Mumbai cricket team are playing their 500th Ranji Trophy match against Baroda at the Wankhede stadium today. This epic milestone was celebrated with an event at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in Bandra Kurla Complex
Vinod Kambli
Mumbai cricket team are playing their 500th Ranji Trophy match against Baroda at the Wankhede stadium today. This epic milestone was celebrated with an event at the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) in Bandra Kurla Complex.
Various Mumbai Ranji veterans such as Ajit Wadekar, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Vinod Kambli, Sudhir Naik, Amol Muzumdar as well as Mumbai Ranji's captain Aditya Tare and his team were present at the event.
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Aditya Tare. Pics/ mid-day
Mumbai Ranji captain Aditya Tare, who led the team to the title in 2015-16, spoke about Mumbai's plan for their 500th Ranji match against Baroda. Tare said, 'It is a great moment for us to be playing the 500th game and are fortunate to be part of the squad. I would like to congratulate and credit every Mumbai player who has been part of this journey and I hope we can make this a memorable one.'
Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer who returned after India's series against New Zealand gave the team the necessary boost. Aditya Tare also credited their presence saying 'They are terrific players and match winners and it will strengthen our squad and make us stronger.'
Talking about his fondest memories as a fan as well as a Mumbai Ranji cricketer, Aditya Tare said, 'Every Ranji championship is memorable to me and I am lucky to be part of two finals. Every game for Mumbai has been special for me.
Aditya Tare feels it is getting tougher to win the Ranji Trophy title as cricket is spreading across the country. 'It (cricket) is at every corner of the country and the road will be difficult from here on, but Mumbai are well prepared, have had a great offseason and a great squad that is capable of winning Ranji titles.'
Sanjay Manjrekar
Speaking about Mumbai's 500th Ranji Trophy game, former Mumbai Ranji winning skipper Sanjay Manjrekar said, 'It's something to be expected from a team like Mumbai. We have been around for a long time and played more matches than other teams. If at all there was any Ranji team to reach this milestone first, it had to be Mumbai. Sharing some of his fondest memories, Sanjay Manjrekar went on to speak about his first game. 'It was a tough game as it was knock-out quarterfinal against Haryana. Also the final between Mumbai and Haryana where I was captain. I could not watch the final hours of the game as there were many emotions running through. Generally, Ranji Trophy can sometimes be a bit of a drag, but those few matches stand out for me, he said.
On his message for the current Mumbai cricket squad, Sanjay Manjrekar said, 'Cricket has changed dramatically over the years and attack has become the new form of batting today. I would advise the team to adopt the method that suits them best - be it attacking or defending. The most important thing for any performer is consistency. How you achieve it is up to the individual. I feel there is too much of an attacking approach which is eye-catching. But more than all that, it is runs and wickets that decide the fate of the game so the team must focus on those two.'
Vinod Kambli
Mumbai's former left-arm batsman Vinod Kambli also spoke on Mumbai's 500th Ranji match calling the milestone a 'wonderful feeling'. Vinod Kambli, who has played for Mumbai for years said, 'This is a huge landmark and I hope the Mumbai team brings home the Ranji Trophy this year.' Vinod Kambli also had a vital message for Aditya Tare's side. Kambli said, 'Mumbai should get the 'khadoos pana' attitude as that is how we have won so many years and kept the Mumbai Ranji name flying high.'
Vinod Kambli had plenty of Ranji Trophy memories to share. He went on to talk about playing with cricketers such as Dilip Vengsarkar, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Manjrekar and Ravi Shastri helped him learn a lot. Kambli also credited his senior players from the Mumbai Ranji team in helping him during his cricket days. Kambli stated that 'unity' was the factor that set Mumbai apart from other teams.
85-year-old former Mumbai cricketer Madhav Apte has said if 'Mumbai live up to their reputation they should be winning the championship.'
Madhav Apte also went back in time to share his fondest memories during his Ranji Trophy career for Mumbai. Madhav Apte said, 'I played my first Ranji Trophy match in 1952 and I got a hundred on my debut. And after 30 odd years, Sachin Tendulkar was the next to get a hundred on debut for Mumbai.'
Madhav Apte, who played for Mumbai for about 15 years, further said, 'We won about 8-10 titles and I was captaining the side on two occasions. Madhav Apte considers Sachin Tendulkar as his favourite Mumbai cricketer but also has a lot of praise for the young Prithvi Shaw and calls him a 'promising' player'.
Former India captain and Arjuna and Padmashri awardee Ajit Wadekar, who made his first-class debut in 1958 and is the only Mumbai captain to win the Ranji Trophy title on 4 occasions. Ajit Wadekar talked about Mumbai's 500th Ranji game saying, 'It's the structure of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) that we have more than 300 clubs and cricket tournaments that go on throughout the year. Even during the rains, we have the Kanga League tourney. That's what keeps us busy and also helps us derive a competitive spirit and makes a huge difference. We need to keep up with our tradition of winning.
Being a Ranji Trophy winner himself, Ajit Wadekar shared some of his fondest memories during his Ranji career. Ajit Wadekar said, 'I played regularly for Mumbai for 16 years and also became a captain. My best moment would be when we played against Delhi, who was always known as our arch rivals. When we visited Delhi to play their side, they said 'this is not Mumbai, this is no small ground and you cannot win'. We still managed to win by an innings and keep them silent. Mumbai cricket team's spirit is such, that when anyone aggravates us, we tend to play better.
Speaking about the camaraderie that the Mumbai players in the dressing room, Ajit Wadekar said, 'Sunny (Sunil Gavaskar) and Ashok Mankad came out with the most hilarious jokes. We hardly discuss cricket. There is a lot of chatting and jokes passed around that tends to strengthen our bond and brings us close. Mumbai plays as a team and it is that combination which makes the difference.
Mumbai are playing Baroda in their Ranji Trophy tie from November 9-12.
Also view photos: Mumbai's 500th Ranji Match: Rare Photos From Over The Years
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