The King returns to Ranji after 2 years

Monday, January 5, 2009 at 2:01 am

Bolstered by the return of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, Mumbai, in their quest for the 38th title, started favourites against Saurashtra in the first day of the four-day Ranji Trophy semi-final match in Chennai on Sunday (January 4).

Mumbai, the best performer in the Super League so far, will be on a high having registered more wins than any other team. Moreover, the presence of Tendulkar and Zaheer, who returned to the side after Mumbai’s title triumph in 2006-07, will undoubtedly inspire youngsters like Ajinkya Rahane and Dhawal Kulkarni to put up their best show alongside their role models.

Prior to the match, Mumbai coach Pravin Amre also hoped that the duo’s presence in the dressing room will act a motivating factor for the young guns of the team. ”It will be a boost for our youngsters, who have already done well. The presence of Sachin and Zaheer will be highly motivating as the players will be expecting to do well along with them,” he had said.

On the batting front Mumbai have a solid opening duo in Rahane and captain Wasim Jaffer, who so far are the highest run getters in the tournament with 976 and 873 runs respectively from eight matches.

Rahane, who has been sensational for the former champions, accounted for four centuries with 201 as his best, while experienced Jaffer scored three hundreds with a highest knock of 256. The middle order also looks rock solid and Tendulkar’s return will only make it stronger which already has the likes of Rohit Sharma, Sahil Kukreja, Amol Mazundar, Abhishek Nayar in its rank.

Meanwhile, Zaheer, who picked up nine wickets in the 2006-07 Ranji final against Bengal, will add impetus to the Mumbai pace battery which saw the emergence of a new kid in the block this season in right-arm pacer Kulkarni. Kulkarni, who shot to limelight during the inaugural Indian Premier League, has claimed 34 wickets from seven of the eight matches so far including two five-wicket hauls in the last four innings.

Besides Zaheer’s experience will also be handy for the likes of veteran Ajit Agarkar who had been on and off the playing eleven this season. The spin department too has teeth in experienced Sairaj Bahatule and offie Ramesh Powar, who scalped 27 victims this year. However, the only thing that might worry Jaffer and Co is their poor showing against Saurashtra during the league stages where they had to play out of their skin to save the match after following on.

(With inputs from agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

The King returns to Ranji after 2 years

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