Bengaluru, Mar 1: Although Mumbai failed to make it to the final of the 2014-15 Ranji Trophy, Pravin Amre, the coach, felt his young side had shown a lot of character against Karnataka, the defending champions, to bounce back after being bowled out for just 44 in their first innings in their semifinal.
Chasing a steep 445 for victory, half-centuries from Aditya Tare, the captain, Shreyas Iyer and Siddesh Lad took Mumbai to 332 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (February 28), before they subsided to a 112-run defeat. However, Amre said there were a lot of positives to take from the loss.
"Getting 44 all out on the first day was not acceptable," said Amre after the match. "But if you see the way we fought back, as a coach I am very proud of the boys. Not many teams get out for 44 and make such a comeback. Particularly the way we got two wickets on the first day. The other teams would have just given away the match at that stage (bowled out for 44), but our boys have shown their character."
Amre rued the fact that certain decisions did not go in Mumbai's favour and urged the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ensure highest quality of umpiring in domestic cricket. Robin Uthappa, who made 68 in the first innings, was lucky to survive a huge shout for lbw from Shardul Thakur when on 8 on the opening day. Aditya Tare was a victim of a poor decision when the ball moved after missing the edge only for him to be given out caught behind on the same day in Mumbai's first dig.
"As a coach, I don't want to give this as an excuse, but everybody has got evidence," said Amre. "I think BCCI should also think about keeping quality umpires in big games.
"The match referees can go and watch, there is evidence. Robin Uthappa's decision, had it been 30 for 3, the match would have been different. Same thing with Tare's decision at a vital time. I think those were the turning points for me."
Although Mumbai started the chase positively, Suryakumar Yadav's defensive approach on the third day shifted the momentum in Karnataka's favour, with the batsman taking 26 balls to get off the mark. However, Amre felt the approach didn't have any detrimental effect on the team's chances, pointing at Tare's dismissal on 98 as the key moment.
"I think Tare's dismissal again was vital. From there, I think the momentum went to Karnataka. I'm sure if he had got that 100, it would have been one of those big hundreds. Suryakumar Yadav plays his own game. I think that playing defensively was his mindset at that particular moment. But, as long as he was at the wicket, it was very important for us because if we had wickets in hand, anything could have happened."
A young side with hardly any experienced pros to look to for guidance during tough times, Mumbai's roller-coaster season had started with a loss to Jammu and Kashmir at home. An innings defeat against Tamil Nadu had put them on the brink and the 40-time champions were staring at relegation. Suryakumar's decision to quit captaincy only compounded their woes. However, Tare brought in stability as Mumbai scripted a remarkable turnaround towards the end of the league stage.
An in-form Baroda side were beaten in a do-or-die clash. A first-innings lead over Karnataka allowed Mumbai to enter the knockouts, and their thumping win against Delhi, one of the most consistent sides this season, sealed them a semifinal berth. Amre lauded the young side and said it was a huge challenge to handle a team in transition.
"As a coach, handling a young side was very challenging. I learnt a lot and also I was happy that some of my decisions worked and the satisfaction was there. This is a hugely talented side in a rebuilding phase.
"I had to identify the talented players. I was very happy with the way we set Shreyas Iyer's batting number. It was entirely my decision to bat him at three. There was this responsibility on Shardul Thakur to go and deliver. (I was) backing many players like Akhil Herwadkar - he came and delivered in the quarterfinal against Delhi. The important one was Tare, backing him as captain and I think he did a great job. It wasn't an easy job."
Tare reprimanded for criticising umpiring decisions
Aditya Tare, the Mumbai captain, was reprimanded for his comments against poor umpiring decisions after the first day's play. Like Amre, Tare had earlier pointed to the two decisions that had gone against Mumbai. V N Kutty, the match referee, charged him with a Code of Conduct violation and cautioned Tare after he pleaded guilty.
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