MUMBAI: As Madhya Pradesh get set to take on Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore from Wednesday, you are left wondering that for all the talent at their disposal over the years, why is MP a state with a rich cricket history, culture and passion - playing in only their second Ranji final, and the first after the 1998-99 season.
It's indeed a big mystery given that MP has produced some special talents in Narendra Hirwani, Rajesh Chauhan, Amay Khurasia, JP Yadav, Naman Ojha, Devendra Bundela, pacer Ishwar Chand Pandey over the years and Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan and Rajat Patidar in more recent times, Yet, the team from central India took as long as 23 years to make to the summit clash of the Ranji Trophy again.
"We played three-four semifinals in between, but yes, 23 years between our last Ranji Trophy final and this one is a long period. The biggest problem was that we would struggle in the Ranji knockouts, when the pressure was on the players that if the team didn't perform now, it would be knocked out of the tournament. This is the first time that I'm seeing in MP cricket that this is not happening to our team - we're playing well in both our crucial and knockout matches. I'd give a lot of credit to our coach Chandrakant Pandit and the boys for this," says Sanjay Jagdale, a former India selector, who was the president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, while talking to TOI from Indore.
Jagdale feels that MP look to be a "different" side this time around. "It's difficult to say who will win the final, but the MP team this time looks different, and I've been watching this side for such a long time. Their body language and confidence are at a different level this year. The most remarkable thing is that MP have made it to the Ranji Trophy final even without three of their main bowlers Avesh and Venkatesh are on India duty, while Kuldeep Sen is injured. For the first time in the MP team, I'm seeing a competition for places. You can see that there are a lot of options/alternatives available," says Jagdale.
While Jagdale sounded optimistic on MP's chances, former India batsman Amay Khurasiya, known to speak his mind, says, "We've a well-balanced, good team, but the only glitch is that we will play a Ranji final after 23 years, while Mumbai, having played in 46 Ranji finals, know how to win the finals. They know how to give the knockout punch," he says.
For someone who had his run-ins with strong Mumbai teams of the past, Khurasiya believes that MP must "mentally disintegrate Mumbai" to taste success.
