is also a battle between veteran coaches Chandrakant Pandit and Surendra Bhave, who are the two smartest minds in the home field and it will be interesting to see how they come up against each other.
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