MUMBAI: In the tip, all it took was once 25 mins and seven overs on Day 4 of this riveting Ranji Trophy pageant for Saurashtra to stay their date with historical past.
Losing his persistence, Tushar Deshpande (13) went down the observe and smashed Dhamensinh Jadeja to lengthy on, the place a sprinting Chetan Sakariya made no mistake, whilst Shams Mulani (34) was once stuck at slip off Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, finishing Mumbai’s innings at 231 and triggering celebrations within the Saurashtra camp.
Soon after Saurashtra finished the formalities to stroll away with a creditable 48-run win over Mumbai-the Kathiawar aspect’s maiden outright win over the 41-time Ranji Trophy champions, their trainer, former First-Class participant Jayesh Odedra picked up a work of the Pitched on the MCA flooring in BKC and stored it in his pocket. It can be a reminiscence he’ll maintain and cherish for the remainder of his lifestyles.
“It’s a pretty emotional, special moment, to be honest. We talked about it yesterday, we tried to get data from the Saurashtra Cricket Association as well. To my knowledge, no team from Saurashtra has scored an outright win against Mumbai. It was a really good team effort – each and every individual contributed. We were missing our star players-Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat, but we had self-belief and unity. Arpit (Vasavada, Saurashtra captain) led from the front, and our players stuck to each other. It was really good to see how the youngsters can make a difference. Yes, I still can’t get out of it. I even took some turf from the wicket (here), because I know that it’s a big thing when you win against Mumbai in Mumbai,” said Odedra.
Quizzed on how his players would celebrate vanquishing Mumbai, the Saurashtra coach quipped: “We aren’t huge beer drinkers, but I’m definitely going to celebrate by opening a bottle of champagne!”
The way Saurashtra have performed in domestic cricket over the years, a day where they would beat Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy was waiting to happen. That they outplayed Mumbai on the latter’s home turf, with a depleted side, makes their achievement truly special. Hoping that their spinners Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian would continue to make merry, Mumbai thought that they would trap Saurashtra on a turner, but the strategy backfired against a team which has good tweakers too. A classic example was 22-year-old off-spinner Dodiya, who finished with 8 for 129 (4-43 & 4-86) on his debut.
On a pitch which offered loads of turn and awkward bounce, Mumbai were left to rue the absence of off-spinner Kotian, who was ruled out due to a finger injury.
It was another feather in the cap for the Rajkot-based team, which clinched the Ranji Trophy in the 2019-20 season, and then the Vijay Hazare Trophy this time. Twice-in the 2012-13 and 2015-16 seasons, Saurashtra reached the final, only to be outgunned by Mumbai inside 3 days-so this win must surely taste sweet for the likes of Pujara and their old warhorse Sitanshu Kotak, now India A coach.
The loss, Muzumdar said, was a “good wake-up” call for Mumbai. With 4 games left now, they play Tamil Nadu at the Brabourne Stadium, while Saurashtra play Delhi in Rajkot when the next round starts on January 3. “We’ve played some good cricket throughout the last year and a half, but now and again Its (the defeat) a good wake up call to have,” mentioned the trainer.
One of the massive causes the Rajkot-based aspect is now a power to reckon with in home cricket, the Saurashtra trainer noticed, was once the advance in health requirements. “Even when we won the Vijay Hazare, I said that the only difference (from the earlier times) I see is that our players are a lot more fitter than they used to be. They are extremely fit. Each individual is working hard on their fitness, and that shows on the field. That’s why our fielding has improved over the years, and that’s what is helping us, to be honest,” he analyzed.
This result was another sign that domestic cricket was now far more competitive because all teams were embracing “professionalism,” felt Mumbai trainer Amol Muzumdar “Once you start the game, it’s a level playing field at the moment. No team in India (is easy opposition) because they’ve turned to professionalism. If you see the support staff, their way of handling the teams, everything is streamlined. People have started realizing it (the importance of professionalism). Other teams are equally good,” felt Muzumdar.
Saurashtra did not have an issue with Mumbai making ready a ‘dustbowl’ towards them. “See, the best way this structure is, if you wish to be a few of the two groups that qualify (for the knockouts) out of your workforce, you want greater than 24 issues. Unless you get greater than that, you will not undergo. So, if you’ll’t make a inexperienced observe, what else are you able to do, however make a turning observe? You do not want an uneventful draw. I to start with concept that this wicket would not hang for three days, however the fit was once made up our minds at the fourth day. So, in step with me, the wicket wasn’t that unhealthy. Why mustn’t our cricketers play on those kinds of wickets as neatly. To play spin is an artwork as neatly. There’s not anything fallacious with this,” mentioned Odedra.
Losing his persistence, Tushar Deshpande (13) went down the observe and smashed Dhamensinh Jadeja to lengthy on, the place a sprinting Chetan Sakariya made no mistake, whilst Shams Mulani (34) was once stuck at slip off Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, finishing Mumbai’s innings at 231 and triggering celebrations within the Saurashtra camp.
Soon after Saurashtra finished the formalities to stroll away with a creditable 48-run win over Mumbai-the Kathiawar aspect’s maiden outright win over the 41-time Ranji Trophy champions, their trainer, former First-Class participant Jayesh Odedra picked up a work of the Pitched on the MCA flooring in BKC and stored it in his pocket. It can be a reminiscence he’ll maintain and cherish for the remainder of his lifestyles.
“It’s a pretty emotional, special moment, to be honest. We talked about it yesterday, we tried to get data from the Saurashtra Cricket Association as well. To my knowledge, no team from Saurashtra has scored an outright win against Mumbai. It was a really good team effort – each and every individual contributed. We were missing our star players-Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat, but we had self-belief and unity. Arpit (Vasavada, Saurashtra captain) led from the front, and our players stuck to each other. It was really good to see how the youngsters can make a difference. Yes, I still can’t get out of it. I even took some turf from the wicket (here), because I know that it’s a big thing when you win against Mumbai in Mumbai,” said Odedra.
Quizzed on how his players would celebrate vanquishing Mumbai, the Saurashtra coach quipped: “We aren’t huge beer drinkers, but I’m definitely going to celebrate by opening a bottle of champagne!”
The way Saurashtra have performed in domestic cricket over the years, a day where they would beat Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy was waiting to happen. That they outplayed Mumbai on the latter’s home turf, with a depleted side, makes their achievement truly special. Hoping that their spinners Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian would continue to make merry, Mumbai thought that they would trap Saurashtra on a turner, but the strategy backfired against a team which has good tweakers too. A classic example was 22-year-old off-spinner Dodiya, who finished with 8 for 129 (4-43 & 4-86) on his debut.
On a pitch which offered loads of turn and awkward bounce, Mumbai were left to rue the absence of off-spinner Kotian, who was ruled out due to a finger injury.
It was another feather in the cap for the Rajkot-based team, which clinched the Ranji Trophy in the 2019-20 season, and then the Vijay Hazare Trophy this time. Twice-in the 2012-13 and 2015-16 seasons, Saurashtra reached the final, only to be outgunned by Mumbai inside 3 days-so this win must surely taste sweet for the likes of Pujara and their old warhorse Sitanshu Kotak, now India A coach.
The loss, Muzumdar said, was a “good wake-up” call for Mumbai. With 4 games left now, they play Tamil Nadu at the Brabourne Stadium, while Saurashtra play Delhi in Rajkot when the next round starts on January 3. “We’ve played some good cricket throughout the last year and a half, but now and again Its (the defeat) a good wake up call to have,” mentioned the trainer.
One of the massive causes the Rajkot-based aspect is now a power to reckon with in home cricket, the Saurashtra trainer noticed, was once the advance in health requirements. “Even when we won the Vijay Hazare, I said that the only difference (from the earlier times) I see is that our players are a lot more fitter than they used to be. They are extremely fit. Each individual is working hard on their fitness, and that shows on the field. That’s why our fielding has improved over the years, and that’s what is helping us, to be honest,” he analyzed.
This result was another sign that domestic cricket was now far more competitive because all teams were embracing “professionalism,” felt Mumbai trainer Amol Muzumdar “Once you start the game, it’s a level playing field at the moment. No team in India (is easy opposition) because they’ve turned to professionalism. If you see the support staff, their way of handling the teams, everything is streamlined. People have started realizing it (the importance of professionalism). Other teams are equally good,” felt Muzumdar.
Saurashtra did not have an issue with Mumbai making ready a ‘dustbowl’ towards them. “See, the best way this structure is, if you wish to be a few of the two groups that qualify (for the knockouts) out of your workforce, you want greater than 24 issues. Unless you get greater than that, you will not undergo. So, if you’ll’t make a inexperienced observe, what else are you able to do, however make a turning observe? You do not want an uneventful draw. I to start with concept that this wicket would not hang for three days, however the fit was once made up our minds at the fourth day. So, in step with me, the wicket wasn’t that unhealthy. Why mustn’t our cricketers play on those kinds of wickets as neatly. To play spin is an artwork as neatly. There’s not anything fallacious with this,” mentioned Odedra.