Before this Ranji Trophy season began, I was among countless others who believed that Mumbai had no chance of winning the title. A place in the semi-final would be an achievement I had argued.
Humble pie has never tasted better.
My pessimism had stemmed from the several issues that looked insurmountable. Apart from everything else, there just didn’t seem to be enough depth or experience in the team to make the cut.
Wasim Jaffer, the most prolific run-getter in Ranji cricket, had moved on to another team. So too talented young gun Sarfraz Khan. Stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane were to be on India duty extensively.
The previous two seasons had been disastrous, and this one looked worse. The batting and bowling both looked vulnerable. Who would lead the team was a major debate. Mumbai looked to be in the doghouse.
But by the end of the season, they were top of the pops with a remarkable sequence of performances that culminated in the emphatic triumph against Saurashtra in the final.
The core of the team was made up of hardy, ambitious youngsters. There were no megstars playing for Mumbai this year, though a couple of them could become that in a short time.
Shreyas Iyer’s wondrous strokeplay made him not just the most exciting batsman in the tournament, but also the most productive. Strongly built Shardul Thakur, who picked up five wickets in the second innings of the final, was another who impressed. These two players are not just knocking on the doors of the selectors, but threatening to bring it down.
But essentially it was Aditya Tare’s fine leadership and excellent teamwork that led Mumbai to their 41st title.
This statistic is significant. Bombay won the very first edition of the Ranji Trophy, and after 82 seasons, have a whopping 50 per cent win record!
Only New South Wales (46 times) have won a domestic title more times, but it must be remembered that first class cricket in Australia precedes that in India by almost half a century.
What explains Mumbai’s dominance?
It is a worn out cliché (albeit with some truth), that Mumbai’s cricketers are khadoos, meaning focused, unrelenting, tough nuts. All this is correct, but it is the underlying culture that promotes such mindset that is of importance.
There are two aspects to this that I want to highlight. First, players from this city take great pride in the tradition and history of Mumbai cricket. For them, it is a badge of honour, akin to wearing the India cap.
The best Ranji final I have witnessed was in 1990-91 at the Wankhede Stadium where Mumbai were actually beaten by Haryana. The last day’s play was scintillating as Mumbai tried to chase down a very stiff target of 355 in 64 overs and failed by just two runs.
The sight of captain Dilip Vengsarkar walking off the ground, tears streaming down his face after Abey Kuruvilla was dismissed will never be erased from my memory. Vengsarkar, in the twilight of his career, had made a sterling, unbeaten 139, but just could not come to terms with the defeat.
That is yeoman spirit. Year after year, former Mumbai players also pitch in with their expertise. Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Shastri, Tendulkar etc have always been around to advise and hand-hold youngsters. The passing on of values is strong.
It’s not that players from other associations don’t have pride or don’t want to help, rather how much they are allowed to do so. That is the other crucial facet in Mumbai’s domination: an ambitious administration.
Of course the MCA is not a paragon of enlightened administration. But issues and errors of omission and commission are fewer than in most other state associations.
Former players and well-wishers also act as a vigilante group, so problems are addressed quicker and better.
The current turmoil in Delhi and Hyderabad — two powerhouses not too long back — explains adequately how maladministration can take a team and cricket culture to ruin.
Mumbai cricket holds out a lesson for every other association in the country. Success is never easy. It is always hard-earned. And if it is well cared for, it gets more frequent and sweeter.
