Start and stutter
Wasim Jaffer looked stunned as his off-stump cartwheeled to the keeper. A ball from Jammu & Kashmir fast bowler Samiullah Beigh had uprooted it. Mumbai’s veteran batsman started to walk back — and going by J&K’s celebrations one knew that the visitors had landed the biggest scalp in the Mumbai line-up. Though there was a minor delay before Jaffer (15) finally walked back to the dressing room (the umpire checked for a no-ball) Mumbai were reduced to 88 for three in just the 24th over.
Looking at the opening day of their 2014-15 Ranji season at the Wankhede Stadium, somehow it didn’t feel that one was watching a Mumbai team in action. The fact that they folded up for just 236 is not the only reason. Yes, it was the first day of their Ranji campaign, but one thing is sure: Mumbai will need to lift their game several notches to qualify for the knockouts. Given that Mumbai are in a group with teams like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, they have their task cut out. J&K were 88 for one, with Shubham Khajuria (47) and Bandeep Singh (34) playing through till close.
The day started with Mumbai captain Suryakumar Yadav opting to bat. For the Parvez Rasool-led side, this wasn’t just any other Ranji game. They were playing Mumbai for the first time in Ranji Trophy. Add to it their poor preparation — perils of cricketers from aflood-ravaged state — and you know why nerves were inevitable.
Then something changed suddenly. There was this slight movement that started troubling Mumbai. Shetty (35, 7x4) was the first to go when he mistimed a drive off Ram Dayal. Almeida followed him seven balls later when he edged Umar Nazir to Bandeep Singh at second slip. And when Jaffer was dismissed, Mumbai were facing a minor crisis.
It was now up to their experienced middle-order — Aditya Tare, Abhishek Nayar and Yadav — to do the rescue act. Each of them got a start before throwing it all away. Tare (23) looked confident before he was consumed at mid-wicket. Nayar (18) survived a strong leg-before appeal before edging Ram Dayal to keeper Obaid Haroon.
But it was Yadav’s dismissal that should trouble Mumbai’s management the most. Yadav had said that he had become more mature after getting the captain’s tag, but the manner in which he was dismissed suggested otherwise. With Mumbai six for 182, Yadav gave left-arm spinner Wasim Raza the charge, only to hear sound of ball hitting the timber.
Some slogging by Dhawal Kulkarni (42) helped Mumbai get to 236. One other thing that stood out in the Mumbai innings was their sheer injudiciousness in stroke-play. And they got out in every possible way.
They gave wickets to fast bowlers —Beigh, Umar Nazir and Ram Dayal —and even to the spinners — Raza and Rasool. They were bowled, caught behind, leg-before, caught and bowled, caught at slip and caught in the deep. Sums up the day it was.
BRIEF SCORES: Mumbai 236 (SA Yadav 57, DS Kulkarni 42*, BR Shetty 35, Waseem Raza 3/29, R Dayal 3/51) vs J&K 88/1
Looking at the opening day of their 2014-15 Ranji season at the Wankhede Stadium, somehow it didn’t feel that one was watching a Mumbai team in action. The fact that they folded up for just 236 is not the only reason. Yes, it was the first day of their Ranji campaign, but one thing is sure: Mumbai will need to lift their game several notches to qualify for the knockouts. Given that Mumbai are in a group with teams like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, they have their task cut out. J&K were 88 for one, with Shubham Khajuria (47) and Bandeep Singh (34) playing through till close.
The day started with Mumbai captain Suryakumar Yadav opting to bat. For the Parvez Rasool-led side, this wasn’t just any other Ranji game. They were playing Mumbai for the first time in Ranji Trophy. Add to it their poor preparation — perils of cricketers from aflood-ravaged state — and you know why nerves were inevitable.
Mumbai, meanwhile, had three debutants: Kevin Almeida, Shreyas Iyer and Bravish Shetty. Almeida opened with Shetty – the latter quickly got into his groove striking Beigh for three boundaries, one through longoff, the second past point and the third through extra cover. Neither Beig nor his opening bowling partner Ram Dayal were getting any extra help from the track or in the air.
Then something changed suddenly. There was this slight movement that started troubling Mumbai. Shetty (35, 7x4) was the first to go when he mistimed a drive off Ram Dayal. Almeida followed him seven balls later when he edged Umar Nazir to Bandeep Singh at second slip. And when Jaffer was dismissed, Mumbai were facing a minor crisis.
It was now up to their experienced middle-order — Aditya Tare, Abhishek Nayar and Yadav — to do the rescue act. Each of them got a start before throwing it all away. Tare (23) looked confident before he was consumed at mid-wicket. Nayar (18) survived a strong leg-before appeal before edging Ram Dayal to keeper Obaid Haroon.
But it was Yadav’s dismissal that should trouble Mumbai’s management the most. Yadav had said that he had become more mature after getting the captain’s tag, but the manner in which he was dismissed suggested otherwise. With Mumbai six for 182, Yadav gave left-arm spinner Wasim Raza the charge, only to hear sound of ball hitting the timber.
Some slogging by Dhawal Kulkarni (42) helped Mumbai get to 236. One other thing that stood out in the Mumbai innings was their sheer injudiciousness in stroke-play. And they got out in every possible way.
They gave wickets to fast bowlers —Beigh, Umar Nazir and Ram Dayal —and even to the spinners — Raza and Rasool. They were bowled, caught behind, leg-before, caught and bowled, caught at slip and caught in the deep. Sums up the day it was.
BRIEF SCORES: Mumbai 236 (SA Yadav 57, DS Kulkarni 42*, BR Shetty 35, Waseem Raza 3/29, R Dayal 3/51) vs J&K 88/1
