da fazobetai： There were sharply contrasting scenes in the home and away dressing-roomsimmediately after Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy
Anand Vasu in Mumbai05-Feb-2007
‘It’s a high profile team and expectations are high that we winoutright every time we go out to play’ – Mumbai coach Pravin Amre © Getty Images
There were sharply contrasting scenes in the home and away dressing-roomsimmediately after Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy. There was music and soundof beer bottles being popped open from the Mumbai quarter, while Bengalwere left wondering how a season that had gone so well ended indisappointment. When the captains of both teams, and the coaches addressedthe media, Mumbai underscored the team nature of the game, while Bengallooked to draw what positives they could from the ride.”I would rate this victory very high up the order in the wins we’ve had inthe last 10-12 years because it has been a tremendous team effort,” saidAmol Muzumdar. “It has not been easy. After three games we were blank onthe points table. The selectors, the players, the associations, everyonedid their bit.”It has been a rollercoaster ride for the Mumbai team and Pravin Amre, the coach, wasjust happy that everything had turned out right in the end. “The way webegan the season, it’s a nightmare for any coach. Especially the Mumbaiteam. It’s a high profile team and expectations are high that we winoutright every time we go out to play,” he said. “After those first threegames we won five outright. We looked at the areas in which we were notdoing well and worked on them. The selectors should also get creditbecause they backed the same set of boys even when they were not doingwell. The captain took the team along as a unit all the time. He wasalways saying that the team could rise like the phoenix at any time.Saying that is one thing but the hard part is doing that out in themiddle.”Even in the final, it was not Mumbai all the way. At one stage, with ManojTiwary and Sourav Ganguly going great guns, there was just the thoughtthat Bengal could pull something really special out of the hat. “They weregoing well at one stage. But we always knew that if we got a breakthroughwe could run through them,” said Muzumdar. “We had that belief. Fullcredit to the bowlers Zaheer and Ajit, even Wilkin and Abhishek bowledsuperb spells to back things up.”Interestingly Paras Mhambrey, the Bengal coach, also felt, despite thefact that they were up against a target of 472, they were in with aserious chance. “The way Sourav and Manoj were going we definitely were inwith a chance,” said Mhambrey. “It was a case of building an innings.That’s what we looked at. At one stage it was looking easy for us, whenSourav and Manoj were batting well and building a partnership. When Manojgot out, the damage was done.”Mhambrey pointed to Zaheer’s spell in the first innings, which shot outBengal for a mere 143, as the real cause for the defeat. “Zaheer’s spellin the first innings was crucial. We’ve played well all season and justhad one bad innings really,” he said. “Zaheer bowled excellently and wekept losing wickets. We came back strongly and the way we played was good.It’s good to see the approach was still positive throughout.” The way Sourav and Manoj were going we definitely were inwith a chance, said Mhambrey. It was a case of building an innings.That’s what we looked at. At one stage it was looking easy for us, whenSourav and Manoj were batting well and building a partnership. When Manojgot out, the damage was done. If there were any fears in the Mumbai dressing-room that they were lettingthings slip away, they evaporated when Tiwary was dismissed, as Muzumdarrevealed. “As soon as we got Manoj out we knew we were going to win thisgame,” he said. “Sourav was still around and he is a great player. But weknew that one end had been opened up and that we could go the distance.”As the Mumbai captain rejoined his team in their celebrations, the coachwas a very content man. “It’s always an honour to be associated with theMumbai team,” he said. “I got my Mumbai cap twenty years ago, and I knowthe value of that. As a player I was never involved with winning the RanjiTrophy so it feels really great to be part of this winning team.”Mhambrey, Amre’s counterpart, did his best to hide his disappointment, andstressed on the positives to emerge from the season. “We are disappointed.We’ve played very well through the season and winning does matter,” hesaid. “But we can take a lot from the way we have played all season. Thereare individual performances to be proud off as well – Ranadeb picking up50-odd wickets, the two young batsmen Abhishek Jhunjhunwalla and ManojTiwary scoring runs. Deep has led the side well. We’re a young side in adevelopment stage.”