Ranji cricket returns to the lush green fields of the venerated Wankhede Stadium, which has been the home of Mumbai cricket for years, as the formidable home side will face a toothless Baroda on Thursday. Skipper Aditya Tare is relieved by the absence of the dangerous Yusuf Pathan who scored two centuries in the first match against Madhya Pradesh. Tare says an outright win will not be a “cakewalk.”
The hosts look the strongest now with their middle-order back for service. Diminutive batsman Ajinkya Rahane and a spirited Shreyas Iyer will pair up for the first time this season. This will trouble the stumbling Baroda bowling line-up, which has managed to get 30 wickets in four innings. These figures are pleasing until the number of runs conceded, which is 1,322 runs, are brought to light.
Skipper Tare, who turned 30 on Tuesday, is pleased by the strength of his squad. “The team feels complete with the return of all our key players but we cannot make the mistake of being overconfident,” said Tare.
Similar are the sentiments of coach Sameer Dighe. “Having a Test player in the team is great. It adds a great deal of character and strength to the team. Ajinkya gives useful inputs and adds stability to the batting,” said the former India wicket keeper. However, the joy for his team will be short-lived as Rahane, the India vice-captain, will leave for international duty to play Sri Lanka in the three-match Test series.
Dighe is hell-bent on winning the match to climb up the points table. “500th match or 100th match, winning is important. We do not have an option of not winning. The squad is strong and the players are confident. We hope to get the eight points at home,” he said.
The Baroda outfit is under the reign of the new captain, Deepak Hooda who replaced the popular Irfan Pathan who was also removed from the squad following his irregular form with bat and ball. They find themselves on the number five spot of the table with just four points from three games, which is worrisome for a team like Baroda.
In another blow for the visitors, hard-hitter Yusuf Pathan will not feature in the match while he recovers from typhoid. Tare feels other players can be equally dangerous for Baroda. “They (Yusuf and Irfan) are really experienced players, which is something that really counts in Ranji cricket. We could be lucky but there are many unknown players on their team who are doing well. We cannot be complacent,” said Tare.
The home side will aim to grab the eight points to make the historic 500th match even more memorable. In the past, a surplus of world-class cricketers from Vijay Merchant to Sunil Gavaskar to Sachin Tendulkar to Amol Mazumdar have walked out of the dressing room of Wankhede and created a reputation for Mumbai batsmen. This match could be a moment for another hero in the making and it looks like Rizvi College’s lad Prithvi Shaw could be the one.
Dighe labels him as “something special” but also stresses on the hard work that is needed to create a great player.
