After the heady Test series against the Kiwis and the Englishmen, one got an impression that the Test match side that India mustered (for all of those 8 matches), notwithstanding injuries to very many players, reeked of quality. It, therefore, emphasised implicitly that the replacements were match ready and battle hardened.
The credit for that attribute must be laid at the doorstep of the Ranji Trophy – the country's premier domestic championship. It is here that the eager hopefuls cut their teeth and sharpen their skill sets while crisscrossing the vast country exposing themselves to varying conditions and neutral pitches – a bold, new initiative by the BCCI.
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As the season reaches it's home stretch, the two top sides of the four, i.e. Mumbai and Tamil Nadu, square off in the second semifinal at Rajkot at the turn of the new year.
Their earlier encounter was a thrilling low-scoring season opener when Mumbai scraped past TN on a grassy seamer at Lahli in Rohtak, Haryana where the fabled “Mumbai resilience" was displayed. That outcome resonated with Mumbai’s innate ability to dig deep - it's DNA – when the chips were down coming back from the dead.
Tamil Nadu’s hidden gems
That said, Tamil Nadu has crafted its path further while consigning that lost game to its mental recesses. It is said that bowlers win matches and batsmen save it. The game's adage was best exemplified by TN's progress, where it's rookie pacers in Vignesh, Ashwin Christ and Natrajan bowled their socks off at the "channel of confusion" on helpful pitches with remarkable skill and control.
The young tearaways could have so easily missed the plot and the wood – akin to spinners trying hard to turn it a mile on spin-friendly decks – by bowling short. The temptation was rigorously restrained. And the results are there for all to see, in their latest and recent win over Karnataka – their “bete noir."
It is no coincidence that TN's graph soared north as its seamers enjoyed the greenish turfs of North India. That the ‘‘Southern Derby’’ between TN and Karnataka lasted barely two days on a green pitch might have got everybody's attention for the wrong reasons as the very curators, had, a fortnight ago, produced a batting beauty in the recently concluded Test versus England.
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Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik, while harbouring hopes of a national recall, have been scoring big and soaking up responsibility. Kaushik Gandhi has been a batting revelation. With three centuries, the late bloomer has pleased the discerning eye with his run hungry stints. After twin failures in Vizag – much like Mumbai's Shreyas Iyer in Raipur (versus Hyderabad) – I look forward to the trio’s abilities to turn it around in an acid encounter. If done right, their game may well raise a few notches.
The missing stars
It is only natural, that as the season wears on, players end up on the physio's table given the wear and tear of a hard old grind. Both Mumbai (champions on 41 occasions) and TN (victorious in 1955 and 1988) would sorely miss their key players.
Mumbai will be hampered by the absence of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni (TN’s nemesis at Lahli in the season opener with a ten-for ) and opener Herwadkar. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu will miss the experience and red hot performers in Murali Vijay and R Ashwin.
The teams – quite used to this by now – have adapted well with their reserve strength. One suspects that on a huge occasion like this, Mumbai would sorely miss a tested performer in Dhawal Kulkarni – given that it scraped past a fighting Hyderabad with its resources stretched.
If TN garnered a great deal of confidence by overcoming a huge threat in Karnataka in the quarter-finals, Mumbai (last season’s champions), may well feel drained that a side from the plate section (Hyderabad) had them severely tested.
My own adventures
It is not out of place to recall my batting exploits versus the "mighty Mumbai", which resulted in two centuries in three encounters in 2000 (when a certain “SRT” stole the thunder with a matchwinning 230 n.o) and during successive finals in 2003 and 2004.
It is needless to emphasise that I earned a national call up in 2000 courtesy my best knock till date – 162 against the champions. It also enabled me to fashion a comeback in 2003 after a century in a lost cause – on a wearing and spinning deck at the Wankhede Stadium. It pleases me no end that I gave it my all in that earnest pursuit of the holy grail every first-class cricketer yearns for as I was a lone man standing bereft of support.
Those attempts to bring glory to my state were tantalisingly close as it slipped under the radar in teasing fashion. Talk of a slip between the cup and the lip!
Tamil Nadu, in the course of a lost final in Chennai in 2004, unearthed a "debutant centurion" in Dinesh Karthik – who incidentally is the sole player on both sides to last this distance. Merits of starting young and fresh as seen by the startling exploits of "many young finds "during this year for TN, Mumbai and all over the country, is a trend worthy of emulation.
There is an allure and adventure of the arrogance of youth which is intrepid and makes for a compelling watch. After all, the future of the country rests in the hands of these young cricketers.
The striking feature of the past encounters between these two sides has been woefully skewed towards Mumbai, much to the discomfort of a hardcore and exasperated Tamil Nadu fan. For on far too many occasions, they have ended up as the shy, eternal bridesmaid. That it has a good chance on its hands to effect a tiny statistical correction looms large, after their string of "come from behind" wins while showing a fighting resolve.
A proven approach
Tamil Nadu over time, has always boasted of mercurial and individually brilliant talents. To not have combined well, has been it's Achilles heel as a deathly combination of overconfidence and frozen nerves have resulted in many a self-immolation during the last legs of these championships in the past.
On the contrary, Mumbai has soldiered on grimly in the big stages with stunning consistency by taking its "khadoos and seedha approach" to new levels. That Mumbai has scripted such a consistent and a winning template can be ascribed to the "cradle lessons" learnt by its stars in its innumerable maidans where every blade of grass boasts of its rigid old school and Teflon coated culture.
Chennai's well-run leagues help its players cut their teeth in its feisty environs. But unlike Karnataka, the players may be a tad mollycoddled with recourse of premature satisfaction of a good life and living, which an average league player enjoys. This could well be their nemesis as ambition thus, gets sacrificed at the altar of complacency. Alas!
Also, the downside of it is that it does not contribute to the nation's team building like Mumbai and it's endless supply chain.
The time for Tamil Nadu is now
Tamil Nadu have had their moments in this championship in the past - having come unstuck in five frustrating finals in 1992, 2003, 2004, 2012 and 2015 after their triumph at home in 1988. There is no better time than now for a course correction. And an avid follower of the sport in the south of the Vindhayas gets a sneaking and lingering feeling that this may well be Tamil Nadu's year as impetus gathers pace with every win.
Many would call this a virtual final before the final, as the other light-weight semifinal between Haryana and Jharkhand pales in distinct comparison. Hardened players will tell you not to look beyond the next ball in transit. The process of "one step at a time", if not embraced, will bring with it a frightening and alarming thud.
No right thinking cricket follower in this cricket-crazy country ignores Mumbai unless at their own peril. For Mumbai's propensity to discover stars in a big ticket atmosphere is matchless and non-pareil.
Tamil Nadu can take heart and solace as the true value of repeated defeats is that of a diamond – provided it has learnt it's lessons whilst losing. It is Tamil Nadu's turn at the turn of the new year to make another memorable final and in doing so, transform the long overdue "weighed down hidden coal into a glowing diamond.”
It has everything to play for and in a semifinal of two equally competent sides – laden with batsmen – they may just have a tiny edge courtesy it's young, tall and sturdy trio of pace merchants.
It may well be another test for its young pacemen to rise up to the challenge of bowling well for long spells in what may be a good batting pitch as history suggests at Rajkot.
Can there be a greater incentive to scale further?
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