Tim Paine says hello
It is a lot easier to make it into the team when you are arguably the only option available.
Tim Paine says hello
2 separate teams of Mumbai?I might do Karnataka next as it should be fairly easy given the strength of their side over the years and the presence of a Cricinfo article already for reference. Open to suggestions too.
2 separate teams of Mumbai?
as 1 will be tough to choose
So far i liked the Delhi team
This team and a Karnataka team, both can be strong line-upscombined Gujarat, Baroda and Saurashtra team
Of course. Would love itI know it wont ring many bells but the Dutch have had a thriving (must be seen in context of course!) domestic scene since the 1920's. If you like I could post a little piece on the Hague Cricket Club, if it fits the bill as it were.
I know it wont ring many bells but the Dutch have had a thriving (must be seen in context of course!) domestic scene since the 1920's. If you like I could post a little piece on the Hague Cricket Club, if it fits the bill as it were.
for a moment i was shocked why Sachin isnt pickedMumbai Cricket Team - Batsmen Par ExcellenceWhy them?
No other domestic side has been so dominant in the history of first-class cricket as Mumbai. Right from the very first season, Mumbai have set records that are unlikely to be broken anytime soon although with their last title coming five years ago one wonders if other teams are catching up. Mumbai's dominance is all the more remarkable given that they are one out of three sides representing their state and still have managed to produce legendary batsmen who deserve to be considered in all-time great discussions. Give the choice to any aspiring young cricketer of choosing one place in India to hone their skills and most will plump for Mumbai without second thoughts.
Most famous achievement?
They have been the champions in almost one Ranji Trophy season out of two and also are the most successful Irani Cup (a game between the champions and the best of the rest) domestic side in history. If you would ask me though, their greatest achievement is establishing a long line of batsmen who look up to their mentors and predecessors and seek to outperform their deeds on the field. As a team, their most famous run would have to be winning every single season from 1959 to 1973, a remarkable run of victories that will likely stand the test of time.
Methodology?
I will seek to form two playing XIs that are both equally powerful as there are too many good cricketers who would be left out if only one playing XI was to be created. Of course, in a match versus overseas sides the two teams will merge to create the strongest line-up which I shall try to provide too.
Openers?
Two names immediately come to my mind when talking about openers. The first one is the founder of the famous 'Bombay School of Batsmanship' and also India's first world-class batsman. Vijay Merchant (batting average: 101.41) dominated the early days of Ranji Trophy to such an extent that at times the entire tournament felt like a side note to his rivalry with Vijay Hazare. He started out as a middle-order batsman but his proficiency versus pace was notable for an Indian batsman and he was quickly pushed to the top of the lineup where he remained for the rest of his days. His first-class average is only second to Don Bradman himself. A self taught batsman who would pore over hours of film to improve himself, his defence was nigh impenetrable but he could also punish a bad ball equally with a wide range of shots ranging from the drive to the hook. His peak years were not witnessed internationally due to the war but with the domestic season undisturbed, Merchant finished each of his six seasons with a batting average well above 100 with his best season having a batting average of 288.33. Besides all of this, Merchant was a noted philanthropist and a larger than life figure off the field who was key in shaping the beliefs of one John Arlott.
The second batsman is the Master Blaster himself. Sunil Gavaskar (batting average: 64.10) is widely regarded as one of the greatest openers to have played and is credited with being the batsman who transformed Indian cricket the most in recent history. In a time where satellite television was becoming more widely popular, Gavaskar opened the eyes of an eager audience to cricket and showed that Indian players were no less inferior to their overseas contemporaries in terms of skill and dealing with pace. He thrived particularly in fourth innings chases which includes the famous nearly chase of a frankly impossible 438 against Brearley's England. Only six batsmen averaged above 50 when he played and none of them came close to his incredible record of converting a start. He could bat all day and negate any attack. What is often forgotten that he had a below average Chetan Chauhan as his partner and yet his contribution was so good that they are one of the best opening pairs in history despite the latter averaging just 31.
To accompany them we shall have Ranji Trophy's highest run scorer in Wasim Jaffer (batting average: 58.48) and the popular Ravi Shastri (batting average: 54.70, bowling average: 23.36). The former was a cornerstone of Mumbai's successes in the 2000s and proved that he could do it with a different team by leading Vidarbha to their first two Ranji titles at the ripe age of forty. An inconsistent start early in his international career and the emergence of Gambhir later on meant that he could not truly live up to his potential for India and he was strangely ignored when the latter faltered and replaced by Vijay and Dhawan instead despite being the best opener in domestic cricket at that point.
As for Shastri, is there a man who contributed more despite being a limited cricketer? In contrast to his yes man status of today, the old Shastri was something of a rebel and a real attraction who would go from the middle order to the opener's role simply because his country needed him to. He was an enigma who could hit six sixes in a Ranji game and score the quickest double century in Ranji history but also play so defensively that he gets criticized as selfish. He was without any doubt a man for the big occasion as shown by his average versus the other big nations of his time and his bowling was more than handy when required.
The teams so far
Mumbai A
- Vijay Merchant
- Wasim Jaffer
Mumbai B
- Sunil Gavaskar
- Ravi Shastri
India's greatest close fielder
The only Test fielder to average more than a catch per innings over a career of 12 innings or more, Solkar's 53 victims in 50 innings,
In those 50 innings Solkar had a higher dismissals-per-innings average than India's wicketkeepers, who collectively took 38 catches and made nine stumpings
Solkar's catching stats in Indian victories are even more remarkable - 28 in seven wins, with only one catchless innings out of 14, accounting for more than 20% of India's wickets. His figure of precisely two catches per victorious Test innings places him in almost Bradmanesque statistical isolation