My goal is to lead from the front, says Maha Ranji captain Bawne

Pune: Ankeet Bawne believes the Maharashtra team turned the corner in the last Ranji Trophy season (2019-20) when they won five games in a row to redeem what seemed a lost season after three defeats in the first four games.
The team did not qualify for the knockout stage, but Bawne, having helped the team containing quite a few youngster restore their pride, now wants “to lead from the front”.“It is mainly the hurt. We all felt bad, started to question ourselves, ‘are we not good enough’,” Bawne, who will captain Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy this season, said on what helped the team turn it around.
Bawne took over the reins of the team from Naushad Shaikh midway through the season and oversaw an instant turnaround in the team’s fortunes.
“We needed motivational performances. After being made the captain, I wanted to set an example. I wanted to lead from the front,” added the 29-year-old who scored 631 runs at 57.36 highlighted by an unbeaten 204.
“If I didn’t prove (myself) now, then when? Now is the time to show. With the experience I have, I know what it takes. It is my responsibility to motivate others.
“In a playing XI, not everyone is going to perform always. It is up to the coach and the captain to provide the motivation for the five-six who fail.”
Due to the pandemic, the Ranji Trophy this season will be held with teams playing their group stages at one neutral venue. It has resulted in no home advantage for any team. This has also meant that the teams will get to play less number of games in the league stage. Bawne took a positive take on the subject.
“Still, anywhere in India, I am happy that we are getting to play Ranji Trophy, rather than sit at home,” he said.
“Of course, we will miss playing at home. It is the best thing for any player to prepare yourself for matches and get to play at home. It has a different vibe. But we can’t complain. It is also equal opportunity for both (the playing) teams. We won’t be travelling, so we will be less tired.”
The Maharashtra team enjoyed a glorious phase in the early half of 2010s when it reached the final in 2013-14 and semifinals in 2014-15.
In the absence of Kedar Jadhav, Bawne is the only player in the present team who played in the 2013-14 final against Karnataka.
He said the current crop of players will take more time to start excelling in the multi-day format.
“When I came through, I played a lot of age-group cricket before playing first-class cricket. Now there is not much age-group cricket,” he pointed out.
“The youngsters are finding it difficult, so they will take time. To do well in red ball cricket, you need more experience. But as a team we are on the right path.”