Adversity often forces a change of outlook. For Mumbai, it has been for the better.
The defending Ranji Trophy champions have been heavily dependent on off-spinner Ramesh Powar, and lack of back-up options saw them draft in 17-year-old Harmeet Singh this season.
An injury to Powar meant Harmeet was handed the Mumbai cap against Himachal Pradesh last week. The move turned out to be a blessing in disguise with Harmeet picking up seven wickets. Yesterday, his 3-25 from 20 overs helped Mumbai dominate Railways.
Iqbal Abdulla managed a brace. The two have picked up 10 of the 17 Railways wickets and share 24 scalps between them from the last two games.
Mumbai managed a first innings lead of 97 thanks to Rohit Sharma's 101 and currently Railways are 77 runs ahead with three wickets in hand and a day to go.
"At the start of the season, our biggest worry was the lack of a proven spinner besides Ramesh. But Harmeet has bowled incredibly. The maturity and confidence he has shown at a young age has eased our worries," Mumbai coach Praveen Amre said.
Besides Harmeet's performance 12 wickets so far the team is also delighted with 19-year-old Abdulla.
"Last year, Sairaj Bahutule was in the team so Iqbal did not get a chance. This year, with Harmeet coming in and both being left-armers, it has put pressure on Iqbal. There is competition between the two as Ramesh will walk into the side once he is fit. Iqbal has responded well to that pressure and that is a good sign for Mumbai cricket," added Amre.
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