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Indian cricketer Shardul Thakur, who is one of the key members of the Mumbai Ranji Trophy side, is hopeful about them reaching the quarter-final round of the ongoing 2024-25 season of the tournament if they play together as a team. The defending champions need to win against Meghalaya outright with a bonus point at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) Ground in Mumbai in a four-day match beginning on Thursday, January 30, to give themselves the best possible chance to make the next stage.
Ahead of the final round of the group stage of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, Mumbai are in third place in Elite Group A standings with 22 points in six matches, desperate to beat bottom-place Meghalaya. If they are able to collect seven points from the match, including a bonus point, then their fate will be decided by the result of the clash between Jammu Kashmir and Baroda, the top two teams in the standings with 29 and 27 points respectively.
We need to stick together and play together as a team: Shardul Thakur
At the Reliance Cricket Ground in Vadodara, the Mumbai Ranji Trophy side will be hopeful to see Jammu & Kashmir get the better of Baroda outright, to make the quarter-final stage of the tournament, but if the result is the complete opposite, then their chance looks next to impossible. With that in mind, Shardul Thakur, the fast bowling all-rounder remarked, as per the Indian Express, “Longer format is an emotional roller coaster ride, one session can take the game away. The player who has observed must have learned from it. Be humble and be respectful, I don’t take anything or anyone lightly.”
“The message from the coach and captain is simple. We need to stick together and play together as a team,” he further said in the interview.
Shardul Thakur also spoke about how Mumbai have found a way to get out of tough situations time and again in domestic cricket throughout their history, and it will hold them in good stead this time around as well. He remarked, “It’s about believing. When chips are down, we have to believe that we can come on top. We need to trust our preparation and execute our skills, we will be good. As Mumbai team, whenever we are pushed back on the wall, we have emerged on the top. We are hoping to play with that kind of attitude what we have been doing over the years. I think we will be fine.”