Published: Sep 16, 2015, 07:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Sep 27, 2015, 12:35 PM (IST)
Aditya Tare led the Mumbai Ranji Team for a few matches in the previous season. After a disappointing start, a few players, including Tare stepped up and helped Mumbai save face and at least reach the semi-final, where they were crushed by the eventual champions, Karnataka. As the new season dawns upon us, Pramod Ananth speaks to Tare about his captaincy, Wasim Jaffer, the team’s new coach, and more.
Cricket Country (CC): You led Mumbai in a few games in Ranji Trophy last season and in the Buchi Babu tournament, where you won it. Do you enjoy captaining the side?
Aditya Tare (AT): I loved absolutely, I really enjoyed it. I love the responsibility that comes with it. Obviously, I think that’s one aspect of my game: responsibility and tough situations get the best out of me. I thought captaincy had a positive impact on my season and on my game.
CC: Will you be captaining the side in the upcoming season?
AT: I hope so.
CC: Mumbai were shaky in the previous season but recovered well to reach the semi-final. Is the team a stronger unit this time around? Can they go all the way?
AT: Absolutely. Last year the way guys reacted to the sort of situation we were in, I thought it was exceptional. It showed the character of the entire team. A few guys are in their second and third seasons this time. So I think they will start playing much better than what they had in the last two seasons. We have also found that balance, especially in batting. With experience, I think this team can do wonders.
CC: Youngsters like Shreyas Iyer and Harmeet Singh are slowly coming through the ranks. Shreyas, in fact, top-scored for Mumbai in the previous season, while Harmeet has done extremely well in the limited opportunities given to him in his brief career. How important will their forms be this season?
AT: Every player is important for me. To win the Ranji Trophy you don’t want just one or two guys to be in top form: you want most of them to perform; you want most of them to help the team win matches on with their own. I would not bank on one or two individual players but want the entire team to come together and click at the right time.
CC: Losing Wasim Jaffer must be a big loss for the side. How is the team coping without him?
AT: It’s a great loss for us. He was a tremendous player for Mumbai over many years. He has been a run-machine. For any player coming into the dressing-room and watching how Wasim plays and builds his innings is an education. That’s one part that the younger guys like us are going to miss. More than his runs, I think his experience and presence, the amount of learning we can take from him, were incredible. I’m lucky to have played with him for a few seasons and having spent time with him with the Indian Oil team (the corporate team for which both of them play). I’ve seen a lot of Wasim and have learnt a lot from him. His ability to score runs in most games is admirable. Be it a club game, a corporate game, a Ranji Trophy match or a Test, his attitude remains the same: he always wants to score runs and wants to do well for himself. So, I think we are going to miss him a lot.
CC: Chandrakant Pandit was a good ’keeper himself: what sort of advice has he been giving you since he has taken over? How is the entire team gelling with him?
AT: It has been great. Even when I made my debut during Sulu-Sir (Sulakshan Kulkarni), I had a good season as a wicketkeeper as well. It’s always nice to have a wicketkeeper as a coach, for he can analyse you better than anyone else. The wicketkeeper is always a neglected player as there is no specialised coach or anything as such normally. It is good to have coaches who have kept wickets so that you always get that advice anytime of the game. They understand the wicketkeepers well. For all these reasons it is nice to have Chandu-Sir as coach and it was lovely to have Sulu-Sir as coach.
CC: Would you be open to ‘keeping and captaining the side? Wouldn’t that be an extra pressure on you?
AT: Absolutely! Not really (won’t be any pressure).
CC: You played just a couple of matches in IPL 2015 for Mumbai Indians (MI) as Parthiv Patel was the assigned ’keeper. With you on the sidelines for a chunk of the season, is there any other specific role you have been assigned?
AT: I was the first wicketkeeper to have played between the both of us (Parthiv and I). The team lost when I played the first two games. There was a need to make some changes. Parthiv came on and started doing well. He deserved to play all games after that. It was not the first time I was dropped, and it will certainly not be the last time. But I know how to come back. I have been working hard and will continue to work hard to earn my place back in the side.
(Pramod Ananth is a reporter at CricketCountry. He has represented Karnataka table tennis under-15, and is a hardcore supporter of Liverpool FC. His Twitter handle is @pramz)
