MUMBAI: Charged up after pulling off a miraculous win against Goa, Mumbai will be itching to score a thumping win over Odisha in the last league match, which starts off on Thursday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, and move into the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals for the first time since the 2017-2018 season.
The last round of the league stage in Group D offers plenty of excitement, with Mumbai and defending champions Saurashtra locked in a race to be the one team which will make it to the knockouts from this pool.
Topping the table with nine points from two games, Mumbai, placed a point ahead of Saurashtra and enjoying a better quotient of 1.603 as compared to the latter’s 1.113, would certainly be through if they gain a bonus point while beating Odisha, that nets them seven points and takes their tally to 16 points. In that case, Saurashtra, who’re second with eight points, would be denied even if they net a bonus point while beating Goa.
However, while they have their noses ahead, Mumbai still need to score an outright win over Odisha to progress — if they take the first innings lead but the match ends in a draw, and Saurashtra outplay Goa, they could still be knocked out.
The match will also see an interesting duel between two stalwarts of Mumbai cricket and former teammates — Wasim Jaffer, who’s the head coach of Odisha this season, and Amol Muzumdar, in his maiden stint as Mumbai coach.
Both Jaffer and Muzumdar played under each other for Mumbai, plotting many Ranji Trophy triumphs between them, and have tremendous respect for each other.
“It will be a different experience for both of us. As a coach, sometimes you are helpless. You can only marshal your troops, but you can’t do anything on the field. Both us will be trying hard to get our boys to win the match. It will be nice to catch up with him,” Jaffer told TOI from Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
With just three points in their kitty so far, Odisha are out of contention. However, they would love to spoil Mumbai’s party and go out on a high.
“It will be a bit nostalgic, emotional and a different feeling when we play Mumbai, but I’d like Odisha to beat ‘them.’ There’s no doubt about it. My integrity and loyalty will always be with those I’m working for. Mumbai is a very good team, and they have nearly scored outright wins in both their games so far. They have the respect of everyone. I want our boys to beat them. Their best should come out against a big team like Mumbai,” said Jaffer, who’s been a part of numerous Ranji Trophy triumphs for Mumbai.
Beat Mumbai?
“If we play well, and to our potential, why not? Jaffer insisted. “Odisha haven’t played to our potential so far. We only managed to beat Goa. We should have beaten Goa in our first game if we had batted well in the first innings, but managed to get only three points. Against Saurashtra, we lost the toss, and they scored 500. Then the ball started turning, and it was difficult to come back. Everything was stacked against us.
"However, a new game brings new challenges. If we beat Mumbai, it would be a huge confidence-booster for Odisha,” said the 31-Test veteran.
Despite conceding a massive 167-run lead in the first innings, Mumbai, who were written off at that stage, did well to bounce back through a magnificent 116-run partnership for the eighth wicket between spinners Tanush Kotian (98) and Shams Mulani (50).
Mulani and Kotian then took eight wickets between them, as the 41-time Ranji Trophy champions shot out Goa in just two sessions on the final day to score an incredible 119-run win.
Mumbai’s trumpcard with the ball will once again be Mulani, who is the leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy after the first two games of the tournament, with 22 wickets at a superb average of just 15.27. In a run which has included three successive five-wicket hauls, the 24-year-old took 11 for 169 against Saurashtra, and then 11 for 167 against Goa.
