It’s a matter of pride now

Nasik was all decked up to give the Mumbai team a grand welcome ahead of their Ranji Trophy match against Maharashtra that begins here tomorrow at the local Golf Ground.

Nasik was all decked up to give the Mumbai team a grand welcome ahead of their Ranji Trophy match against Maharashtra that begins here tomorrow at the local Golf Ground.

Mumbai, as news began to filter here, were arriving with Sachin Tendulkar and there was no way the opportunity to watch him bat was going to be missed. Tendulkar aside, even Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel (Maharashtra) and Wasim Jaffer were in the touring party and the celebrations were about to begin in the wake of their arrival.

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All of this, though, came to an abrupt and rather disappointing end when Tendulkar — with a niggle in his groin — and Zaheer — tired after bowling continuously over the past 12 months — decided to opt out. Munaf and his injured ankle, meanwhile, have become a part of another controversy that is bound to keep him out for some time.

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The only player from the Indian team looking forward to the game is Mumbai veteran and opener Jaffer.

The Indian team — after it is announced on January 12 — will regroup at Nagpur for a preparatory camp ahead of the one-day series against the West Indies. Until then, Tendulkar and Zaheer have been advised rest after the gruelling tour of South Africa.

With the stars not shining, the interest in the match has dissipated. The sole interest that lies in this game now is the fact that these two teams continue to remain the arch-rivals the way they’ve been in recent years.

Mumbai’s wounds haven’t healed. They lost their captain Sairaj Bahutule to Maharashtra two seasons ago. The same year, their coach Chandrakant Pandit also switched camp.

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Adding insult to injury, Bahutule and Pandit made a successful attempt at helping Maharashtra defeat Mumbai in the same tournament last season.

The loss was unbearable for Mumbai who now seek revenge in the last match of the Ranji Super League. They have been on a roll since the last two matches and the setback of Tendulkar and Zaheer’s absence notwithstanding, the team is determined to collect another outright win.

In the Group B points table, Mumbai (10) are placed second behind Bengal (12) while Maharashtra are placed seventh.

The distance isn’t much though, considering the thin line that separates these two teams and others in the group. An outright victory for either of the teams could be a ticket to the knock-out round. To add to the excitement now, even Hyderabad and Punjab (placed 3rd and 4th in the group) face a similar situation.

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Mumbai have named Kshemal Waingankar and Sangram Bagul as replacements to Tendulkar and Zaheer. The two players, however, aren’t expected to be a part of the eleven with Mumbai looking to continue with the combination that won against Rajasthan. India’s senior medium-pacer Ajit Agarkar’s return to the side has already bolstered Mumbai’s attack. Now with Jaffer joining the ranks, the visitors are confident of going ahead for the kill.

Stars or no stars, the match definitely promises thrill simply for the fact that these two teams, quite easily, have more to prove to each other than anybody else and it is only apt their most important and last match of the league should be as tense as this one.