Shams Mulani’s 89 runs that averted a meek collapse for India A during its Duleep Trophy match against India D in Anantapur asserted for the umpteenth time that he is the ultimate utility man.
His prolific wicket-taking in the Ranji Trophy, 46 in the 2022/23 season and 45 in 2021/22, put him in the reckoning for a national call up. He played for India A against England Lions in January this year. But Mulani one-upped his own standards last domestic season when his 35 wickets were accompanied by 353 runs in Mumbai’s charge to a record-extending 41st title.
“He was a team person from the beginning. He wanted to do something for the team, either with the bat or the ball,” says coach Sandesh Kawle, Mulani’s coach at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana.
Through his 55 innings in First-Class cricket, Mulani has left subtle traces of what he can pull off with the bat. Four of his 16 half centuries, including the one against India D on Thursday, have been scored when his side has lost four wickets or more before crossing hundred runs.
“Everyone wants a player who can contribute with the bat down the order. And that’s what I try to do; contribute as much as I can for the team. I’ve been playing for the past four years for Mumbai and I try to stay as consistent as possible. That mindset of playing for the team helps me a lot,” says Mulani.
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On Thursday, Mulani was put to crisis control once again when India A was five down at 93 runs. He negotiated the extra bounce, which had proved fatal for his predecessors, with ease and brought the innings on track in the company of Kumar Kushagra and Tanush Kotian. India A finished on 290 runs in the end.
“When I go to bat I think of myself as a proper batter. [I ask myself] How can I build a small partnership? Suppose, we are struggling at 93 for five and if we can get somewhere to a reasonable total, that’s what I aim for. I just thought about building a small partnership; ‘let’s get the team to 150 first, then push 25-25 runs ahead.’ Then me and Kushagra had a small partnership before me and Tanush had a good partnership,” says Mulani.
Where as many as four batters from India A perished slashing hard against pace, Mulani got on top of the bounce and played closer to his body. He remained undaunted when tested with bouncers from Arshdeep Singh. Once he navigated his team through the tricky period, Mulani began his attack against the tweakers and consolidated. His pick up shot over mid off against Harshit Rana minutes before close of play was telling of how the southpaw grew in confidence through his essay.
Kawle feels the insistence on spending time batting early is helping his ward now.
“He always had the mindset [when he was young]. Batting toh karna hee hai. He has saved so many games for Mumbai as well. You know how good the Mumbai batting lineup is. Still, he holds his own. He can bat at number three as if he is given the chance. The call is ultimately with the selectors and management. But he is as confident against the pacers as he is against the spinners,” says Kawle.
FILE PHOTO: Mumbai bowler Shams Mulani, who took four wickets against TNCA XI in the second innings of Buchi Babu Invitation Cricket Tournament 2024 held in Coimbatore. | Photo Credit: PERIASAMY M/ The Hindu
Mulani’s second-highest First-Class score, 92 runs against heavyweight Saurashtra, came upon getting a promotion to number four in 2022. That’s the highest he’s ever batted.
“If anyone asks me my favourite position to bat, I think it’s at number six. I’ve batted the most in my whole cricketing journey at number six. That gives me an ample amount of rest as well after a long spell of bowling. But if my team demands me to go up the order I don’t mind at all. Or if they want me at seven as a left-handed all rounder. I’m not really much bothered about that,” says Mulani.
But such is Mulani’s predicament that even his high yields fall short, vying as he is for perhaps the most fiercely contested role in the Indian team. Ravindra Jadeja has been the mainstay across formats. Axar Patel stands first in a queue that includes Sai Kishore and Manav Suthar. Kuldeep Yadav’s improving returns with unorthodox spin have further squeezed out room for an orthodox bowler.
The fact that Mulani could not be accommodated into the Duleep Trophy squads for the first round, partly also due to the A-listers’ inclusion, cuts out the stiff task at hand for Mulani. However, Kawle swears by the grind and says it will only bring out the best in Mulani.
“I always told all my kids at the academy that your time will come if you keep performing. Obviously, with the competition these days, it can take time to break in these days. But that competition is good. The same was the case with Shreyas Iyer [also Kawle’s student]. He had to perform consistently for very long to break in. That is good. The more he is required to perform, the stronger he will be. It helps in sustaining at that level. You have to perform till you get the call from the Indian team. I give him the example of Padmakar Shivalkar. He took nearly 600 wickets in First-Class cricket but still could not play for India,” says Kawle.
Mulani made his Indian Premier League debut, at the age of 27, only this year, meaning he missed out on the ‘fast-tracking’ opportunities that the tournament often provides.
“Just because my red ball journey has taken a big leap in the last couple of years, sometimes it overshadows my white ball performances as well,” says Mulani.
But he remains content with his progress in the shorter formats and says he is equipped to pounce on any chance that comes his way.
“Mumbai is one of the toughest teams in India to be a part of, and playing white ball cricket for almost around six to seven years for Mumbai is itself a statement that I’ve done well in white ball. The first time I came into the Ranji Trophy they called me a white ball bowler. Now people talk about my red-ball skills more than my white-ball skills.
“So that transition has happened in the last two or three years but I’m working on both formats of the game and trying to improve each and every day, so that wherever the opportunity rises, I’m there to capitalise,” says Mulani.
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