Not only did Jammu and Kashmir manage to create history for themselves, they also managed to become the third team to beat Bombay (now Mumbai) in their opening match of the tournament. Abhishek Mukherjee goes down memory lane to check Bombay’s performances in their opening matches of India’s premier domestic tournament.
Mumbai shocked fans, critics, statisticians, and historians by losing by four wickets to unheralded Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) in their opening encounter of Ranji Trophy 2014-15. Having won the title 40 out of 80 times it has been held, Mumbai remain the best team in the tournament by a distance.
Mumbai have lost their opening match only twice before, before their famous run of 15 title wins from the 1958-59 to 1972-73 took off (they played under their old name of Bombay at that time). Farzand-i-Khas-i-Daulat-i-Inglishia Maharaja Fatehsinghrao Prataprao Gaekwad, to give the full name of the Maharaja of Baroda, was the first captain to inflict defeat on Bombay in their first match of a single season — at Baroda in 1949-50.
Madhav Mantri decided to bat, but the Baroda stars, especially Vijay Hazare (five for 48) shot out Bombay for 114. Datta Gaekwad then scored 108 to give Baroda a comfortable 219-run lead. Facing an innings defeat, only Polly Umrigar (86) put up a serious effort as Hazare and Gul Mohammad bowled them out for 201.
The only other instance came three seasons later at Solapur. Though Ranga Sohoni (six for 78) bowled out Maharashtra for 167, the hosts fought back: Sadashiv Patil bowled unchanged for five for 45, Marutirao Mathe provided excellent support with four for 47, and Bombay were restricted to 112.
Bombay fought back yet again, reducing Maharashtra to 120 for seven. Then Mathe extended his contribution in the match, top-scoring with 83; with Bal Dani and Chandu Borde also registering fifties, Maharashtra recovered to 271, setting a 327-run target. This time Ghulam Guard claimed six for 78.
Prabhakar Kamat and Mohini Amladi took Bombay to 92 for one, but the Maharashtra bowlers kept striking. Bombay were left reeling at 223 for nine when Guard walked out to join Avinash Desai. They still needed 104, but they refused to give up. While Guard held one end up, Desai kept on playing shots — till he was caught-behind off Patil for 76. Bombay lost by 19 runs.
J & K thus became the first side to beat Mumbai in Mumbai in their opening match of the season.
[Note: Historians disagree on the outcome of the 1954-55 match between Bombay and Baroda. Bombay scored 258 before Baroda went past them with 284 for three, and were declared winners on first innings. However, some refuse to accept this as a proper defeat.]
SEASON
RESULT
TEAM 1
INNS 1
INNS 2
TEAM 2
INNS 1
INNS 2
VENUE
34-35
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
231
300/7d
Gujarat
106
166/4
Ahmedabad
35-36
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
308
295
Maharashtra
228
Poona
36-37
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
174
277/6d
Nawanagar (Saurashtra)
263
137/7
Poona
37-38
won by 3 wickets
Gujarat
166
98
Bombay (Mumbai)
115
152/7
Jamnagar
38-39
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
441/6d
Baroda
326
Baroda
39-40
drawn
Nawanagar (Saurashtra)
387
Bombay (Mumbai)
351
Bombay
40-41
drawn
Maharashtra
675
Bombay (Mumbai)
650
Poona
41-42
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
462
Western India
95
167/5
Bombay
42-43
did not participate
43-44
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
487
Baroda
297
Bombay
44-45
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
432
16/1
Sind
264
244/4d
Karachi
45-46
won by inns + 20
Sind
234
306
Bombay (Mumbai)
560/5d
Bombay
46-47
won by inns + 27
Nawanagar (Saurashtra)
69
240
Bombay (Mumbai)
336
Bombay
47-48
won by inns + 453
Bombay (Mumbai)
638/8d
Sind
128
57
Bombay
48-49
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
574/8d
127/2
Bengal
251
Calcutta
49-50
lost by inns + 18
Bombay (Mumbai)
114
201
Baroda
333
Baroda
50-51
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
725/8d
Maharashtra
195
341/6
Bombay
51-52
won by inns + 323
Saurashtra
119
25
Bombay (Mumbai)
467/8d
Bombay
52-53
lost by 19 runs
Maharashtra
167
271
Bombay (Mumbai)
112
307
Solapur
53-54
won by 8 wickets
Baroda
117
251
Bombay (Mumbai)
249
122/2
Bombay
54-55
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
258
Baroda
284/3
Baroda
55-56
drawn
Baroda
306
Bombay (Mumbai)
307/6
Bombay
56-57
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
525
49/1
Gujarat
222
366
Bombay
57-58
drawn
Gujarat
250
282
Bombay (Mumbai)
406/4d
61/0
Khadakvasla
58-59
won by inns + 75
Gujarat
96
63
Bombay (Mumbai)
234
Ahmedabad
59-60
won by inns + 219
Bombay (Mumbai)
373/8d
Gujarat
43
111
Bombay
60-61
won by inns + 187
Gujarat
94
104
Bombay (Mumbai)
385/5d
Bombay
61-62
drawn
Baroda
225
251/4d
Bombay (Mumbai)
238
133/1
Baroda
62-63
won by 10 wickets
Bombay (Mumbai)
303
29/0
Saurashtra
106
221
Rajkot
63-64
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
249
106/3d
Maharashtra
197
62/1
Bombay
64-65
won by inns + 5
Gujarat
85
161
Bombay (Mumbai)
251
Bombay
65-66
won by 8 wickets
Gujarat
268
101
Bombay (Mumbai)
324/7d
48/2
Surat
66-67
drawn
Maharashtra
327
68/6
Bombay (Mumbai)
326
Aurangabad
67-68
drawn
Gujarat
272
182/8
Bombay (Mumbai)
426/9d
Ahmedabad
68-69
drawn
Baroda
282
276/8
Bombay (Mumbai)
439/8d
Bombay
69-70
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
396
51/0
Maharashtra
414/6d
Bombay
70-71
won by inns + 89
Bombay (Mumbai)
384
Baroda
116
179
Bombay
71-72
won by inns + 157
Gujarat
65
98
Bombay (Mumbai)
320/6d
Surat
72-73
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
357
142/4
Maharashtra
366
Kolhapur
73-74
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
210
190/4d
Gujarat
161
136/3
Nadiad
74-75
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
319
41/0d
Saurashtra
182
138/8
Porbandar
75-76
won by 5 wickets
Gujarat
241
100
Bombay (Mumbai)
243/3d
102/5
Bulsar
76-77
won by 163 runs
Bombay (Mumbai)
79
268/3d
Saurashtra
109
75
Surendranagar
77-78
drawn
Saurashtra
161
56/1
Bombay (Mumbai)
210/7d
Bombay
78-79
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
408/5d
8/0
Baroda
389
Bombay
79-80
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
440/6d
59/0
Maharashtra
359
Bombay
80-81
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
171
151/5
Saurashtra
106
Bhuj
81-82
won by inns + 61
Maharashtra
188
110
Bombay (Mumbai)
359/6d
Bombay
82-83
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
370
145/3d
Maharashtra
279
112/4
Kolhapur
83-84
drawn
Gujarat
301/8d
193
Bombay (Mumbai)
317/7d
129/4
Valsad
84-85
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
310/6d
330/9d
Maharashtra
318/8d
212/6
Pune
85-86
won by 9 wickets
Gujarat
290
82
Bombay (Mumbai)
301/4d
72/1
Surat
86-87
won by inns + 11
Saurashtra
181
153
Bombay (Mumbai)
345/6d
Porbandar
87-88
drawn
Baroda
536/6d
Bombay (Mumbai)
451/4
Vadodara
88-89
drawn
Gujarat
140
306
Bombay (Mumbai)
394/6d
43/2
Bombay
89-90
drawn
Gujarat
356
159/4
Bombay (Mumbai)
495/5d
Surat
90-91
won by 10 wickets
Gujarat
231
400
Bombay (Mumbai)
608/4d
24/0
Bombay
91-92
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
554/4d
272/6d
Gujarat
242
121/6
Surat
92-93
drawn
Baroda
347
385/5d
Bombay (Mumbai)
510
81/2
Bombay
93-94
won by inns + 118
Bombay (Mumbai)
523
Baroda
279
126
Vadodara
94-95
drawn
Bombay (Mumbai)
573/9d
121/3
Maharashtra
361
Solapur
95-96
won by inns + 110
Gujarat
215
105
Bombay (Mumbai)
430/8d
Valsad
96-97
won by inns + 190
Mumbai
451
Gujarat
113
148
Mumbai
97-98
won by inns + 68
Gujarat
182
161
Mumbai
411/8d
Valsad
98-99
won by inns + 27
Gujarat
90
256
Mumbai
373/5d
Mumbai
99-00
won by inns + 11
Maharashtra
142
148
Mumbai
301
Mumbai
00-01
won by 9 wickets
Mumbai
521/5d
5/1
Gujarat
274
250
Mumbai
01-02
won by 7 wickets
Maharashtra
216
98
Mumbai
250
65/3
Mumbai
02-03
won by 69 runs
Mumbai
98
337
Hyderabad
130
236
Secunderabad
’03-04
won by 5 wickets
Baroda
213
270
Mumbai
324
160/5
Mumbai
04-05
drawn
Mumbai
361
221/3
Railways
284
Delhi
05-06
drawn
Mumbai
551
166/3
Delhi
331
Delhi
06-07
drawn
Bengal
578/7d
Mumbai
372
23/0
Kolkata
’07-08
drawn
Karnataka
195
397/6d
Mumbai
337
70/2
Mumbai
08-09
won by 237 runs
Mumbai
307
305/7d
Rajasthan
204
171
Mumbai
09-10
drawn
Punjab
259
311/7
Mumbai
471/9d
Chandigarh
10-11
drawn
Mumbai
580/9d
207/2
Saurashtra
374
Mumbai
11-12
won by 10 wickets
Mumbai
483
20/0
Railways
256
244
Delhi
12-13
drawn
Mumbai
570
230/5
Railways
426
Mumbai
13-14
won by 4 wickets
Haryana
134
241
Mumbai
136
240/6
Rohtak
14-15
lost by 4 wickets
Mumbai
236
254
Jammu and Kashmir
254
237/6
Mumbai
(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)
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