Mumbai solidify their position

Mumbai started the crucial third day of the Ranji Trophy final in a strong position, and another good day in the field has solidified their situation. And yet, in the process, the team also gave a conclusive demonstration of just how much Mumbai cricket has changed from the days of yore.

Mumbai has an enormously rich tradition of success in the Ranji Trophy over the decades, and that success has been built on the backs of what has come to be known as the "Mumbai School of Batsmanship". While this tradition has produced tens of thousands of runs for the city as well as the country, it has often been characterized by a certain stodginess - defence, intense concentration, and a desire to occupy the crease for long periods have been the major pillars on which this platform has been built.

Those pillars have taken a buffeting over the last few seasons from the whirling blades of Tendulkar, Kambli and others. Yesterday, they were blown to smithereens by a rampaging Mumbai side seemingly bent on suicidal attack. Somewhere in the midst of the 45 boundaries and eight sixes that were hit during 89 overs of batting, an ancient edifice was crumbling.

On entering the third day of a Ranji Trophy final with a 181 run lead, the Instructions of the Mythical Code of the Traditional School would be easy to guess - occupy the crease, bat for at least a day and a half, score approximately 450, and leave the opposition just under 650 to get in a bit over four sessions - having effectively batted them out of the game, and with only one result possible.

The current Mumbai side started the day with Dighe and Jaffer, and their tradition-flouting-intentions were obvious from the start. Both batsmen pushed the scoring along at a brisk pace, putting on a hundred at just under four runs per over, with 13 crisp boundaries between them. Jaffer, unusually, was the dominant partner on this occasion, before flicking uppishly into the hands of mid-wicket soon after his half-century. Dighe followed three runs later for a well-made 46, marking the entrance of Tendulkar.

Tendulkar made his intentions clear from the word go, blasting 28 runs off his first 17 balls (including a huge six onto the roof of the North Stand), in the 15 minutes he batted before lunch. In the process he marked out young Fiaz Ahmed for particularly severe treatment, butchering the hapless lefty for 19 in an over. Paranjpe at the other end was completely becalmed, making just one solitary run in his first 23 deliveries. Mumbai went into lunch at 139/2 off 35 overs - a rapid rate of progress for a first-class game.

It was in the two hours after lunch, however, that the three mates who had played the Under-19s together for Mumbai and roomed together in far-off Yorkshire honing their cricket (while Tendulkar played county cricket, Kambli and Paranjpe played league cricket in Bradford) turned the traditions of Mumbai cricket on its head, and demonstrated the face of the New Generation. For, in the two hours of the post-lunch session, 29 overs were bowled (1 less than the recommended amount - but who could blame the Hyderabad bowlers for that?), and no less than 172 runs were scored.

Paranjpe was a different player after the break for lunch - the cautious Clark Kent figure seemed to have returned with an S on his chest. In the 37 balls he faced after lunch, the stocky southpaw bludgeoned four boundaries and two sixes (both off Venkatapathy Raju, whose first five overs after lunch went for the small matter of 45 runs), before finding the fielder with yet another well-hit ball and retiring to the pavilion for 42. Only to make way for his fellow-southpaw Kambli, who promptly proceeded to club four boundaries and three sixes in his first 45 balls, in getting to his 50.

Tendulkar, meanwhile, seemed to proceed serenly along at the other end - merely doubling his pre-lunch output (of five fours and one six) in proceeding from 28 to 100 (off 105 balls). Three more boundaries and the final six of the day marked the end of the orgy, upon Tendulkar's dismissal.

It was in the post-tea session, however, that the follies of abandoning a long-established and successful tradition were demonstrated, as Mumbai's last six wickets fell in a heap for a mere 65 runs (though still managing to hit another 10 boundaries between them). This was the one major blemish in what had been, till then, a picture-perfect day for Mumbai.

The clatter of wickets in the final session means that the New Theory has failed to achieve the complete objective that the Old Tradition would have demanded - they have failed to shut the door on the opposition. While they have set Hyderabad an immensely difficult 591 to win, they have left them two full days to do it in. With the pitch getting slower and with Mumbai's attack bearing a lopsided look with four medium-pacers and only one spinner, all hope is not yet lost for Hyderabad. Coach Mankad's avowed Day Two desire of "closing the file" on the opposition has not materialized.

Hyderabad's coach Arshad Ayub, as gritty a performer as has ever donned cricketing flannels (leave alone India colours), is already talking of a possible fairy-tale comeback victory, pointing to two wins achieved earlier this season by his team after trailing on first innings.

For the Mumbai players, it is essential to guard against any complacency that might creep in, avoid distractions, and attempt to buckle down and complete the job on Day Four. Domination must be translated into Triumph for it to mean anything. After a long season of hard work, the fruits of success are within reach. They must beware the Tale of Tantalus, and, to coin a phrase, keep their eyes on the prize.