Thakkar, Indulkar return to Mumbai fold

MUMBAI: Three years after they left Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad to play their trade for Himachal Pradesh, top-order batsmen Bhavin Thakkar and Vinit Indulkar have made themselves available for Mumbai again.
"Despite scoring a lot of runs, administrators in Himachal kept making us feel that we are outsiders. We were never treated as equals. So we decided to come back," Thakkar, who turned out for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited in an 'A' Division Times Shield fixture against hosts Western Railway at Mahalaxmi said.
Though Thakkar's start in the season was dismal, he sounded confident of being in contention for a place in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy team. "We haven't trained together. Sure we practice individually but in a team game it is important to practice together," he said trying to explain the reason behind his and the team's failure. BPCL, who were bowled out for 171 on Day One of the three-day affair, were pushed a step backwards by the Western Railway batsmen.
Skipper Shreyas Khanolkar scored a brilliant 82, while left-handed opener Abhishek Kaushik chipped in with a stylish 74. Parag Madkaikar was the top-scorer for Railways with 85 as the hosts made 314 for 7.
Though BPCL's picture looks a bit gloomy, both Thakkar and Indulkar sounded upbeat about the season ahead.
"True, it is not a start that we had hoped for. But the kind of potential the team has, I am sure we will turn things around," Thakkar said and added: "It is important that I get some big scores if I have to find a place in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad.
Sure, scoring runs and impressing the selectors is in the limits of the players. But there are a few things that are beyond a player's control. For starters, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has a rule that if a player has ventured out of Mumbai and represented some other state, that player will have to serve a one-year cooling off period before being eligible for selection for national level tournaments.
MCA joint Secretary Nitin Dalal confirmed that Thakkar and Indulkar have expressed a will to represent Mumbai in the forthcoming season but said: "As per our rules, they will have to await their turn for a year. However, if the members of the Executive Committee decide to waive the cooling period off then chances are they will be considered for selection. But the decision wrests entirely with the Executive Committee."
But considering that stars like Rohit Sharma and now Ajinkya Rahane will be away on national duty on a regular basis, it will be interesting to see how the Executive Committee, reacts. "For us to react, the matter should be first put forth by the MCA. The committee members will then decide what's to be done," Cricket Improvement Committee (CIC) chief Chandrakant Pandit said.