Mumbai had a near-perfect match against Punjab last week. The batsmen made handsome contributions; bowlers fired on all cylinders and the fielding was flawless. However, there is a major concern for Mumbai which is yet to be addressed — Abhishek Nayar's poor form. He is known to be Mumbai's crisis man, but the all-rounder hasn't quite bailed out his team when required. Injuries have made things tougher for him.


Abhishek Nayar at the BKC ground yesterday. Pics/Suresh KK

Second-placed Mumbai take on Group 'B' table-toppers Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy match at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground today. Although the season has just started, early signs haven't been encouraging. He scored 23 against Andhra and returned figures of 1-32 and 0-26 at Vizianagaram as Mumbai failed to take the first innings lead. He looked out of sorts against Punjab, scoring five and remaining wicketless in both innings on a juicy Wankhede Stadium track.