Mumbai's grand turnaround
Nandakumar Marar, in the Sportstar , charts the fall and the rise of Mumbai in Ranji Trophy this year.
Sriram Veera
25-Feb-2013
ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Nandakumar Marar, in the Sportstar, charts the fall and the rise of Mumbai in Ranji Trophy this year.
Mumbai conceded first innings lead to Bengal, was forced to follow-on for the first time and returned home scarred and empty-handed from Eden Gardens. Punjab and Hyderabad proved to be tough opposition, too, leaving the title-holder staring at relegation in the Super League.
For the two new people at the helm, Praveen Amre (debut season as Ranji coach) and captain Amol Muzumdar (given charge for the first time for a full season) the turnaround after the trauma was what mattered. "People may have wondered what was wrong with Mumbai cricket at one stage, three games and no points," recollected Amre, about those nightmarish days. "This was a special team which then won five matches outright in a row. There were areas of concern, but the selectors backed the players who responded superbly."
Sriram Veera is a former staff writer at ESPNcricinfo