Rohit, Ajinkya and Abhishek should stand up and be counted against the formidable Railways; fast bowlers need to focus as well.
Mumbai may have got an outright win against Himachal Pradesh despite conceding first innings lead last week but the fact is, the 38-time Ranji champions have a lot of issues to address if they want to maintain their proud record.
Mumbai had a tough time coping with their top order batting failure against HP. The pacers looked ordinary on the BKC ground track even as HP medium-pacer Vikramjeet Singh Malik rode roughshod over the Mumbai batsmen.
So when Wasim Jaffer’s men meet the formidable Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi during their fourth round Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match, they would be keen to put up a better show.
Mumbai’s batting has been disappointing so far. They rely heavily on skipper Jaffer who has hit some timely knocks to pull them through. Jaffer has been the highest run-getter this season for Mumbai with 223 runs from three matches including a 165 against Orissa.
It has been a dull period for youngsters Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Abhishek Nayar. Jaffer feels that they are mature enough to understand what’s wrong.
“Most of the players have played for more than two seasons and know their batting pretty well and what is wrong with it. I am sure they will overcome their weaknesses and start getting runs. It is a matter of one innings,” he said.
Sharma, who has just 66 runs from three innings, have looked good in nets but have failed to perform when it comes to matches. He has been consistently failing to capitalise on good starts. Jaffer becomes defensive when asked about Sharma’s form.
“Rohit is a very good batsman and he will get back his confidence once he gets that one good knock. He knows how important these matches are for him considering his India comeback,” Jaffer said.
Nayar’s form too is a bit of a concern. Another problem for Mumbai has been their pace attack. With Zaheer Khan on national duty, vice captain Ajit Agarkar has to lead the attack. He is not getting enough support from the other end.
As off-spinner Ramesh Powar is still recovering from side strain, the onus will be on the young shoulders of left-arm spinners Iqbal Abdulla and Harmeet Singh. “Railways are a strong side and they have the advantage playing at home. Spinners will play a crucial role. Since the wicket is dry it will turn a bit,” Jaffer added. The skipper felt that it is going to be tough fight since Railways comprise veteran cricketers Murali Karthik and Sanjay Bangar who have done well in the past.
Mumbai: W Jaffer (C), A Agarkar, S Kukreja, A Rahane, P Naik, U Malvi, V Samant, D Kulkarni, R Sharma, A Nayar, S Marathe, O Khanvilkar, A Salvi, I Abdulla, H Singh; Railways: M Kartik (C), A Singh, S Bangar, V Cheluvraj, F Fazal, S Gehlot, A Girap, Y Goud, A Pandey, M Rawat, H Rawle, S Sanyal, K Sharma, TP Singh, M Suresh, K Upadhyay.
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