Ranji Trophy: Shams Mulani wants to make it count

MUMBAI: He may be only a couple of seasons old in First Class cricket, but Shams Mulani is making steady progress as a bowling all-rounder for Mumbai. So, after a good start this season, Mulani hopes to continue in the same vein when Mumbai take on Uttar Pradesh at the

Wankhede Stadium

from Sunday.


Mumbai began their Ranji Trophy season on a very promising note. They defeated Baroda in Baroda comprehensively and walked home with all the six points with an outright win. The bright start was short-lived as they lost unexpectedly to Railways. Left smarting, they were further humiliated by Karnataka who rubbed it in with an outright win. And just when it appeared that the powerhouses of domestic cricket were staring at an early exit, their season was salvaged by a draw against Tamil Nadu in Chennai which has kept them in contention for the knockout stages.

While Mumbai's performances kept fluctuating, Mulani stood out with all-round consistent displays. He chipped in with a decisive 89 against Baroda and then ran through the batting to return with first innings figures of 6-99. He added four more wickets in the second innings to help Mumbai win by a huge 309-run margin.

Mulani didn't do much against Railways and against Karnataka he had a match-haul of four wickets and scored 31 runs in the second innings.

The two losses had left Mumbai skating on thin ice and with the game against Tamil Nadu coming up, the task was cut out for a depleted Mumbai side who were playing without some of their established names.

Mulani scored a handsome 87 and along with skipper Aditya Tare (154), saved Mumbai the blushes after they were reduced to 129-5 in the first innings. Mumbai went on to score 488. Mulani then picked up four wickets to help the visitors take a first innings lead and eventually return with three points. Mulani credits his success to his formative years in school. Having represented Don Bosco, which has a rich tradition in football, hockey and basketball, and where cricket just about survives, Mulani took the onus of shepherding Don Bosco's success in school's cricket.

"When I played for Don Bosco, there were just a couple of us who could stand up and deliver when it mattered. So since my school days I started believing that if I don't perform, my team will suffer. That attitude has extended into the Ranji Trophy as well. I feel it is my responsibility to perform to the best of my ability," Mulani said.

Such has been Mulani's impact that Tare doesn't think twice if he has to summon him for a particular job to be done. Tare admitted that Mulani, with his current form, is his man for crisis. "The kind of form, the kind of maturity he has displayed this season is amazing. He contributes with the bat, he picks up wickets at crucial junctures and he is a splendid fielder as well. So yeah, he is developing as a very good red-ball player this season. He is proving to be a complete package," Tare told TOI.

The match between Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh promises to be an interesting one, especially with a healthy mix of youth in both the teams.

"We have a young side but a very talented one," UP skipper Ankit Rajput said. "As for Mumbai, even they have a young side and I am sure our boys will put up a show that justifies their talent," he added.