Facing a must-win situation, Mumbai in dilemma over type of wicket to prepare at Wankhede as Karnataka have better options in all departments
The concept of home comfort suddenly does not sound like such a great idea for Mumbai cricket team.
The 40-time domestic giants are in a must-win situation and host defending champions Karnataka in their next Ranji Trophy tie from Friday at the Wankhede, a venue they prefer to call a "Fortress" as they believe they are almost unbeatable at this ground.
However this time, hosts Mumbai are in a dilemma over what kind of pitch to prepare? If it that assists pace, Karnataka has R Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and Srinath Aravind. If they prepare a turner, leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal can make Mumbai bastman dance on the pitch. So, the Mumbai Cricket Association officials are in a bit of quandary.
Mumbai won a major battle of staying in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth by beating Baroda outright in an away game on Sunday.
However, the real contest will begin from Friday. The Vinay Kumar-led side has been a major force in domestic cricket for the last few years and it won't be easy for Aditya Tare's side to press for a win against the strongest team in domestic cricket.
To win, Mumbai will have to take 20 wickets and they will have to go an extra mile and prepare a track that will churn out a result. The curators had prepared a batting paradise against Madhya Pradesh in the previous home game and it ended in a draw.
Mumbai coach Praveen Amre said, "Tamil Nadu prepared a track that suited their spinners. Baroda, too, did the same thing when we played them. However, our spinners and Shardul Thakur did a good turn around. We should also do a similar thing."
There is further dilemma even if a result oriented wicket is produced. A track that would help the fast bowlers could work against Mumbai as Karnataka possess a strong battery of pacers in their line-up. Starting with Vinay Kumar, Mithun and Aravind. The trio have been one of the pillars of the southern outfit's major success in the last few years.
On the other hand, Mumbai have just Shardul Thakur to look up to. Balwinder Singh Sandhu Jr may have impressed with six wickets on his return to the side, but his lack of pace won't help the matters against a strong Karnataka batting line-up.
Going by the result against Baroda, if Mumbai opts for a turning track it might not work against Karnataka. Though left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh (4/52 & 1/52) and off-spinner Akshay Girap (0/31 & 2/90) delivered against the team from Gujarat, it won't be as simple for them to repeat the act against a batting line-up that boasts of Robin Uthappa, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Gopal and CM Gautham.
On the other hand, Karnataka will be happy to play on a turner as Shreyas Gopal can be dangerous. His idol may be Anil Kumble and he may have modelled his action on him, but the 21-year-old can turn the ball a long way.
Karnataka have a settled line-up. Having qualified for the next round, they can afford to experiment with their combination.
For Mumbai, picking the right combination will be important. "We have our selection committee meeting tomorrow (Tuesday). We will see what kind of track we should prepare after the team is announced as we will be clear about our strengths then," said Amre.
It is learnt, Mumbai could go for a turner and add an extra spinner in the line-up. "If we need to produce a turning track, we should stop watering the wicket and leave the wicket to dry," said an expert.
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