“It is not going to be a walkover": Ashok Mankad
Faisal Shariff
“It is not going to be a walkover," warns Ashok Mankad, coach of the Ranji Trophy-winning Bombay cricket team which takes on the touring Aussies at the Brabourne stadium in a three-day warm-up game beginning Thursday.
“We would like to learn their ways," said Mankad, adding that his side was not about to take the game lightly. "We would like to learn how they handle their fast bowlers on these slow tracks. We would really like to learn how they set their fields. It is going to be a learning process but we will not give them any easy runs,” added Mankad.
Will Sachin be missed?
“Of course, he will be. But he doesn't play too many games for us anyway and even without him, we came out of the league phase very well this season. This will be a great experience, for us to try and get to the goal of not missing Sachin any more," the coach said.
Ashok himself last played the Aussies at the Brabourne stadium in 1969, when the hosts lost by 8 wickets. He and Tiger Pataudi were in fact the only batsmen who managed half centuries in that game.
Bombay skipper Sameer Dighe was of the opinion that they would stick to the three spinners, Sairaj Bahutule, Ramesh Powar and Nilesh Kulkarni, as he felt that the wicket would take turn.
Mohandas Menon, official statistician of the Board of Control Cricket in India, echoes the feeling that the Brabourne wicket has always had a history of assisting spinners. “The track was especially laid for the four greats, Chandra, Venkat, Bishen and Prasanna. It always takes spin. Nilesh Kulkarni also posed problems for the Aussies last year when he claimed his five-wicket haul at the same venue.”
Nilesh Kulkarni, who took five for 23 in the second innings to bundle the Aussies out and help his side become only the third in Indian cricket history to beat a touring team, said "I had a plan when I bowled to the batsmen last time around, you cannot bowl to these guys without a plan. I knew that the Brabourne wicket always takes turn on the second and third day, and I exploited that to the utmost. It is not a vicious turner, but enough to hassle the batsmen." On that occasion, the lanky Test-discard picked the wickets of Ricky Ponting, Ian Healy, Paul Reiffel, Shane Warne and Adam Dale to kick-start a successful series for the Indians against the Aussies.
Meanwhile Sachin Tendulkar, who will be missing the three-day game against the Aussies, put in an appearance at the Press Club in Mumbai, and said, "I can only say that coach John Wright and physio Andrew Leipus had written to the Mumbai Cricket Association about keeping me and Ajit (Agarkar) out of the team so that we may be fresh when taking on the Aussies in the first Test at Wankhede Stadium starting on February 27."
Tendulkar said the Bombay team needs to think back to the last game they played against the Aussies, three years ago, and carry on that form.
First-class matches played at the Cricket Club of India, Brabourne
Stadium, Bombay by visiting teams (excluding tests) since 1948:
15-17 Dec 1948:
West Indians vs Cricket Club of India XI. Match Drawn
9-11 Oct 1949:
Commonwealth I vs Indian Universities. Match Drawn
16-20 Dec 1949:
Commonwealth I vs India (Un-official Test). Match Drawn
27-29 Jan 1950:
Commonwealth I vs Cricket Club of India XI. Match Drawn
4-6 Feb 1950:
Commonwealth I vs Bombay XI. Match Drawn
10-12 Mar 1950:
Commonwealth I vs HE Raja Maharaj Singh XII. C'wealth I won by 6 wkts
1-3 Oct 1950:
Commonwealth II vs Cricket Club of India XI. Match Drawn
6-8 Oct 1950:
Commonwealth II vs Board President's XI. Match Drawn
21-23 Nov 1950:
Commonwealth II vs Bombay XI. Match Drawn
25-27 Nov 1950:
Commonwealth II vs Bombay Governor's XI. C'wealth II won by an ings and 173runs
1-5 Dec 1950:
Commonwealth II vs India (Un-official Test). C'wealth II won by 10 wickets
3-6 Mar 1951:
Commonwealth II vs Prime Minister XI. Match Drawn
5-7 Oct 1951:
MCC (England) vs Combined Universities. Match Drawn
8-10 Dec 1951:
MCC (England) vs Bombay XI. Match Drawn
8-10 Nov 1952:
Pakistanis vs Bombay CA XI. Match Drawn
10-12 Oct 1953:
Commonwealth III vs Cricket Club of India XI. Match Drawn
28-30 Nov 1953:
Commonwealth III vs Bombay CA XI. Match Drawn
3-7 Dec 1953:
Commonwealth III vs India (Un-official Test). Match Drawn
23-25 Nov 1958:
West Indians vs Cricket Club of India XI. Match Drawn
18-20 Feb 1961:
Pakistanis vs Bombay CA XI. Match Drawn
7-9 Nov 1961:
MCC (England) vs Bombay XI. Match Drawn
8-10 Jan 1965:
Ceylon vs Bombay CA XI. Match Drawn
19-21 Sep 1969:
New Zealanders vs Combined Universities. Match Drawn
6-8 Jan 1979:
West Indians vs Board President's XI. Match Drawn
24-26 Feb 1998:
Australians vs Mumbai XI. Mumbai won by 10 wickets
19-21 Feb 2000:
South Africans vs Board President's XI. Match Drawn
Statistics: Mohandas Menon
Mail your comments
