The anguish of a Mumbai cricket fan

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma

Having been a Bombay boy, having played cricket across all maidans in the city and having passionately followed the Mumbai Ranji team since the early 90’s, I am a loyal Mumbai cricket fan.

And currently while India is becoming a power centre for global cricket and cricket academies are booming across the country, I am also turning into a troubled Mumbai cricket fan. The Mumbai First-class team has performed shockingly last season not winning a single senior domestic title, not even reaching the finals of any of the senior domestic tournaments. The system has not produced a really exciting young cricketer last year, and, without the internationals Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane in the team, the batting has lacked depth. The only reassuring class batsman in the line-up has been Wasim Jaffer, and it’s a major reason why domestic teams don’t fear Mumbai anymore.

But this is all from last season; my current ranting is owing to the disappointing show put through by Mumbai cricket’s Richie Rich team: Mumbai Indians. After having to deal with the unmatched void of Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, Mumbai Indians have struggled as a team in the 2014 IPL season. Granted my personal interest levels in the tournament are waning and it’s only 3 matches that the team has played, but the team is looking short of energy this season. Add to it the fact that they actually let go of Glenn Maxwell who is in red hot form for Kings XI this season, and it’s becoming a kind of an irritating season for a Mumbai cricket fan.

The change in left-arm quick bowlers is baffling, too: they let go of Mitch Johnson who had been so effective for the team last season and bid strongly for Zaheer Khan. I am a big Zaheer fan, but, at an age of 36 with his batting and fielding form short of being from accepted in T20 cricket, was it a good choice to have him partner Malinga with the new ball? Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha have had good records in IPL cricket but are not in the same league as someone like a Sunil Narine, whom opposition teams are wary of.

There’s bound to be too much pressure on Rohit Sharma especially if the top 2 do not fire. Despite an inconsitent international career record, Rohit has been a star performer for both the teams he has played in and has consistently performed under pressure with quick runs. Young wicket-keeper batsman Aditya Tare replaced Tendulkar in last season’s IPL and Champions League with mixed results. He is an attractive player to watch, but he has not managed to sustain his free flowing style for a longer duration at the crease. A full season of playing the IPL should allow him to express himself without being under pressure of his spot in the team.

The West Indian big gun Kieron Pollard has been an effective player for the team but has not really batted in the explosive way he’s expected to: his role has become more of an all-rounder in the team. His return from a lengthy injury lay-off has meant he’s rusty, and it showed in the first 2 games.

The IPL is a long tournament and does allow for teams to bounce back even after a few disappointing games, but the probability of this happening with the Mumbai Indians seems tough right now. The team has lacked momentum in all its games, and, except for the redoubtable Lasith Malinga, the rest of the team has looked undercooked. Even the usually consistent Rohit Sharma (consistent in IPL I meant) has lacked his usual fluency while batting. Rohit and Mike Hussey will need to step up and be the core of the team renaissance now: both are experienced players with tons of IPL success in the past.

Here’s hoping to see a change in fortunes for the Mumbai Indians soon.