Positively brilliant team!

Mumbai lions once again proved that even with several top players on national duty they could rally with a mix of experienced and outofform playersLet us ponder over the quality absentees due to India duty and injury India captain Rohit Sharma just didnrsquot lead his country well to a 41 win over England He let his bat talk too His young opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal could well be the worldrsquos finest young batsmen who plundered two double hundreds against the touristsSarfaraz Khanrsquos hunger for runs impressed one and all in the three Tests he figured in while the injured Suryakumar Yadav can turn a game on its head in quick timeAlso Read Mumbais Ranji team to receive additional Rs 5 croresAjinkya Rahane showcased his leadership prowess and delivered on the big stage The team his team beat was of high quality a far cry from what we saw in my playing days That said their decision to field first last Sunday either displayed a defensive mindset or overconfidence in their Test bowler Umesh Yadav to dismantle the Mumbai batting lineupHowever both of Vidarbhas opening bowlers failed to execute plans effectively leaking runs both in front and square of the wicket It appeared that their bowling lacked strategic thinking and adaptability to the conditionsAs Mumbais innings progressed their openers seized the opportunity presented by Vidarbhas wayward bowling efficiently punishing any deliveries that strayed from the desired lines and lengths With a keen eye and deft strokes they accumulated runs steadily building a solid foundation for their teamHowever the game saw a notable shift when Yash Thakur was introduced in the bowling attack With his astute understanding of the conditions and exceptional control over his line and length Thakur immediately made an impact His deliveries consistently hit the right areas on the pitch extracting movement and bounce thereby making life difficult for the batsmenDisplaying a repertoire of skills Dubey mesmerised the batsmen with his flight spin and subtle variations His ability to deceive batsmen with flighted deliveries and extract turn from the surface showcased a level of skill that would not be out of place in the Indian cricket teamAlso Read IPL 2024 The KGF of BangloreThakur and Dubey formed a potent bowling combination applying sustained pressure on the opposition batsmen and chipping away at their confidenceTheir performances served as testament to their talent with Dubey especially proving himself as a bowler capable of challenging even established players at the highest level of the gameDespite their strong start Mumbais batsmen faltered due to poor shot selection allowing Vidarbha to stage a comeback However Shardul Thakurs courageous innings of 75 helped Mumbai reach a total of 224mdasha score that was considered relatively modest given the teams initial promiseNevertheless Mumbais fortunes took a dramatic turn in the second innings Shardul supported by the aggressive bowling of the retiring Dhawal led a spirited assault on the Vidarbha batting lineup Their relentless attack pushed Vidarbha on the back foot creating ample opportunities for the spinners to exploitSpinners Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian capitalised on the pressure created by Thakur and Dhawal weaving a web around the visiting teams batsmen With skillful variations in flight turn and pace the spinners dismantled Vidarbhas batting order restricting them to a paltry 105 on what seemed to be a favourable batting wicketThis remarkable turnaround not only highlighted Mumbais resilience but also underscored the pivotal role played by Thakur and Dhawal in shifting the momentum of the game in their teams favour Their collective efforts paved the way for a comprehensive victory demonstrating Mumbais depth and tenacity in overcoming challenging situations on the cricket fieldIn the second innings Rahane found his form at a crucial juncture orchestrating a partnership of 130 with promising newcomer Musheer a product of maidan cricket He showcased his talent with a second firstclass hundred through sensible batting This set the stage for Iyer to play a blistering innings extending Mumbais lead beyond Vidarbhas reach Mumbais batsmen dominated to set a daunting target for their opponentsThis victory underlines the importance of mental fortitude in cricket Coaches must instill in their teams the mindset that games are won and lost in the head Making excuses before the game starts and conceding early defeat are not the traits of champions To be a champion one must be adaptable to any playing surface focus on finding solutions rather than complaining and strive to emerge victoriousThe leadership of Rahane and the resilient attitude of the bowlers who not only scored runs but also took crucial wickets with invaluable support from the coaching staff resulted in this triumphThis Ranji Trophy victory evokes memories of my debut season for Mumbai in 198081 Mumbairsquos India players Sunil Gavaskar Karsan Ghavri Dilip Vengsarkar and Sandeep Patil were on the tour of Australia when the season began Later Ravi Shastri was summoned for the New Zealand leg of the tourUnder the leadership of Eknath Solkar and the guidance of our esteemed mentor Ashok Mankad affectionately known as Kaka Mumbais young brigade rose to the occasion and won the trophy by beating Delhi in the final the same domestic stalwarts which thwarted Mumbairsquos Ranji Trophy surge in the previous two seasonsThe future is nothing short of exciting1983 World Cupper Balvinder Singh Sandhu coached Mumbairsquos 199697 team to Ranji Trophy glory