Once upon a time they (state teams) used to shudder at the thought of having to play against Mumbai. Such was the way the 39-time Ranji Trophy champions dominated the psyche of their opponents. However, the Indian cricketing powerhouse has started losing its grip and fear factor as well.
Back-to-back Ranji titles a year before this has been followed by a dry 2010-11. They haven’t won a single title and suffered a humiliating quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Rajasthan, who were in Plate Division till a few seasons ago but now are Ranji champions. Has Mumbai lost its image of being invincible?
The Mecca of Indian cricket has had a very ordinary year. If Mumbai seniors’ team led by their local stalwart Wasim Jaffer had a disappointing season with no crown to their name in the BCCI tournaments, their other teams also delivered below mediocre performances, except the U-22 outfit that won the CK Nayudu tournament at BKC.
Even the World Cup-winning Indian team had just two players — Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan — from Mumbai whereas the 1983 winners had five members in Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil, Dilip Vengsarkar, Balwinder Singh Sandhu and Ravi Shastri.
Victories and defeats are part of a sport, but the story in the Mumbai circles is something else and the blame squarely rests on the team management and selectors for their poor show.
Many agree that playing Mumbai does not really alarm the opponents anymore. The khadoos nature that the team was known for is missing. Former Mumbai stalwart and chief selector Padmakar Shivalkar believes that time has changed and other teams are improving as far as the competitive skills are concerned.
“We were dominating earlier because there were few competitive teams. Now, the standard has gone up everywhere. Competition has become tougher not only for Mumbai but for other teams and players too. You can’t underestimate your opponent,” says Shivalkar, a former left-arm spinner who competed with the legendary Bishan Singh Bedi for a berth in the Indian team.
“Those days, all teams were not equal. There was a huge difference in the standard of the teams. Now, the difference is very slim. Look at Jharkhand. They won the Vijay Hazare Trophy (one-dayers). Many were surprised, but I was not.
“Cricket has improved. That is the result. Now, we have to improve ourselves. Unless we don’t take the pressure, we won’t improve. We have to take the pressure now,” he adds.
Meanwhile, former Test cricketer Sudhir Naik blames the loopholes at the grassroots for Mumbai’s diminishing power.“We are not the powerhouse we used to be earlier. But I would like to believe this is just a phase” says Naik.
Naik, who owns the famous National Cricket Club and has nurtured players like Zaheer Khan and Jaffer, feels the lack of talent for Mumbai at the highest level is because of bad coaching at the grassroots.
“We do not have a proper coaching set up. The coaches here are partial. They only select their own players instead of picking a talented youngster, who can have a good future. Authorities appoint their own men as coaches.
“Those who have not played good class of cricket have become coaches. Youngsters learn wrong things from them. The moment somebody becomes a coach or selector, they try to push players from their own club while others are ignored. It is happening at the junior level,” adds Naik.
Another problem that has been affecting Mumbai cricket is the conditions of the ground. At one end, they possess properties like MCA club house in BKC and a world class Wankhede Stadium and on the other, there are grounds like Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan, Cross Maidan and Oval Maidan, the nurseries of Mumbai cricket, which are not in good condition.
“In our times, grounds were not dirty and rough like today. There is toilet everywhere you see. You find drug addicts doing s****y things on the grounds. If the condition of the ground is so bad, how could you expect the players to be groomed properly?” an angry Naik asks.“Nobody is bothered about local cricket,” he fumes.
A local coach too points out the horrendous ground conditions.
“Boys can’t play in these conditions. The outfield is rough with holes and is uneven. If a player’s shoe gets stuck in the hole, his career will come to an end.
“In one such incident, a cricketer took a brilliant diving catch in Shivaji Park and landed on the ground. Once he got up, he found blood on his knee because he fell on a bottle. The boy had to be taken to the hospital, where he had to undergo a surgery. He has now been asked to rest for almost six months. Tell me what will happen now? He will be left behind by other players,” adds the coach.
As far as the talent goes, Mumbai still has the talent and the best examples have been Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, Iqbal Abdulla and so on.
“We have the talent but somebody needs to nourish it. And if we want to become the same old Mumbai side, we will have to change with time. If the other teams are working hard, we need to work harder and put in extra effort,” says Shivalkar.
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