Karan Sharma’s Uttar Pradesh are in for some hard cricket when they meet Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals beginning in Bangalore on Tuesday. And the enormity of the task is not lost on their pacer Ankit Rajpoot, who is leading UP’s bowling charts with 15 wickets this season. UP claimed their solitary Ranji Trophy title in 2005-06.

“Whenever we play Mumbai, it’s always a special match. It’s a semi-final against a team that have won the Ranji Trophy 41 times, so it’s bigger this time,” Rajpoot told mid-day from Bangalore on Sunday.