Vijay Hazare Trophy: Iyer boost for Mumbai against Maharashtra in QF

NEW DELHI: Former India opener Virender Sehwag used to take a late evening flight back home after an international series and by eight next morning, would be ready for an office league match at the Khalsa College ground in the pre-IPL days. But given the hectic schedule these days, most Indian players prefer to take a break after an international series.Mumbai’s Shreyas Iyer seems to be a chip from the old block.
Two days after returning from South Africa where he represented India in the ODI series, Iyer is back to where he belongs - his state team Mumbai - ahead of the ‘derby’ game against Maharashtra in the Vijay Hazare Trophy’s knockout stage, beginning at the Palam cricket ground here on Wednesday.
Mumbai captain Aditya Tare appreciated Iyer’s spirit and admitted that his presence was a huge boost for the team. With the likes of Prithvi Shaw, who has already made a mark in the big league, Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Dhawal Kulkarni in the ranks, Mumbai are desperate to win after the disappointment in the Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Add to this bunch the likes of Siddhesh Lad, Dhrumil Matkar and Royston Dias, who are in good form, and they look like a team which can go all the way.
Mumbai’s desire to keep their reputation intact in domestic cricket was quite palpable during the nets session on Tuesday. Not a single player was sitting idle. They were either busy at the nets or were doing their fielding drills. It looked like a team on a mission.
However, Maharashtra are no pushovers. They are capable matching a strong team like Mumbai. On their day, they can beat the best team, which underlines the magic of India’s domestic cricket. Every game can churn up great surprises and some unlikely heroes. After beating reasonably good sides like Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, the confidence of Maharashtra is high.
More than banking on individual stars like Rahul Tripathi, Ankit Bawne and Shamshuzama Kazi, Maharashtra are relying on team effort to counter Mumbai. The absence of Kedar Jadhav, who is yet to join the team after leaving South Africa because of a niggling injury, isn’t bothering them much. Coach Surendra Bhave said that his team has been taking “one match at a time” and this mantra has helped so far.