J&K earn the praise and respect of Mumbai skipper Rahane after they upset the defending champions to top the group.
J&K have produced arguably the result of the tournament after they beat defending champions Mumbai by 5 wickets.
Ajinkya Rahane, the captain of Mumbai, has lavished admiration on the fast bowlers from Jammu & Kashmir, who helped the visiting team defeat the reigning champions in Mumbai by five wickets. Rahane further indicated that he had misjudged the situation and loaded his side with three spinners because he thought the pitch at the Sharad Pawar Ground would turn from day two. However, Rahane understood “there was no help for spinners” when the ball swung and seamed about.
Mumbai fell to 47 for 7 after choosing to bat on the first day then to 101 for 7 on the second, losing both innings to the relatively unknown J&K speed trio of Auqib Nabi, Umar Nazir Mir, and Yudhvir Singh. J&K were set a target of 205, which they chased down with four sessions left in the game.
Rahane claimed that the pitch was the “driest” track he had ever seen at this stadium when he viewed it prior to the game. However, it turned out that J&K had a superior understanding of the situation and brought in three quicks, who claimed all 19 of the Mumbai wickets that were lost to bowlers (one run-out was recorded).
“When we saw the wicket [before the match], it looked really dry,” Rahane said after the loss which puts Mumbai’s knockout qualification in danger. “Comparatively, the games which we played here previously, this was the driest wicket. We thought three spinners will be the best option. I thought in the second innings the third spinner will come handy. We thought it would turn from day two, but it didn’t. It’s fine.
“I think we were not up to the mark as a team, as a unit. And as I said, you know they challenged us and they played really well, so they deserved to win.”
With one round of league matches remaining and the other games in this round moving into day four, J&K currently leads Group A and has a good chance of making it to the knockout stages. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals; Mumbai has fallen to third place, behind J&K and Baroda, and even a win over Meghalaya in the upcoming round might not be enough if J&K and Baroda continue to lead.
The “courage” and “fitness” of the three players particularly impressed Rahane, who praised the J&K pace assault. More than 90 of the 107.2 overs that were bowled to Mumbai were sent down by their lengthy bowling stints. They used swing, seam, and bounce to disrupt the Mumbai lineup on the first morning. As the ball grew older, they attempted to generate opportunities by using short-ball plans to the tail.
“I’m happy to see their fast bowlers running hard, bowling in the right areas for a consistent period of time,” Rahane said. “They’re eager to do well for their team. I thought most of them bowled 8-10 over spells and that needs courage and good fitness. So really happy for them, the way they bowled, the way they showed their character. It’s a really good thing.
“They bowled consistently in tight areas, they challenged our batting line-up, especially in both the innings, so credit to them.
“Frankly, we didn’t expect that ball will seam that much. We thought it will be a good wicket to bat and it will spin on day two but obviously they bowled really well.”