Desperate times calls for desperate measures. That appears to be Mumbai cricket's mantra nowadays if one considers wicketkeeper Aditya Tare's elevation as its captain. And that is latest twist in the tale of a team that's going down.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures. That appears to be Mumbai cricket's mantra nowadays if one considers wicketkeeper Aditya Tare's elevation as its captain. And that is latest twist in the tale of a team that's going down.
Two defeats in six games with one win and three draws may satisfy other teams, but not the 40-time Ranji champions. On top of that captain Suryakumar Yadav's stepping down a day after they lost by an innings and 44 runs to Tamil Nadu in Chepauk last week, indicate troubled times for Mumbai cricket.
"Yadav resigned from captaincy owing to the loss against Tamil Nadu," said the official statement. For someone who is aggressive by nature, plays boldly and loves a challenge, stepping down in the middle of a season is hard to digest. However, the reason coming off the record from MCA is Yadav's lack of discipline has been his undoing and hence, has been forced to step down.
Yadav is the second highest scorer for Mumbai after Shreyas Iyer (495) with 485 runs in six games with two centuries and as many half centuries with a healthy average of 53.88.
Yadav's replacement as captain is Tare. It is shocking considering that he has had a poor season with the bat. The scores of 23, 1, 0, 4, 24, 37, 57, 17, 36 in the last eight innings makes life of his detractors easy. The only half-century came in the inconsequential second innings against Madhya Pradesh at the Wankhede. So overall, the Mumbai Indians batsman has 199 runs in six matches with an average of 22.11.
"MCA told us Yadav won't lead since he has resigned. So we had no choice but to pick Tare. He is our most experienced man. Tell me what are the options? Abhishek Nayar is not fit. Wasim (Jaffer) does not want to take up the captaincy. So it Tare, who has scored heavily for Mumbai in the last two seasons," said a selector.
So won't an out-of-form Tare be burdened by this?
The MCA official said, "This responsibility might help him get back into good form. We have two games so it won't be a bad decision to test him as a captain for the future."
However, Tare is happy and optimistic. "It's a great responsibility and a great feeling to have been asked to lead the Mumbai team," Tare told ESPNcricinfo. "With the glorious past we have had, Mumbai team has a rich legacy. I along with all my teammates would try and take it forward," he added.
For the record, Tare is the seventh captain to lead in four years after Wasim Jaffer, Ajit Agarkar, Rohit Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Abhishek Nayar, for a brief period, and Yadav.
Tare so far in Ranji Trophy
Mat Inns Runs HS Ave SR 100 50s
6 8 199 57 22.11 34.48 - 1
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