Mumbai vs Haryana: Sachin Tendulkar falls cheaply, Mohit Sharma shines
Sachin Tendulkar is playing for the 40-time Ranji champions as a warm-up for his final two Tests against West Indies next month. The 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season started on Sunday, with the Master Blaster playing domestic cricket for one final time as Mumbai take on Haryana at Lahli.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: October 27, 2013 06:09 PM IST
17:10 (IST): STUMPS! That's the end of play on the first day at Lahli. Ajinkya Rahane has continued with his good form and has put Mumbai in a good position. Mumbai were 100 for four at the close, trailing Haryana by 34 runs. Rahane is not out on 44 while Abhishek Nayar hit 24. They were involved in a 56-run stand for the fourth wicket. For Haryana, Mohit Sharma got two wickets while Ashish Hooda and Joginder Sharma bagged a wicket each.
16:57 (IST): Abhishek Nayar (24) is the fourth Mumbai wicket as Mohit Sharma bags his second wicket. Nayar looks to go over the backward point but mistimes it to gully. Nayar and Ajinkya Rahane ware involved in a 56-run stand for the 4th wicket. Dhawal Kulkarni has joined Ajinkya Rahane.
15:18 (IST): Sachin Tendulkar is out after scoring only five runs. Mohit Sharma is the man on target. Sachin goes forward to defend as the ball brushes off his elbow onto stumps.
14:43 (IST): It's tea time now! Sachin Tendulkar got off the mark with his trademark straight drive four. Ashish Hooda and Joginder Sharma have picked up a wicket each. Wasim Jaffer and Kaustubh Pawar are the two out batsmen. Tendulkar and Ajinkya Rahane are at the crease as Mumbai are 36/2, trali Haryana (134) by 98 runs.
14:38 (IST): Sachin Tendulkar has come out to bat after Joginder Sharma dismissed Wasim Jaffer for 14. Jaffer flicks a fuller delivery straight to Abhimanyu Khod at mid wicket.
14:06 (IST): Ashish Hooda gets the breakthrough for Harayan as he removes Kaustubh Pawar for 8. Pawar innings lasted 32 balls. Ajinkya Rahane joins Wasim Jaffer.
13:46 (IST): Wasim Jaffer dropped on four. He flicked Ashish Hooda but survives as man in short leg drops a sharp chance. Jaffer is struggling to time the ball.
13:07 (IST): Mumbai openers Wasim Jaffer and Kaustubh Pawar are out in the middle. Mohit Sharma starts the Haryana attack. He had a good day with the bat but he has to deliver with the ball.
12:27 (IST): WICKET! Mohit Sharma's fighting knock comes to an end as he is dismissed by Vishal Dhabolkar for 49. Mohit was also the top run-getter for the Haryana, who got all out for 134. Abhishek Nayar finished with 4/38 while Javed Khan bagged two and Zaheer Khan, who is eyeing an Indian comeback chipped in with one wicket.
11:45 (IST): Mohit Sharma, who recently made his Indian debut in the ODI series against Zimbabwe, is proving a tough wicket for Mumbai. He has taken Haryana past 100. Remember Mohit took 20 wickets in the 2013 Indian Premier League season. He is not doing his chances of selection to the national squad any harm at the moment.
11:15 (IST):Abhishek Nayar is on a roll here. Haryana 71/8 after just 20 overs.
11:05 (IST):Looks like Sachin will bat today. Haryana 59/6 after just 17 overs.
10:50 (IST):Ajay Jadeja's resistance ends. Haryana are 50/4.
10:35 (IST):There are some very interesting stories coming out of Lahli as well. According to media reports, farmers in Haryana are making big bucks on Sachin-mania. Many farmers are selling complimentary passes given to them by the state cricket association - with each pass going for anywhere between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 10,000. The association gave each village sarpanch a subsequent number of passes, who in turn passed in on to his farmers.
10:25 (IST):Let's not forget the town of Lahli who would never have dreamed of hosting Sachin's final match. Residents of this town have lit up the stage for the Master Blaster's swansong.
10:15 (IST):This could be a rout. Haryana have lost three wickets with just 20 runs on the board. Zaheer Khan and Dhawal Kulkarni the wicket-takers.
10:00 (IST):Sachin Tendulkar has played against Haryana only once before, in the 1991 final. Mumbai lost the match by two runs where Sachin made 47 and 96.
09:50 (IST):Big chance for Zaheer Khan here though. This is probably the senior pacer's last chance to impress the national selectors. Remember, the selectors will pick the squad for the two-Test series against West Indies on October 29.
09:40 (IST):Fans of Sachin may not have to wait too long to see him bat though. In their first two matches last season, Haryana were bowled out for 55 and 66!
09:30 (IST): TOSS -In Sachin Tendulkar's final match for Mumbai,skipper Zaheer Khan has decided to field vs Haryana.
Match Preview
It will be a precursor to the final bow as the retiring Sachin Tendulkar pads up one last time for Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy match against Haryana amid heightened excitement that has turned this sleepy village of wrestlers into a cricket-crazy arena.
The defending champions' match against the hosts assumes significance as this will be the champion batsman's final competitive outing ahead of next month's Test series against the West Indies, which will culminate with the second game in Mumbai, where Tendulkar will bring the curtain down on a glorious 24-year tryst with international cricket.
Tendulkar had, earlier this month, announced that he would call it a day after playing in his landmark 200th Test, against the West Indies from November 14-18.
Incidentally, in a Ranji final against Haryana in 1991, an 18-year-old Tendulkar bludgeoned his way to a smashing knock and threatened to take the game away from Kapil Dev's side.
Twenty-two years later, Tendulkar, now 40, is the lone surviving member of either team that played the five-day final at the Wankhede Stadium. (Read more - Sachin's arrival for domestic swansong leaves Lahli in a frenzy)
Sachin's Ranji Factoids:
# The only Ranji Trophy match Sachin Tendulkar played against Haryana was in 1991 at the Wankhede Stadium when his breezy 75-ball 96 partnering Dilip Vengsarkar helped Mumbai reach close to a 355-run target. Sachin, 18 then, batted with gay abandon against the likes of Kapil Dev and Chetan Sharma as Mumbai went down to a heartbreaking two-run loss at home.
# Sachin records the second highest average for any Ranji Trophy batsman with average of 88.82 in 35 Ranji matches, scoring 4175 runs with 18 hundreds and 18 fifties.
# Between 2000-01 and 2006-07, Sachin didn't play in a single Ranji Trophy match.
Sachin Tendulkar, Ajay Jadeja in Battle of 40s
In his last Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai, Sachin Tendulkar will play against former Team India opener Ajay Jadeja, who is making a domestic comeback for Haryana. The match will also see a 'reunion' of sorts. Tendulkar will run into former Team India opener Ajay Jadeja. Now on the wrong side of forty, Jadeja is making a domestic comeback for Haryana. The witty Jadeja had lead Haryana to the Buchi Babu title earlier this year.
Tendulkar has trained with the team for the last four days at the Wankhede Stadium and looks to be in great shape, according to teammates. Tendulkar has played 37 Ranji matches for Mumbai after making his debut against Gujarat in December 1988. His last match was the Ranji Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium against Saurashtra in January this year. (Read more)
VIP suite for Sachin
BMWs and Mercedes' are not uncommon in prosperous Haryana. But the BMW that checked in to the Canal river rest house in Rohtak, Haryana was special. The car had none other than Sachin Tendulkar, who arrived on Friday evening to play his final Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai vs Haryana in the sleepy town of Lahli.
Along with Sachin, skipper Zaheer Khan and Abhishek Nayar are staying in the ten-room rest house. Tendulkar is staying in the VIP suite that is normally reserved for the chief minister of the state.
Tendulkar is using the Lahli match as a warm-up game before the two-Test series against the West Indies next month. The 40-year-old will retire from Test cricket after his 200th match scheduled at Wankhede from November 14-18. Meanwhile Lahli, which is about 10 kms from Rohtak is essentially a town for budding wrestlers but Tendulkar's arrival is changing the local flavour as fans and sweet shops plan a big party. The Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium is getting a complete makeover ahead of the 40-year-olds arrival. Along with a complete repainting job, the gymnasium at the stadium has been refurbished with new equipment. (Read more)
Destiny's Lad and a 'Holy' connection with Tendulkar
During the course of his 24-year-old international career, Sachin Tendulkar has rubbed shoulders with two generations of cricketers. On the home stretch of a magnificent journey, the 'God' of cricket is touching the lives of a brand new era of players. Twenty-one-year-old Siddesh Lad is one of them. Tendulkar has been a true 'teacher.' He is omnipresent in the dressing room. His work ethics and passion are lessons in life. The young Siddesh got a ring-side view of the master's methods when he had the privilege to train with the Master Blaster for almost four days at a stretch at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. (Read more)