Moments after Shams Mulani was presented the Man of the Match award for his all-round performance, and while the Saurashtra Cricket Association was preparing for a team photograph to celebrate its team’s entry into the quarterfinals, Mumbai captain Aditya Tare and senior batsman Siddhesh Lad sat with Bhupen Lalwani, the rookie who dropped an easy chance that probably could have forced a Mumbai win.
Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, whose sitter Lalwani dropped, joined in and said “thank you” to Lalwani. Not to rub salt into Mumbai’s wounds but as a genuine compliment for helping him salvage a draw along with Kamlesh Makwana.
Such was the camaraderie that both sides exchanged pats on each other’s backs. While Tare lauded Jadeja and Makwana’s resistance for 40 overs as a “gritty partnership”, Saurashtra head coach Karsan Ghavri applauded Mumbai’s fighting spirit.
“Had it not been for Surykumar Yadav and Shams Mulani’s outstanding knocks yesterday, it wouldn’t have resulted in a close contest. They set the game up and the spinners and the left-arm pacer (Royston Dias) were exceptional today,” Ghavri told The Hindu.
“But eventually, we are happy and I am proud of the thrilling contest ending in our favour. During tea time, I just told them that it was important for us to save the game and I am glad the boys responded so well. Full credit to them.”
Even on hindsight, Tare felt Mumbai’s delayed declaration didn’t deprive it of a win.
“If it didn’t happen in 74 overs, it wouldn’t have happened in 80. Our plan in the morning was to set a target of 270-280 runs by batting 15 overs in the morning, so we timed the declaration well,” Tare said.
“If you see, the wickets fell till the ball was hard. Once the ball was soft, the bowlers had to rely on variable bounce and both Kamlesh and Dharmendra showed their wealth of experience with gritty knocks.”
