Ranji Trophy Final: History weighs heavy on Saurashtra
ON Monday, Sachin Tendulkar had texted and called Mumbai’s coach Chandrakant Pandit. He wanted to meet the Mumbai team for an hour before they departed to Pune for the Ranji final against Saurashtra. His subsequent request was more interesting — Tendulkar wanted half of that session with seamer Shardul Thakur.
It wasn’t Thakur’s first meeting with Tendulkar, however the talk this time was about keeping the faith,and not losing hope over selection issues. Thakur had shared with Tendulkar his disappointment about non-selection in the Indian team during the home series against South Africa. His hopes had gone up after he dismantled South Africa’s top order, including Hashim Amla, when he turned out for the Board President’s XI in a tour game at CCI in Mumbai. Tendulkar told him to keep doing the things that got him this far, and said if wickets aren’t coming, push your limits and challenge yourself. As for the series against South Africa, Tendulkar is supposed to have told Thakur that it was a blessing in disguise as the Tests were dominated by the spinners. Even if there is nothing earth shattering in this interaction, the fact that it’s someone of the stature of Tendulkar who says it has a special attraction; the feeling of being noticed and encouraged by former legend is quite motivating in itself.
The 24-year old Thakur has been knocking the doors of selectors for the past two seasons. He was the highest wicket taker in Ranji the last season, and has tallied 33 wickets this season, the most by any Mumbai bowler. He has impressed with his consistency and continued improvement. It appears he is picking up rapidly on the art of taking wickets. There is a sense of purpose in his spells these days, a plan that might or might not work but whose presence is encouraging in itself.
Thakur wasn’t the only seamer at the MCA ground in the outskirts of Pune who is eyeing higher things. Jaydev Unadkat, who took 20 wickets in the last two games to push a Ravindra Jadeja-less Saurashtra to final is also dreaming big. Of same age as Thakur, the Porbandar left-arm seamer took 11 wickets against Assam in the semi-finals and grabbed nine against Vidarbha in the quarters.
Unlike Thakur, Unadkat has seen and spent time in the Indian dressing room. He first turned up in 2010 in a Test match, his sole one so far. Three years later, he featured in seven ODIs, taking eight wickets, before he fell out of favour. He soldiered on in domestic cricket and kept turning out for IPL teams but a injury laid him low for four months last year. It proved a blessing in disguise as after drifting a bit initially, he found motivation and guidance from fitness trainer Paul Chapman to plot his comeback. The last two matches have been the icing on the cake.
Unadkat says he is playing down the hype and it’s his job in the team that everyone does not get carried away. “Team meeting mein science of cricket nahi discuss karna hai. We all have played good cricket in past few weeks and it’s a first big final for us. Look at the hype we have got while coming to Pune. Yeh sab chaka chaund se bachana hai and focus on the job we have on our hands,” Unadkat says as he has finished with series of interviews on eve of the game.
Both Shardul Thakur and Unadkat have every reason to slog it out there not just in the final but in the immediate months that follow. There does seem a spot or two up for grabs in the national team. Barinder Sran found an opening and he pressed through it to make a name for himself in the ODI series in Australia. Mohammed Shami has been pinned down by frequent injuries, and there is no telling in what shape he would come back from this latest injury. Mohit Sharma too has been sidelined with injuries and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been struggling to find his old rhythm these days. The same could be said for Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron, who haven’t quite managed to secure a place yet. So much so that Ashish Nehra could make a relatively easy comeback for the T20 world cup. To sum it up, Thakur, in particular as he has been consistent for two years now, and Unadkat to an extent — him being a left-armer is always going to be a positive — have much to play for in the Ranji final.
It will be Mumbai vs Unadkat and Thakur vs Saurashtra. One trying to make another comeback in Indian team and one seeking an opportunity after toiling hard in domestic cricket. The final throws up a first-time winner or the one who has already won it 40 times?
