Ranji Trophy: UP's craft tackles Mumbai's graft

MYSURU: At the helm of Uttar Pradesh's (UP) Ranji Trophy team is one of the shrewdest cricketing minds in Indian cricket. They also have in their ranks an India speedster who has just come out of an injury and is itching to bowl and find his rhythm before making a comeback to the national fold. In addition, UP boasts of quality bowlers who have the ability to test Mumbai's top order. The combination of former India all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar (coach) speedsters Bhuvneshwar Kumar (captain), Ankit Rajput and Imtiaz Ahmed points to a mouth-watering affair between Mumbai's solid top order and UP's quality pace attack. In addition, UP have a quality chinaman spinner in Kuldeep Yadav, who has briefly had a feel of the Indian dressing room when he was picked for the ODI series against West Indies in 2014.

So, when Mumbai take on UP in a Group ' A' Ranji Trophy encounter at the SNRWD ground here, they will have to weigh their options carefully. They will have to think hard whether to bat first or put the opposition in if they win the toss.

Mumbai's batting has not really been tested fully this season, barring the low-scoring match against Tamil Nadu which Aditya Tare's side went on to win. All of Mumbai's batsmen have got runs this season at some point. Sure, Mumbai has a long batting line-up, but if UP bowlers find their rhythm they could prove to be quite a handful. On match eve, Tare sounded beat about the task ahead. "We upbeat about the task ahead. "We love these kinds of challenges," he said. "Not just me, the entire squad is kicked about facing an attack which also includes an India Test bowler," Tare added.

Tare's counterpart, who also happens to be his teammate at Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, Bhuvneshwar feels, more than bat and ball, it will be a battle of nerves in the middle. "I have not seen Mumbai's batsmen this season. But they have always had a potent batting order. It all depends on how our bowling unit performs on the day. If we find our rhythm and bowl to a plan, we do well, else Mumbai can score 500odd runs as well," Bhuvneshwar, who will be leading UP for the first time, said. UP are languishing in the lower half of the points table and will have to win all their matches from hereon to make it to the knockout stages. Bhuvi, though, sounded optimistic.

"We can't sit and think about the past. What has happened has happened. The whole unit is well aware of their potential and it just a matter of clicking together as team. If we can do that, I don't see a reason why we can't make it to the knockout stages," he insisted.

Mumbai, on the other hand, were dealt with a huge blow when left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil had to be sent back home with an injury to his bowling hand. In his debut season, the 21-year-old had impressed all and Tare admitted that his absence would hurt. "For a debutante he bowled very consistently. Of course he will be missed," he said and added. "We have Vishal Dabholkar in the squad and he has proven himself in the past. He has always responded when we have needed him. It will be good to see him back bowling for Mumbai."

ROUND 6 FIXTURESGROUP A: At Nagpur: Baroda v Railways, At Rajkot: Bengal v Tamil Nadu, At Nagothane: Gujarat v Madhya Pradesh, At Mysore: Mumbai v Uttar Pradesh

GROUP B: At Agartala: Jharkhand v Saurashtra, At Vizianagaram: Karnataka v Rajasthan, At Kolkata: Maharashtra v Vidarbha, At Hyderabad: Assam v Odisha

Group C: At Valsad: Andhra v Tripura At Kanpur: Chhattisgarh v Himachal Pradesh, At Mumbai: Goa vs Kerala At Cuttack: Haryana v J&K At Mumbai (Bandra Kurla Complex): Hyderabad v Services