He’s a true blue!

Those aspiring to play for the country must excel in knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy Such performances hold greater value than brilliant displays in the league phase Seeing players become nonperformers in the crucial knockout stage can be quite offputting Examining history one observes that individuals who excelled on Mumbairsquos red soil pitches and against Mumbai have stood a greater chance to be picked for IndiaTop rescue effortThough Mumbai won most of their games this season outright they had to be rescued at crucial junctures through bowlers like Shams Mulani Tanush Kotian Tushar Deshpande Shivam Dube and Musheer Khan In the semifinal I noticed the khadoos attitude of Mumbai cricketers surfacing strongly to outwit Tamil Nadu This was spearheaded by sensible batting from Musheer Khan and an aggressive century from Shardul Thakur ably supported by consistent performer Kotian In the face of adversity they exhibited resilience nullifying the view of those who said they know Mumbai cricket on their finger tips Therersquos a lesson here If you provoke lions they come at you in a stronger fashionAlso Read Ranji Trophy Mumbai repeats past defeats Tamil Nadu within three daysSkipper Ajinkya Rahanersquos torrid time with the bat continued in the semifinal where his side beat Tamil Nadu by an innings and 70 runs inside three days of the fiveday fixture Despite Rahanersquos recent challenges and a departure from the typical performance expected of a Test cricketer my admiration for him only deepens due to his unwavering commitment to overcome these struggles He has become a symbol of resilience demonstrating the grit required to navigate through tough timesFine guide and mentorNot only has he evolved into a fine Test player through the nurturing he got through Mumbai cricket He has also played a crucial role in guiding emerging talents in the Ranji Trophy His mentorship and leadership have contributed significantly to the development of young players repaying Mumbai cricket for developing him into a fine Test player I believe a significant innings is just around the corner hopefully in the Ranji final A Test playerrsquos presence elevates the gamersquos standard inspiring teammates and opponents alike to lift their performance and provide a quality contest This benefits spectators the true lovers of the game as they get value for their time spent watching such contestsI am impressed by Sai Kishore Tamil Nadursquos leftarm spinner who I believe should soon play for India He possesses the heart and skills for success at the top level On the other hand Washington Sundarrsquos batting and bowling prowess is sadly underutilised in firstclass cricket And now to the final I am certain cricket enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy a tough contest in the biggest redball game of our domestic season1983 World Cupper Balvinder Singh Sandhu coached Mumbairsquos 199697 team to Ranji Trophy glory