Mumbai was reeling at 113 for seven inside 30 overs on the first day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Haryana when Tanush Kotian joined Shams Mulani at the crease. The ball was still moving a bit, but the duo didn’t restrict their shots. Kotian placed a backfoot punch towards the square to get his first boundary early in his innings while Mulani checked an uppercut over the cordon.
With the sun shining brightly over Eden Gardens and the pitch easing out, the two utilised the old ball to keep the scoreboard moving. 294 balls and 165 runs later, Mulani fell at the stroke of stumps, missing his second First Class (FC) century by nine runs; Kotian, too, got out on 97 the next day but took Mumbai past the 300-run mark.
It wasn’t the first time Kotian and Mulani punched gloves to stretch Mumbai’s score. The first time the two batted together in an FC match, they added 116 runs for the eighth wicket in the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy match against Goa in Ahmedabad.
Kotian says that his bond with Mulani began with that partnership. “We can bat well lower down the order. It was a crucial partnership since we lost out on a first-innings lead. We won that match and eventually were runners-up in that season.”
The next time they got together, they scored 91 runs together for the seventh wicket against Andhra in the 2023-24 season.
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“While batting, we don’t think of ourselves as all-rounders but rather proper batters, and likewise while bowling. Even if the wickets have fallen, we have time and try to capitalise against tired bowlers and score runs,” Kotian explained.
Mumbai’s lower order (7-11) has contributed nearly 30 per cent of the team runs this season. Shardul Thakur (402), Kotian (255), and Mulani (315) have contributed 972 runs out of the total of 1228 – the most by a team’s lower order in the 2024-25 edition.
All these runs have come when the team was in trouble. In the match against Jammu & Kashmir, Kotian and Shardul rescued their side by adding 63 runs in the first innings after the team had collapsed to 47 for seven. They again turned the tide in the second innings, contributing 184 runs when the score was 101 for seven.
Shardul Thakur celebrates his century on the second day of a Ranji trophy cricket match between Mumbai and Jammu and Kashmir, at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, in Mumbai.
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PTI
Shardul Thakur celebrates his century on the second day of a Ranji trophy cricket match between Mumbai and Jammu and Kashmir, at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC, in Mumbai.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
“The lower order has a never-give-up attitude. Even against Jammu & Kashmir, it was a similar situation, and Shardul-Tanush put on a partnership. We have a long batting order. Tanush has entered the Test team, and Shardul has already played for India, so we have experience,” Mulani said.
According to Shardul, this attitude comes because of the culture of Mumbai cricket and from watching the previous generations fight hard, batting lower down the order.
“Bombay culture is like that. Even if a number 10 or 11 batter goes in, he’s given that confidence. Since childhood, we have been told that we have to score runs. Be it two runs, five runs, or 10 runs, these are all for the team. As a youngster, when we enter the team, we follow the history,” Shardul said.
“If you see the history of Mumbai cricket, the lower order has always scored runs. When the team is in crisis, the lower order contributes. That contribution happens because that’s how we think; that’s what we have seen the previous generations doing. In this generation as well, people are contributing. So, it is all part of the culture, and hopefully we continue doing it,” he added.
Everything contributes to become a Mumbai cricketer
Mumbai’s Khadoos (stubborn) approach – an attitude often associated with Mumbai cricket, has been instrumental in developing players right from the grassroots level. The intense competition keeps the players on their toes, makes them work hard, and invariably develops their attitude.
“It’s the grassroots level and the club cricket we play. The competition is very high. If you want to be in the 15 or the (playing) 11 of the Mumbai team, you have to be at your absolute best. You can’t play half-heartedly or perform once in a while and get in the team. I have been part of this team for nine years now. I have had to work for every single match I have played because of the amount of competition,” fast bowler Royston Dias said.
Mumbai’s Royston Dias gestures with the ball after the team won the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal cricket match against Haryana, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata,.
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PTI
Mumbai’s Royston Dias gestures with the ball after the team won the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal cricket match against Haryana, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata,.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Dias made his First-Class debut in the 2016-17 season but has only played 25 games. On Tuesday, he picked his first five-wicket haul in the red-ball format, nine years after his debut. The left-arm pacer knows that his role is to wait for his opportunity, which only comes when seniors aren’t available.
“I’ve got games only when international players are not there or if someone is injured. So, I have had to wait for my chances. But even when I have not got my chances, these guys have supported me well,” Dias said.
“Every time I get a chance, it’s like a big shoe to fill. It’s like a challenge. When you get that role, it’s more responsibility, and I like to fulfill it,” the 32-year-old said.