THE RISE AND FALL OF MUMBAI CRICKET

When i was writing about Agarkar and Powar it just occurred to me that the representation in the Indian team of Mumbaikars has been dwindling since the early nineties. The only player who has a permanent spot is Sachin Tendulkar. There have been many who have made it into the national side but haven't been able to maximize the oppurtunity. The Harris Shield, the Kanga league et all have produced the likes of Gavaskar,Vengsarkar,Shastri,Wadekar,Manjrekar to name a few.The past couple of decades have given a few names to reckon with thought i would just profile them:

Salil Ankola:
Right arm fast medium bowler. His first tour was to Pakistan in 1989. Had been in and out of the team. His last appearance was in the 96 world cup. After that he made a career shift into acting and has been quite successful at that.

Samir Dighe:
Wicket keeper and right handed batsman. Many say he was brought into the team at the behest of Sachin Tendulkar (during his captaincy). That decision drew a lot of flak and what added fuel to the fire was that he was promoted as a pinch hitter during an ODI at the MCG and he failed miserably. In his defense, he was chosen for a pretty hostile Down Under(which tour isn't?)and everybody was on the look out for scapegoats. He was a part of the test side during the historical 2001 series against Australia. He and Harbhajan took us home in the last test at Chennai. After that he is nowhere to be seen.

Nilesh Kulkarni:
Left Arm off spinner. His tall lanky physique could lead to anybody mistaking him to be a pace bowler. Again many feel he was in the team because Sachin was captain. Didn't make a huge impact when in the team and hence wasn't seen much. Off late had been vacillating between the ICL and Mumbai Ranji team. First he committed to the former then after rethinking it came back to Mumbai.

Sairaj Bahutule:
An orthodox leg spinner. He dropped Sachin early on in his innings in the Harris Shield match where Sachin and Kambli went on to have the world record partnership(he is remembered more for that than his exploits in the Indain team). Did exceedingly well while playing for Mumbai. He also was a part of the test team during the 2001 test series against Australia. Playing under the shadow of Harbhajan in that series sealed his fate.

Paras Mhambrey:
Right arm fast medium bowler. Picked for the 96 tour of England as support for Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad, he failed to do much and couldn't yield any returns on the selectors investment in him. After that has been keeping himself occupied with coaching responsibilities.

Atul Bedade:
Not many may remember him. He was branded as a hard hitting southpaw when he was inducted into national colours. Unfortunately for him, he made his debut at Sharjah against Pakistan at a time when Pakistan + Sharjah= Doom for the opposition. Couldn't blame him much for not delivering the goods against Akram and co. unfortunately in India, the first impression is the ever lasting one and his fate was sealed.

Abey Kuruvilla:
Right arm fast bowler. I have seen him bowl and you dont realise where the ball once until you see the wicket keeper moving to collect it. Unfortunately for him he was a part of the team when we were going through a horrible phase in 97. He was there on the tour to West Indies and also played a couple of home series. The team's performance compelled the selectors to search for scapegoats and unfortunately for him he fitted the bill. One quality about his batting worth mentioning is the uncanny ability he had to whack the ball 7 storeys high,but it would never cross the 30 yard circle!! Like Paras Mhambrey he also is into coaching now.

Praveen Amre:
Right hand batsman. He burst onto the international scene,with a century on debut in South Africa against South Africa. But that seemed to be his peak and it was downhill for him from there. Presently incharge of the Mumbai Ranji team.

Vinod Kambli:
I seem to be using the term prodigal son quite a lot these days. But the epitome of that term has to be this gentleman. There was a time in 93 when he was more popular and prolific in run scoring compared to Sachin. Back to back double centuries and he was touted as India's reply to Brian Lara. But success got to his head(literally also, every series we saw him in a different hairdo) and he never was able to cement his place in the side. The 96 world cup saw him and Sidhu saving us from a horrific defeat against Zimbabwe and in the same tournament we saw hum weeping of the field at the Eden Gardens with India at 120/8 in the semi finals against Sri Lanka. The final nail in the coffin came in the 97 series against Zimbabwe where while fielding he twisted his ankle and fractured it in the process. That was the last time we would see him in national colours. He acted in a couple of movies after that and i dont think he can give Salil Ankola a run for his money.

These are the few i could think of. One particular player who could never make it to the team but had the potential was Amol Muzumdar- a classy batsman and a prolific run scorer in the domestic circuit. He has to be one of the unluckiest guys around.

Of the present players in the team Agarkar and Powar i have already written about. Wasim Jaffer has more or less made the opening position in tests his. Its too early to comment about Rohit Sharma but the signs so far are good.

So what is the reason for the fact that after Sachin nobody from Mumbai is good enough for the Indian team?? Is it because the quality of cricket has declined in the Shivaji Parks and the Oval Maidans or has it risen in other parts of the country?? I still am not able to figure it out!!