New Delhi: With the Ranji Trophy starting from October 11, 38 teams will be back to the quest of lifting the prestigious first-class trophy, albeit in two phases. Akshay Darekar, chief selector of the Maharashtra senior men's team, said the goal for his team is to try and strive hard for lifting a trophy in this domestic season.
With India opener Ruturaj Gaikwad at the helm as the skipper, Maharashtra will begin its Elite Group A campaign against Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar, followed by facing off against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai. Maharashtra has won Ranji Trophy twice – the last instance of its win coming in 1941, apart from three runners-up finishes.
The last season’s Ranji Trophy saw Maharashtra play a whopping 27 players in seven games. In the absence of a settled and firing playing competition, they couldn’t enter the knockouts, finishing with 12 points coming off a win, three losses, and three draws.
"Ruturaj is the next big thing for India. Everyone has seen his captaincy. Like at CSK, the way he handles pressure situations showed that he has leadership qualities. So, his selection as the captain was a plus point for us, as he is so involved with this team.
"Our goal is to try and strive hard for lifting a trophy this year. The matches against both teams are going to be very good. We know that if we play well together, we will win both the matches. Captain Ruturaj is there and I am sure he will handle everything well," says Darekar in a conversation with IANS.
In a bid to achieve glory, Maharashtra have also roped in Sulakshan Kulkarni, who won Ranji Trophy as a player and coach for Mumbai. Kulkarni was the coach of the Tamil Nadu team that lost to Mumbai in the semifinals of Ranji Trophy last season. Darekar remarked Kulkarni’s inclusion on a two-year contract has been positive so far.
"We keep discussing squad-related things. He is very satisfied with the squad. He has seen all the players closely in the last two-three months, and knows the role of every player in this team. We keep discussing with him before and during matches in the run-up to this season. He is also very satisfied with the process.
Darekar stated the Maharashtra team has been selected through a meticulous process starting in July – via selection matches and camps. They then divided 26 players into participating in two tournaments - a multi-day event in Pondicherry and Dr. (Capt.) K. Thimmappiah Memorial Tournament, a pre-season red-ball competition by KSCA. IANS
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