Ranji Trophy final:Lower-level resilience The enduring tale of Mumbai

Competing bowlers have been left stunned by the tail-enders ability to repeatedly stand up with the bat after taking off the top and middle order.

Vidarbha's think tank would be well to take note of what Tamil Nadu coach Sulakshan Kulkarni said following the semi-final loss earlier in the week regarding the challenge of playing the 41-time champions this season as they prepare to play Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

"I said this in the (TN) dressing room that their batting starts after (No) 6,” Kulkarni said. After Tamil Nadu was eliminated from the game by the home team's Nos. 9, 10, and 11, the former Mumbai coach made his remarks. After reducing Mumbai to 106/7, the TN bowlers looked on helplessly as the final three wickets accumulated 272 runs. At No. 9, all-round player Shardul Thakur struck a counterattacking century (109), while Tanush Kotian at No. 10 displayed an outstanding performance to record an undefeated 89.

Tamil Nadu was frustrated when Kotian and Tushar Deshpande, the last wicket combo, amassed 88 runs. For the past few years, Shams Mulani and Kotian have been Mumbai's rearguard action. Others have contributed this year in a meaningful way farther down the list. Mumbai's bottom order, which includes Mulani, Kotian, Thakur, Dhawal Kulkarni, Deshpande, and Mohit Avasthi, has amassed a total of 1,362 runs in the nine games they have played to advance to the championship.

“Lower-order rallies to give Mumbai the ascendancy”, has been a regular headline during Mumbai’s ongoing Ranji Trophy campaign. The hitter that bats between positions eight and ten is not usually one of Mumbai's best run producers. With 481 runs in nine matches this season at an average of 48.1, Kotian has the second-highest aggregate. The only player with more runs scored—533, but in two additional innings—is opener Bhupen Lalwani.

Simply reviewing the performances of Mumbai's Nos. 9, 10, and 11 in the two knockout games will give one an indication of the role that their lower-order players play. They outlasted Baroda in the second innings of their quarter-final match before to the Tamil Nadu match. In the history of Indian first-class cricket, hundreds were scored by both the No. 10 (Kotian, 120*) and No. 11 (Deshpande, 123). Together, they scored an incredible 232 runs for the final wicket.

Mumbai's lower order contributed 114 runs in the opening game of the season against Bihar, which helped them climb from a shaky 137/5 to 251. Mumbai overcame Andhra in their debut home game at the MCA Academy ground, going from 224/6 to 394 thanks to the tail. Kulkarni made 24*, Avasthi 53, Kotian 54, and Mulani 38. Actually, with a 98-run partnership, the final wicket combination of Avasthi and Kulkarni upset the Andhra bowling attack.

In the hard away game against Bengal, it was all the same. After being reduced to 231/6, they managed to reach 412, with 181 runs coming from the last four wickets. Mumbai's tail waggled in the second innings of even their one and only loss of the season, against Uttar Pradesh. The lower-order contributed 234 runs from 86/6 to assist post a total of 320. Before the final, Mumbai only had one game in the Wankhede Stadium.

If Deshpande had lingered longer against Tamil Nadu, Kotian very well could have scored his second consecutive hundred at number ten. Just 19 more runs are needed for him to reach 500 for the season. His goal going into the finale is to reach that mark.

“I had (my) target set, 500 runs and 30-odd wickets. I had made 350-380 runs down the order last year. I have one more game, so I will try to get one more hundred,” Kotian said after the semi-final. “I am taking the game as deep as I can and making a good contribution. We have a deep batting order with Shardul at No.9,” he said.

“We have made runs down the order, most of the time our team was 100/5 but we have the confidence of reaching 400-450. Mohit (Avasthi) also can bat, and Tushar can too. We have the confidence of playing session-by-session." Vidarbha bowlers sure have their task cut out.