“The award that I was getting in Sydney — Pride of Maharashtra award by MIFTA — I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much had it not been for the Ranji title,” said Sunil Gavaskar, delighted with the manner in which Mumbai eventually outplayed Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy final last month.
“They won in style. Winning by an innings is something like what Mumbai used to do at their peak in the 70s and 80s under Ajit (Wadekar) and all those captains, winning by big margins and completely outplay the team. I was very happy with that.”
The legendary cricketer, who was present at the felicitation function for the Mumbai team at Cricket Club of India here recently, showered praise on Shreyas Iyer, Mumbai’s run-machine who scored 1321 runs in the Ranji season, and Siddhesh Lad, the crisis man who took the game away from Saurashtra with a blitzkrieg on the third morning of the final.
Mumbai may have stumbled in the Irani Cup while defending a mammoth target set for Rest of India on the last day of the domestic season. Yet, it didn’t overshadow what has otherwise been a highly successful domestic season across the levels. While the senior side regained the coveted Ranji Trophy, the Under-23 boys and girls emerged victorious in the inter-State tournaments. Even the Under-19 boys made it to the final, thus making it a fruitful season.
“I think it just tells you that the base is good, the foundation is good and you need to develop on that. You need to get all the encouragement and I am certain that the Mumbai Cricket Association — with so many cricketers in the managing committee and the cricket improvement committee (CIC) — is doing that,” said Gavaskar.
“Mumbai cricket has seldom disappointed. They have always been there and thereabouts. Cricket is a game where one day you are not going to be doing well. The foundation of Mumbai cricket has always been very, very good.”
Gavaskar, who commentated during the Irani Cup match, hoped Iyer would convert his hundreds into big double centuries to force the National selectors to take a note of his performances.
“Anybody who gets a 1000-plus runs (in a season) has to be a special talent. I am just hoping that he goes on from there. He probably might not get a season like this again, but even if he gets an 800-plus season, that will be fantastic,” he said.
“In a four-day format, the only way to state a case for selection to the Indian team is to show that you are different from others. There are lots of people who get a hundred. When you get 250, you are different. Not everybody gets 250. So, the selectors feel this guy is different. When you get a 250, follow it up with a 200, then again a 150, maybe.
“It’s a simple thing. A hundred is a knock on the door. But the selectors are not 20 or 30 years old; they are getting into their 40s and 50s and, like me, might be hard on hearing. A little knock might not be heard, so you have got to knock a little harder with a 150 or 200, and break the door down so that they no longer have to hear you; they are actually seeing you. That’s what I meant by telling him dhaaiso banao (score 250),” signed off Gavaskar.
Published - March 12, 2016 03:53 am IST
