Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Mumbai’s fate hangs in the balance as it faces Meghalaya in final group match

Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Mumbai’s fate hangs in the balance as it faces Meghalaya in final group match

What does Mumbai need to do to qualify for the Ranji Trophy knockouts?

Firstly, it should ensure seven full points against Meghalaya in the last group league fixture, beginning at the MCA-BKC ground on Thursday, and then expect a favourable outcome from the fixture between Baroda and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

J&K, which defeated Mumbai in its previous outing, needs a solitary point to reach the knockouts, whereas a first-innings lead or an outright win is must for Baroda to be the second qualifying team from the group.

However, even if the fixture in Vadodara ends in a draw, Mumbai will be hoping for J&K to take the lead as that would help it pip Baroda by a point. But as Shardul Thakur pointed out on the eve of the game, “the aim is to learn from the mistakes and ensure seven points for the team…”

Despite the presence of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer, Mumbai had a flop show in the batting department against J&K. Only Shardul could put up a fight with 51 and 119 in the two innings, but his efforts were not enough.

Taking lessons from the last outing, Mumbai does not want to take Meghalaya lightly. While Rohit, Shreyas and Jaiswal will miss the game due to national team commitment, Mumbai’s batting line-up will rely heavily on captain Ajinkya Rahane, youngsters Ayush Mhatre, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Suryansh Shedge, who were left out in the last game to accommodate the India internationals. For the crucial match, Mumbai could also look at the seasoned Siddhesh Lad to bolster its batting unit.

Having lost all its six games so far, it would be a herculean task for Meghalaya to put up a fight against Mumbai, but for captain Akash Choudhary, the target is to take the game onto the final day and that. according to him, would be a ‘huge moment’ for the team from the Northeast.