Muzumdar’s mantra for achievement was easy: observe the course of that is working in the dressing room and present full dedication until the finish.
“This is a different generation you are dealing with here,” Muzumdar says of Mumbai’s legacy and dealing with the present bunch of gamers. “I personally feel it is another game [the final]…”
“We haven’t looked at the quarter-finals or the semi-finals or the finals. There are systems that are working in the dressing room, and we would like to follow that till the last ball is bowled in the Ranji Trophy season. That was our commitment at the start of the season.”
The course of that he is speaking about additionally emphasises on a person’s progress – that is giving him “immense pleasure” – quite than the group’s consequence. Despite simply managing to sneak into the knockouts, gamers have stepped up for Mumbai.
So when everybody knew what they have been doing, the consequence was seen.
That aside, one among the issues that Muzumdar and the group have been additionally specific about was managing the workload of the bowlers and guaranteeing they did not really feel burnt out.
And extra importantly for Mumbai, all of them have performed all 5 matches.
“The bowling unit has been fantastic, they’ve been putting in the effort throughout – 365 days,” Muzumdar stated. “Trainers and physios have done a fantastic job. Dhawal has led the pack nicely. He has been the sort of a guy who mentors and takes them under the wings and gives them the freedom to do that.
“Shams Mulani’s… terrific efficiency this season. He did not decide up a wicket this match [semi-final], however he has been great this season to this point. There are some tweaks which have occurred throughout the season and that is paying off.”
“This technology has been incredible… It’s been great working with them, [and] simply shaping them”
Muzumdar on his younger group
Muzumdar feels that the “daring” gen next has the “sense of the Bombay legacy” growing up in the maidans of Mumbai, and that every player values the coveted Mumbai cap.
For instance, this is what Muzumdar said to Jaiswal before the knockouts: “If you like batting, you present me. There is no level speaking in the dressing room. If you are between these 22 yards, you can show that you like batting”.
And Jaiswal proved it by adding three centuries on the trot. Interestingly, in the semi-final, he swallowed 54 deliveries to get off the mark to eventually to get out on 181. Mind you, Jaiswal was playing first-class cricket immediately after being with Rajasthan Royals, tuning up for T20 cricket, until just days before the Ranji quarter-finals.
“The solely distinction [in this generation’s approach] is how you take it and the way you convey it to the dressing room; how you keep that dressing room mild,” Muzumdar added. “It shouldn’t be heavy. That’s been the aim.
“This generation has been fantastic. I keep telling them if you keep working on your game, the world is your oyster. There’s no looking back. Look at the opportunity. It’s been wonderful working with them, [and] just shaping them. Seeing them grow gives me immense pleasure.”
Keeping the group motivated was a “different challenge this season” as Ranji was performed in two phases, however Muzumdar stated that the group bonding classes with the National Security Guards (NSG) in October final yr and an in-season health program throughout the month of April and May for the Ranji gamers who weren’t a part of the IPL additionally helped.
“There are a lot of things that happen in a season – a lot of ups and downs, out-of-form players and so many things to deal with,” Muzumdar stated. “We would like to follow our process and focus on what we’ve done in our dressing room”.
Srinidhi Ramanujam is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo