What does Mumbai need to do to make it to the last-eight stage of the Ranji Trophy?
The 41-time champion has two options: either take a first-innings lead against Maharashtra in its last group stage match, beginning on Tuesday at the Brabourne Stadium, or aim for an outright win.
Placed third in Elite Group B, Mumbai has 23 points from six games, whereas Maharashtra is ahead with 25 points. When the two sides renew their rivalry, a first-innings lead will be enough for Maharashtra to reach the knockouts.
However, in case, it fails to do so and ends up drawing the game, Mumbai will catch up with 26 points and storm into the next round as it has won two matches with bonus points, compared to none by Maharashtra.
But both the sides have made it clear that they won’t be thinking too much about the calculations and just play to their strengths. Mumbai will be without the services of Prithvi Shaw and Shardul Thakur, whereas Maharashtra, too, will be missing its India internationals Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi.
Coming from a shock defeat against Delhi, Mumbai has added Yashasvi Jaiswal to its squad and keeping in mind the fact that the Brabourne surface would aid the batters - after the first session on Day One - Mumbai hopes to make every opportunity count.
On the eve of the crucial game, run machine Sarfaraz Khan skipped the training session due to a low-grade fever. But the team is confident that he would be available for selection. “Sarfaraz is fine now. Prithvi, of course, is not available, but Mumbai has a bunch of talent. So, there’s a replacement for everyone. There is no pressure as we have back-ups,” batter Armaan Jaffer said.
With Musheer Khan back with the U-25 side, Divyaansh Saxena could make it to the final eleven. Coming on the back of scoring a 250 against Saurashtra in the Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy, Saxena could bolster Mumbai’s batting department, which comprises captain Ajinkya Rahane, Jaffer and Jaiswal. In its last away game against Delhi, Mumbai’s middle-order crumbled in the second innings and on Monday afternoon, Mumbai Cricket Association president Amol Kale met the players to boost their morale ahead of the big game.
But it won’t be easy. With Maharashtra’s batting department revolving around captain Ankit Bawne, Kedar Jadhav and Naushad Shaikh, who scored 152 against Hyderabad in the last game, Mumbai’s bowling department - spearheaded by Tushar Deshpande - has a challenging job at hand. Ever since returning to domestic cricket after a hiatus, Jadhav has been in sublime form with scores of 283, 56 and 71 and his team will be hoping for the seasoned campaigner to keep the momentum going.
“It is as good as a knockout game. It is a very important game, but at the same time, we have to follow the process and continue with what we have been doing throughout the season,” captain Bawne said. “Points don’t matter now, taking a first-innings lead or whatever, result matters in this game…”
Maharashtra bowlers - Pradeep Dadhe, Akshay Palkar and Rajvardhan Hangargekar - need to step up against a strong Mumbai batting line-up.
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