Any game between Mumbai and Maharashtra has always been a mouth watering contest and it won’t be different this time either, when the arch-rivals face off in the fourth round.
Mumbai and Maharashtra face off in a Ranji game from today and it should be a mouth-watering clash
MUMBAI: Any game between Mumbai and Maharashtra has always been a mouth watering contest and it won’t be different this time either, when the arch-rivals face off in the fourth round Ranji Trophy Super League match to be played at the Wankhede stadium from Saturday.
Former Mumbai and current Maharashtra coach Chandrakant Pandit has a mission on hand to make his team one of the strongest contenders to qualify for the semifinals and he has been almost successful till now, as his team is topping the group A table with 15 points from three games, including two outright wins.
However, the competition is tougher this time since they are facing defending champions Mumbai (9), who are chasing top spot in group A, in their own backyard. And Pandit being a former Mumbai player and coach, he will be aware of the weaknesses and strengths of his opponents.
The former India wicket-keeper admitted that the competition will be tough as they are playing arch rivals Mumbai. “We have definitely played well in the last three games, and found Tamil Nadu a bit tough. And this time it is Mumbai, one of the toughest teams in the league. They have been doing well and we also have been doing well and I expect it to be a good contest,” Pandit told DNA on the eve of the game.
Knowing that Mumbai has the experience of Amol Muzumdar, Ajit Agarkar, Ramesh Powar and Avishkar Salvi and the talent of India player Rohit Sharma, and Maharashtra mostly has youngsters in the line-up, Pandit is positive about the contest. “They will be facing some high class bowling and it is up to them (youngsters) how they handle it. But I think this is a good opportunity for the young players. One will get to see good cricket with both being good sides and having good players in them,” he added.
Mumbai coach Praveen Amre on the other hand wants to make amends for the mistakes they made in the first innings against Delhi, which saw the latter bag first innings points. “It’s is anybody’s game. We have to keep up the momentum going from the second innings. We struggled in the first inning against Delhi but bounced back in the second with Sahil Kukreja scoring a fantastic hundred. I hope we continue from where we had left.
“Unfortunately we made lots of errors in the first innings. However, we did well to save the game in the second innings and gained 1 point. We have to win this game and it is very crucial for us” he added. Mumbai so far, have garnered nine points from three matches with 1 win and 2 draws. The former Test cricketer is optimistic about his team’s chances against Maharashtra. “Last year in Nashik we finished the game in three days. We have to do well this time also and I think we can bounce back the last time we did in the league after struggling initially,” said Amre.
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