Ranji loss has robbed young guns Rohit and Rahane of crucial opportunities, says coach Amre

Dilip Vengsarkar once admitted to MiD DAY that he struggled to sleep for several months after Mumbai lost the 1991 Ranji Trophy final to Haryana. Mumbai coach Praveen Amre may probably face a similar situation after his side was booted out of the Ranji Trophy by minnows Rajasthan in Jaipur on Monday.

Praveen Amre

Amre has been a successful Mumbai coach and the 39-time Ranji Trophy winners paid the price for one bad innings against Hrishikesh Kanitkar's Rajasthan. Mumbai fared well in the second innings of the tie, but it was not enough as Rajasthan had claimed the first innings honours in the quarter-finals.

MiD DAY caught up with Amre, who played for India from 1991-92 to 1993-94.

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How did it feel to bow out so early in the knockout phase?
It was disappointing to lose in the quarter-final. The whole year's hard work was gone in just a match. Rajasthan had the home advantage. On the second day, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Vineet Saxena built a huge partnership and did the job for Rajasthan.

Mumbai may not have won the Ranji Trophy this season, but I am more disappointed for players like Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and a few others, who lost out on the crucial semi-final and final games which would have been important for them.