Captaining Mumbai has brought out the best in me: Aditya Tare
Captain Aditya Tare’s 109, and his stand with Suryakumar Yadav (115), helped Mumbai reach their first Ranji Trophy finals in three seasons. After getting the better of MP in the semi-final, the game was special for Tare since he had to sit out of quarter-final against Jharkhand because of a finger injury. While the skipper returned to the dressing room for the Cuttack semi-final, Mumbai were in for another setback. The team’s pace bowling mainstay Dhawal Kulkarni didn’t make the trip for the last-four game because of a hamstring injury. Under Tare, the team didn’t let that setback get in the way of their march to final. Tare spoke to The Indian Express.
Mumbai have made it to their first Ranji Trophy final in three seasons. Your thoughts.
Well, we are obviously excited at the prospect of playing the finals. This is a young enthusiastic bunch who have come up with stellar contributions at crucial junctures of the seasons. This is the reason why we have managed to reach the finals.
Given that you are leading a young side, did you expect to reach this far at the start of the season?
We were obviously optimistic. Chandu sir’s (coach Chandrakant Pandit) inputs also helped us, and the fact that we had a comprehensive pre-season camp helped us to gel together as a team. It was a young team no doubt, but we also had someone like Abhishek Nayar who has been a veteran on the domestic circuit. He has been the mentor to the youngsters .
Mumbai will play Saurashtra, in what will be a repeat of the 2012-13 final, at the MCA Stadium in Pune starting on February 24.
(After a pause) That was a long time ago. The make-up of the team was different. Abhishek Nayar and me are the only survivors from that team. I remember that match quite vividly, we managed to beat Saurashtra quite comprehensively. Wasim bhai (Jaffer) scored a beautiful century to set up our win. This time around, things are much different. The current Saurashtra team are on a roll. They have some quality players in their ranks, and I suspect it to be a more evenly matched contest.
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You might have obviously got a chance to monitor the progress of Saurashtra this season.
Actually no…I have not managed to catch their performances. My knowledge is limited to the reports I read in the newspapers. Having said that they have some talented batsmen and bowlers in their ranks, who can individually win them the match. Once we reach Pune, we will examine some of their videos and chalk out a plan to counter them.
You are the genuine all-rounder in this team. You are a captain, a keeper and bat in the crucial No.5 position. Are these triple roles a bit of a burden for you?
I don’t think so. On the contrary, I am actually enjoying the captaincy. Infact after having been elevated to the role of a captain, I have become more consistent in my batting and my keeping. I think, captaincy has brought out the best in me. On a personal level, this has been a very fruitful Ranji season for me.
What does captaining a side like Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy mean to you?
I consider myslelf to be privileged. I am well aware of the team’s rich history. When I took over as the captain towards the fag end of the league stage in the last season, we were a team going through transition. Some senior players had left the team, and we had a bunch of youngsters – talented no doubt, but lacked experience. This season has definitely given these guys the experience they need.
Tell us about that match-deciding 217-run stand between you and Suryakumar Yadav?
It came at a crucial time. We were in a bit of strife, when I went out to bat..lost three wickets for 90 runs. The important thing was to conserve our wickets and not give MP an opening. As I walked in to bat, I told Surya to bat sensibly and play each ball on merit. Without that partnership we would have been struggling.
