If there’s one word which can describe Mumbai coach Pravin Amre’s mood these days, it is ‘bittersweet’.
The former India middle-order batsman is extremely happy as four of his wards — Rohit Sharma (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni and Abhishek Nayar — are part of the 16-member Board President’s squad for the warm-up tie against the visiting Sri Lankans (November 11-13).
The ‘bitter’ feeling is that the four will be “sorely missed” when defending champs Mumbai lock horns with Orissa in a Ranji Trophy league match (November 10-13) at the Brabourne.
“We will miss them. However, to be honest, I must say I am very happy for them,” Amre told DNA on Thursday.
“In the Mumbai Ranji set-up, we always believe in grooming talent for the next level. We create players who can serve India. This is an indication that these boys are on the radar of the national selectors,” Amre added.
Mumbai Cricket Association joint-secretary Lalchand Rajput echoed Amre’s views.
“It’s like a Catch 22 situation,” he said, adding that it will be in ideal opportunity for the next crop of Mumbai’s youngsters. “I am happy for the four boys but at the same time, it will be a good chance to test our bench strength,” he added.
The national selection committee, headed by Kris Srikkanth, has named Rohit Sharma as the team’s skipper. The opportunity, according to Amre, is a “timely one” for the 22-year-old who has had a poor run of form lately. “Rohit should grab this opportunity with both hands. This is best chance to force his way back into the Indian team,” Amre said.
The 41-year-old went on to say that Rohit has been named skipper with an eye on the future. “Rohit is captaincy material. I am sure the selectors have plans for him. Even the Mumbai selectors named him Wasim Jaffer’s deputy for the Buchi Babu tournament earlier this year,” Amre said.
Board President’s squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Robin Uthappa (V-C), A Mukund, Ajinkya Rahane, Manoj Tewary, Wriddhiman Shah (wk), Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha, Pradeep Sangwan, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ashok Dinda, Pankaj Singh, Abhishek Nayar and Ishant Jaggi.
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