Success in Ranji Trophy knock out games requires a special layer of steel. And that's what Aditya Tare's Mumbai team will have to display on the penultimate day of their quarter-final against Hyderabad in Raipur today
Mumbai Skipper Aditya Tare
Success in Ranji Trophy knock out games requires a special layer of steel. And that's what Aditya Tare's Mumbai team will have to display on the penultimate day of their quarter-final against Hyderabad in Raipur today.
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Of course, they showed a good measure of spirit yesterday too when they dismissed their opponents for 280 to gain a 14-run first innings lead. Hyderabad were 167 for three overnight and looked in good position to surpass Mumbai's 294.
Bowlers wreck havoc
On Saturday, pace bowling all-rounder Abhishek Nayar sent back Hyderabad's three top order batsmen. Yesterday, he dismissed overnight batsman Bavanaka Sandeep (17) to end up with 4-60 in 29 overs. Left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil (3-59) and pacer Shardul Thakur (2-45) did the rest of the damage to prevent Hyderabad from running away with a first innings lead. With Mumbai losing three wickets for 102, the first innings lead doesn't count for much now. The defending champions are cornered, but they can be tigerish in Raipur today if they do justice to the traditional khadoos attitude.
It won't be easy. And Tare will have to come up with an inspiring batting show, ditto Nayar and young gun Siddhesh Lad (who scored 59 and 110 in the first innings respectively). With Kevin D'Almeida, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav back in the hut, Mumbai are not on the smoothest of streets.
Mumbai cricket historians will point to the 1975-76 quarter-final fought out by the same opponents at the Wankhede Stadium in January 1976. Mumbai were dismissed for 222, chiefly due to off-spinner V Ramnarayan, who claimed 7 for 68. Hyderabad led by ML Jaisimha, totaled 281.
Splendid victory in 1976
Skipper Ashok Mankad scored a brilliant unbeaten 136 in the second innings and declared at 275 for four, giving Hyderabad a target of 217. Leg-spinner Rakesh Tandon claimed 6-62 while Padmakar Shivalkar's four wickets included erstwhile Test starts Abbas Ali Baig and S Abid Ali. Tandon dismissed MAK Pataudi for a duck and Hyderabad were bowled out for 146. Mumbai won by 70 runs and ended up champions when they beat Bihar in Jamshedpur the following month.
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