Relieved from captaincy, Tare slams ton after three Ranji seasons as Mumbai draw with Railways
Mumbai's Aditya Tare plays an on-side shot in a Ranji match v Tripura at Wankhede last year. Pic/Atul Kamble
Former Mumbai captain Aditya Tare, who scored a first-class century after a gap of three Ranji Trophy seasons yesterday, revealed that he is playing with a clear mind, without the burden of captaincy.
Tare slammed an unbeaten hundred in Mumbai's Ranji opener against Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. The four-day game ended in a draw. The middle-order batsman, who scored 237 runs last season, notched up his eighth first-class hundred yesterday. "I have less things to worry about now. I can look after my own skills and I am playing with a clear mind as compared to when I was captain. As captain, you have to do lot of things, worry about a lot of things. As a player, you have less responsibilities.
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However, I am okay… I enjoyed my role as captain too. Now, I am playing a different role in the team. I am enjoying it and trying to do my best," he told mid-day over the phone.
Mumbai ended the final day on 321 for five in their second innings in reply to Railway's 307. Siddhesh Lad followed up his first innings 99 with 76. The last time Tare scored a Ranji Trophy century was in 2015-16, the season Mumbai won their 41st Ranji Trophy title. His 109 against Madhya Pradesh at Cuttack helped Mumbai enter the final.
"It's (century) come after a long time; I am happy. I hope to get more hundreds for Mumbai," he said. Last month, Tare scored 71 against Delhi and helped Mumbai win the Vijay Hazare Trophy final in Bangalore. Though yesterday's situation was different, he said the unbeaten hundred has given him the much-needed confidence. "It's essential to get yourself into form. The match was heading to a draw, but they (Railways) applied negative tactics and I played patiently. I played around 180 balls (11x4, 2x6) and this confidence will help me in the next game," said Tare, 30.
Mumbai will play Karnataka next up at Belgaum from November 20. "Both teams [Mumbai and Karnataka] are tough and have good batting and bowling line-ups, so it will be an exciting contest. Karnataka will provide a good challenge," Tare insisted.
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