MUMBAI, NOV 13: After hitting the pits last season, 33-times Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai will be seeking redemption when they begin the current season's conquest against arch-rivals Maharashtra in their backyard Wankhede Stadium.Last season's dismal display, when they failed to qualify from West Zone, not only dented the reputation of the team boasting of an illustrious legacy but also cut short the players' flight to gain national recognition.Much water has flown since the team ran into rough weather. No wonder, the stand-in skipper Amol Muzumdar wasn't willing to look back at the ruins on the eve of the West Zone one-day league match tomorrow.``Mumbai will be the strong team,'' he remarked while speaking to The Indian Express. The 25-year-old Muzumdar's suppressed confidence stems from the rigorous schedule that the team has been undertaking since the past month under the watchful eyes of coach and ex-Mumbai skipper Ashok Mankad. While local tournaments have provided match practice, novelty inthe form of yoga sessions a brainchild of Mankad have been the ingredients in the team's build-up to the season.``Let's look ahead. We have worked hard and will be putting in our best,'' said Muzumdar, who has been thrust the leadership after original choice wicket-keeper Sameer Dighe was selected for the India A team to the West Indies tour.Muzumdar, alongwith the likes of Jatin Paranjpe, maverick Vinod Kambli, Sairaj Bahutule, Paras Mhambrey and Nilesh Kulkarni, have a heavy burden to shoulder as they have to preserve the confidence levels of the youngsters in the team.A formidable opposition in Maharashtra provides an ideal setting for Mumbai's rehabilitation process but nothing short of a victory would set the tone.The elevation of Hrishikesh Kanitkar to the India A team seems to have perplexed the Maharashtra selectors, who have appointed separate captains for the one-dayer and the Ranji four-dayer. The Maharashtra Cricket Association president Dnyaneshwar Agashe's son Ashutosh Agashe,whose cricketing abilities could be equated to Laloo Prasad Yadav's governance, will lead the one-day side tomorrow and the next day, wicket-keeper Sanjay Kondhalkar takes charge.Senior pros Surendra Bhave and Shantanu Sugwekar have been sidelined for the top post and it shouldn't be surprising if this team falls short on motivation.Optimists may well point to a change in Mumbai's fortunes if a little bit of information that filtered into the Mumbai Cricket Association's office this evening is an indication. Left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar has been awarded Castrol Junior Cricketer of Year (1998-99). The award, pioneered by Professional Management Group, was decided by a panel comprising Anshuman Gaekwad, K Srikkanth and Hemant Kanitkar. Teams: Mumbai (from): Amol Muzumdar (captain), Rajesh Sutar, Manoj Joglekar, Jatin Paranjpe, Vinod Kambli, Amol Rane (wicket-keeper), Sairaj Bahutule, Amit Dani, Paras Mhambrey, Santosh Saxena, Nilesh Kulkarni, Shreyas Khanolkar, Amit Pagnis and Sriram Kannan.Coach: Ashok Mankad.Maharashtra (from): Ashutosh Agashe (captain), Sanjay Kondhalkar, Surendra Bhave, Shantanu Sugwekar, Abhijit Kale, Milind Kulkarni, Iqbal Siddiqui, Nikhil Dixit, Niranjan Godbole, Indrajit Kamthekar, Anand Dalvi, Satyen Lande, Mandar Sane, Sachin Aradhye, Sachin Nair, Sagar Shah and Dhiraj Jadhav. Coach: Anant Dhamne.Umpires: Dr KN Raghavan, S Dendapani (both Kerala). Match Referee: Rajneesh Chopra (Delhi).
