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Ranji Trophy: Mumbai lose their third opening match, first in 62 years

J & K thus became the first side to beat Mumbai in Mumbai in their opening match of the season.

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(From left) Fatehsinhrao Gaekwad, Madhusudan Rege (Maharashtra), and Parvez Rasool (Jammu and Kashmir) are the only captains to beat Bombay in their Ranji Trophy opening matches © Getty Images, saamana.com and IANS
(From right) Fatehsinhrao Gaekwad (Baroda), Madhusudan Rege (Maharashtra), and Parvez Rasool (Jammu and Kashmir) are the only captains to beat Bombay in their Ranji Trophy opening matches © Getty Images, saamana.com and IANS

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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